
Candy Darling
Dreamer, Icon, Superstar
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Narrated by:
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Justin Vivian Bond
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By:
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Cynthia Carr
About this listen
A 2025 Audie Award winner for Best Nonfiction Narrator!
Plutarch Awards Nominee, 2025
National Book Critics Circle Award nominee, 2024
This program is read by cabaret legend Justin Vivian Bond.
A Must-Read: The New York Times Book Review, Nylon, Star Tribune, Ms., Kirkus Reviews, The Bay Area Reporter, Town & Country, InsideHook
“[A] monumental biography.”—Hilton Als, The New Yorker
“A rich portrait of a glittering, communal, and bygone NYC . . . [and] of the glamorous queer icon.”—Arimeta Diop, Vanity Fair
From the acclaimed biographer Cynthia Carr, the first full portrait of the queer icon and Warhol superstar Candy Darling.
Warhol superstar and transgender icon Candy Darling was glamour personified, but she was without a real place in the world.
Growing up on Long Island, lonely and quiet and queer, she was enchanted by Hollywood starlets like Kim Novak. She found her turn in New York’s early Off-Off-Broadway theater scene, in Warhol’s films Flesh and Women in Revolt, and at the famed nightclub Max's Kansas City. She inspired songs by Lou Reed and the Rolling Stones. She became friends with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, borrowed a dress from Lauren Hutton, posed for Richard Avedon, and performed alongside Tennessee Williams in his own play.
Yet Candy lived on the edge, relying on the kindness of strangers, friends, and her quietly devoted mother, sleeping on couches and in cheap hotel rooms, keeping a part of herself hidden. She wanted to be a star, but mostly she wanted to be loved. Her last diary entry was: “I shall try to be grateful for life . . . Cannot imagine who would want me." Candy died at twenty-nine in 1974, as conversations about gender and identity were really just starting. She never knew it, but she changed the world.
Packed with tales of luminaries and gossip and meticulous research, immersive and laced with Candy’s words and her friends' recollections, Cynthia Carr's Candy Darling is Candy's long-overdue return to the spotlight.
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2024 Cynthia Carr (P)2024 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“[An] incandescent portrait . . . Carr resurrects a trans icon whose life, artistry, and struggle speak directly to our moment.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“I first heard her name in a Lou Reed song; I first saw her face in a Peter Hujar photograph, looking glamorous, dying; I first heard her voice in an Andy Warhol film. And now, how wonderful to be taken, with care and delight and plenty of spectacle, behind the myth for a peek at the beating heart of Candy Darling. Cynthia Carr has written an absorbing account of an unforgettable woman in a fascinating time, a lonely icon who tried to find a place for herself in a world that couldn’t hold her.”—Justin Torres, author of Blackouts
“What an inspiring book! First you think, ‘I know that.’ But then you think, ‘Oh I didn’t know that, or that or that.’ The very identity of Candy Darling, what it was like to be a trans kid growing up in the 1950s, and the landscape surrounding her, gets renovated in this wake-up take on gender in the ’60s and ’70s. The web of detail assembled by culture sleuth Cynthia Carr is quickened by the facts of Candy’s tireless beauty, charm, and charisma—and oh so much pain. Complexly wrenching, startling, entirely fresh, and frankly alive, Candy Darling delivers an altogether frank and shimmering portrait of a self-made American female deity, more than a bit of a prophet, constructed whole cloth from her own and everyone else’s desiring dream. Omigod, what a trip!”—Eileen Myles, author of a “Working Life”
Editorial Review
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- By: A. N. Wilson
- Narrated by: A. N. Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Known for his journalism, biographies and novels, A. N. Wilson turns a merciless searchlight on his own early life, his experience of sexual abuse, his catastrophic mistakes in love (sacred and profane) and his life in Grub Street—as a prolific writer. The audiobook begins with his heart-torn present-day visits to Katherine, now for decades his ex-wife, who has slithered into the torments of dementia. At every turn of this reminiscence, Wilson is baffled by his earlier self—whether he is flirting with unsuitable lovers or with the idea of the priesthood.
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Atomic bomb and other gems
- By Charles on 11-27-23
By: A. N. Wilson
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Carrie Fisher
- A Life on the Edge
- By: Sheila Weller
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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A remarkably candid biography of the remarkably candid - and brilliant - Carrie Fisher. Sourced by friends, colleagues, and witnesses to all stages of Fisher’s life, Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge is an empathic and even-handed portrayal of a woman who - as Princess Leia, but mostly as herself - was a feminist heroine, one who died at a time when we need her blazing, healing honesty more than ever.
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Need a different narrator or director?
