Summary of Carly Simon's Boys in the Trees

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The day I was born, I was tested to see if I was right about being special. I was not only barefoot but also had not changed out of my nightgown. The woman who came to take me home was so tall and regal that we all thought she was auditioning for the job.

#2 I was the youngest of the four siblings, and I was very shy. When I was introduced to Helen Gaspard, I tapped into a new, unfamiliar part of my personality: I wanted to be noticed.

#3 My parents’ house at 133 West Eleventh Street in Greenwich Village was my first home. It was an eclectic mix of Victoriana and Wormser-family stuff. The residents moved up and down from floor to floor thanks to Jimmy, the elevator man.

#4 I had a lot of memories of my mother and her sister, Allie, who was my nanny and cook. I would steal jewelry from my mother’s jewelry box and give it to Allie, who had many fewer bracelets and necklaces than my mother did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822536333

IRB Media

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Insights on Carly Simon's Boys in the Trees

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The day I was born, I was tested to see if I was right about being special. I was not only barefoot but also had not changed out of my nightgown. The woman who came to take me home was so tall and regal that we all thought she was auditioning for the job.

#2

I was the youngest of the four siblings, and I was very shy. When I was introduced to Helen Gaspard, I tapped into a new, unfamiliar part of my personality: I wanted to be noticed.

#3

My parents’ house at 133 West Eleventh Street in Greenwich Village was my first home. It was an eclectic mix of Victoriana and Wormser-family stuff. The residents moved up and down from floor to floor thanks to Jimmy, the elevator man.

#4

I had a lot of memories of my mother and her sister, Allie, who was my nanny and cook. I would steal jewelry from my mother’s jewelry box and give it to Allie, who had many fewer bracelets and necklaces than my mother did.

#5

Daddy’s family was well-roundedly musical. His youngest brother, George, was a drummer who helped found Downbeat magazine. Another brother, Alfie, was the program director for a music radio station, WQXR. Henry was a classical music lover and conductor.

#6

Daddy was a pianist, and he could have been a concert pianist if he’d wanted. He was a sensitive player, but he could also be imposing. He never received much affection from my mother, and he made me leave the dinner table as punishment.

#7

My parents were always entertaining, whether it was at their Manhattan apartment or at their summer house in Stamford, Connecticut. They would often invite their friends over for dinner, and my mother would sweep into my room to kiss me good night.

#8

Daddy was a publishing empire founder who had charisma and was known for his absentmindedness. He had founded the company in 1924 out of a one-room office, and by the mid-1920s, he and his partner had published books that went on to sell millions of copies.

#9

My father, who was a publishing entrepreneur, innovator, and magnate, had a difficult marriage. He was pained and remote, and I remember him as a half-vanished man.

#10

I spent a summer in 1951 in the orchard near our play barn in Stamford, just beyond a sprawling copper beech tree. I became adept at the art and science of pit-marksmanship. My two first cousins, Jeanie and Mary Seligman, lived with us that summer. As the youngest, I always had lesser parts in my family plays.

#11

I spent my time practicing my lines and making up imaginary friends, who I gave desires and destinies. I was the child of the orchard, and I dreamed of becoming an actor.

#12

I was always an anxious child, and I was constantly making up games to help me fall asleep. One of my favorite fantasies was to be a deckhand on a naval warship, and I would share a bunk with other sailors. I would imagine a celebration and an imaginary back rub given to me by the admiral, a dead ringer for Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.