- By Brad on 12-24-19
By: Sheila Weller
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Under a Rock
- A Memoir
- By: Chris Stein, Debbie Harry
- Narrated by: Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, Dennis Boutsikaris, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Debbie Harry defined iconic band Blondie’s look. Chris Stein—her performing partner, lover, and lifelong friend—was its architect and defined its sound. “Parallel Lines”, their third album, catapulted to #1, sold 20 million copies, and launched singles like “Heart of Glass”, "Hangin' On the Telephone," and “One Way or Another”, providing the beat when Bianca Jagger and Halston danced at Studio 54 and the soundtrack to every 1970’s punk-soundtracked romance.
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This Blondie fan LOVED IT
- By Harlowgold on 09-18-24
By: Chris Stein, and others
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Lou Reed
- The King of New York
- By: Will Hermes
- Narrated by: Will Hermes
- Length: 20 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Since his death ten years ago, Lou Reed’s living presence has only grown. The great rock-poet presided over the marriage of Brill Building pop and the European avant-garde, and left American culture transfigured. In Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes offers the definitive narrative of Reed’s life and legacy, dramatizing his long, brilliant, and contentious dialogue with fans, critics, fellow artists, and assorted habitués of the demimonde.
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Best Biography I’ve Ever Read
- By Sammy Criscitello on 11-21-24
By: Will Hermes
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Yes: The Tormato Story
- By: Kevin Mulryne
- Narrated by: Kevin Mulryne
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The music of Yes indelibly shaped the original sound of progressive rock. But the true tale of this landmark band goes well beyond headline-making albums like Fragile and Close to the Edge. In this book, Kevin Mulryne tells the absorbing story of the final Yes album of the 1970s, Tormato, uncovering myriad fascinating twists and turns for the first time.
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A fascinating read.
- By Preston M. Frazier on 10-20-23
By: Kevin Mulryne
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Desperately Seeking Something
- A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls
- By: Susan Seidelman
- Narrated by: Jaime Lamchick
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Starting out in the mid-70s, a time when few women were directing movies, Susan Seidelman was determined to become a filmmaker. She longed to tell stories about the unrepresented characters she wanted to see on screen: unconventional women in unusual circumstances, needing to express themselves and maintain their autonomy. Her genre-blending films reflect a passion for classic Hollywood storytelling, mixed with a playful New Wave spirit, informed by her years living in downtown NYC.
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An Inspiring Listen
- By Tiffany Bartok on 06-26-24
By: Susan Seidelman
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I See Myself
- Musings and Memories of a Blessed Life
- By: Joseph S. Bonsall
- Narrated by: Rob Farella
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In I See Myself, Joe Bonsall reflects on the contrasts and the crossroads of his life. From growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia to sitting on the front porch of his log home in rural Tennessee. From hanging with a street gang in his teens to surrendering to Christ at a youth camp. From working as a short order cook to headlining sold-out arenas. And now—from running across the stage each night to being sidelined by a neuromuscular disorder that has stolen his mobility.
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Beautiful Book
- By Julie Turner on 11-21-24
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Maggie Smith
- A Biography
- By: Michael Coveney
- Narrated by: Sian Thomas
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm, or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. Michael Coveney's biography shines a light on the life and career of a truly remarkable performer, one whose stage and screen career spans six decades.
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Steeped in Theater History
- By Jean on 01-04-16
By: Michael Coveney
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Lust & Wonder
- A Memoir
- By: Augusten Burroughs
- Narrated by: Augusten Burroughs
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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From the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an intimate look at the driving forces in one man’s life. With Augusten's unique and singular observations and his own unabashed way of detailing both the horrific and the humorous, Lust and Wonder is a hilariously frank audiobook memoir that his legions of fans have been waiting for. His story began in Running with Scissors, endured through Dry, and continues with this memoir, the capstone to the life of Augusten Burroughs.
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Relentlessly Tedious
- By River Holmes-miller on 03-31-16
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Let the Record Show
- A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993
- By: Sarah Schulman
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Coleman Williams, Sarah Schulman
- Length: 27 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In just six years, ACT UP, New York, a broad and unlikely coalition of activists from all races, genders, sexualities, and backgrounds, changed the world. Armed with rancor, desperation, intelligence, and creativity, it took on the AIDS crisis with an indefatigable, ingenious, and multifaceted attack on the corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals who stood in the way of AIDS treatment for all. Let the Record Show is a revelatory exploration - and long-overdue reassessment - of the coalition’s inner workings, conflicts, achievements, and ultimate fracture.
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Narration makes it difficult to enjoy
- By Katrine on 06-28-21
By: Sarah Schulman
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The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt
- The Women Who Created a President
- By: Edward F. O'Keefe
- Narrated by: Edward F. O'Keefe
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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A dazzling and lyrical look at the making of one of America’s most remarkable presidents, The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt celebrates five extraordinary yet unsung women who opened the door to the American Century and pushed Theodore Roosevelt through it.
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A fresh take on TR
- By Maria on 05-29-24
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Hold Still
- A Memoir with Photographs
- By: Sally Mann
- Narrated by: Sally Mann
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In this groundbreaking audiobook, a unique interplay of narrative and image, Mann's preoccupation with family, race, mortality, and the storied landscape of the American South are revealed as almost genetically predetermined, written into her DNA by the family history that precedes her.
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Brilliant. But what's up with the PDF?
- By ARK on 06-27-15
By: Sally Mann
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Hamlet's Children
- By: Richard Kluger
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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When grave misfortune leaves thirteen-year-old Terry Sayre without relatives to care for him in the summer of 1939, his only option to elude foster care is to accept asylum abroad with his mother's Danish kin, people he met only briefly as a child. Terry begins life anew in his grandparents' home, but within months of his arrival, the Second World War breaks out.
By: Richard Kluger
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Deliberate Cruelty
- Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century
- By: Roseanne Montillo
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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When Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward, in the middle of the night in 1955, her life changed forever. Though she claimed she thought he was a prowler, few believed the woman who had risen from charismatic showgirl to popular socialite. Everyone had something to say about the scorching scandal afflicting one of the most rich and famous families of New York City, but no one was more obsessed with the tale than Truman Capote.
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An interesting true crime story buried in here
- By Quinn on 11-11-22
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Two Roads Home
- Hitler, Stalin, and the Miraculous Survival of My Family
- By: Daniel Finkelstein
- Narrated by: Daniel Finkelstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Beloved British journalist Daniel Finkelstein tells the extraordinary story of the years before his mother met his father—years of war and trials they barely survived. Daniel Finkelstein's grandfather was a German Jewish intellectual leader who tolled an early warning of the impending Holocaust and became an archivist of Nazi crimes. He relocated his family to safety in Amsterdam, where they knew Anne Frank. But in those years safety was an illusion: Anne Frank famously went into hiding and Daniel's mother, Mirjam, also still a child, was sent to Bergen-Belsen with her mother and sisters.
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Most engaging and important audiobook I ever listened to.
- By Kathleen M. Allen on 04-11-24
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Rednecks
- By: Taylor Brown
- Narrated by: Ramiz Monsef
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Award-winning novelist Taylor Brown brings to life one of the most compelling events in twentieth-century American history, reminding us of the hard-won origins of today’s unions. Rednecks is a propulsive, character-driven tale that’s both a century old and blisteringly contemporary: a story of unexpected friendship, heroism in the face of injustice, and the power of love and community against all odds.
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Slowest book for no payofff
- By Jackie H on 03-18-25
By: Taylor Brown
What listeners say about Candy Darling
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jonathan Werber
- 07-09-24
Great narration
It felt like being walked through Candy’s life by her dear friend. Terrific narration, would pick up another title Just to listen to the reader more
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- JP
- 04-28-25
Delicious!
wow JVB really deserves all the flowers for inhabitanting the complicated and stunning life of Candy Darling as interpreted by Cynthia Carr. I'm shook! and this will stay with me for a long time to come.
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- Anile
- 04-15-24
Thee candy darling’s bibile
Finally, a whole richly researched book about the darling of the 60’s underground. Beautiful and tragic to the very end and a lady who deserved so much better things in her short life.
Extra points goes to the narration done By Mx Justin Vivian bond. Who revived the narration and figures in their rich, emotional voice. A gift that keep on giving.
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1 person found this helpful
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- adele cabot
- 09-11-24
The cruelty of humans
How cruel and narrow we humans can be when faced with our own humanity.
(Rhyme unintended)
Please read this book.
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- Bmac
- 06-29-24
The Biography Candy deserved
Well researched and written , narrator did an amazing job of bringing Candy, and the times alive .
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- Richard B.
- 07-08-24
terrific
"I have all the things people dream about and none of the things they take for granted."
Phenomenal, really. Better written than I would have expected and the audiobook is superb. I don't know if anyone has ever been so perfectly cast as an audiobook narrator as Justin Vivian Bond with this book. Viv's performance is perfect.
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- David Purdue
- 08-09-24
Brilliant
Engaging, endearing, funny as hell, and a grade inside into 1960s and 70s New York.
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- ayana dee
- 02-13-25
Just sublime
I’ve never laughed so hard and been so moved by an audiobook before. I learned so much about a time period I thought I was pretty familiar with. This book and performance and of course, Candy, will stay with me always
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- ILAN COHEN
- 03-25-24
Legend
Cyntia Carr is a true New York City legend - wonderful insightful book - candy Darling is alive and popping out from every page and so is nyc of the 60es & 70es
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1 person found this helpful
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- Aleigh Gorical
- 06-13-24
Captivating
The book was excellent. Thorough but never dry, it was engaging the whole way through. Wonderful narration and was glad to have a trans person doing the reading. If you are at all interested in Candy Darling specifically or trans history in general, you are in good hands here.
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