Barbara's life was (and remains) in total contrast to so many celebrity lives. She was married to the same man throughout her career and was devoted to her family and her Christianity. No drugs, no extra-marital affairs, no hint of any kind of scandal. So although the early part of her life is of interest to her fans, of which I am one, the wider public is likely to be mainly interested in the accident and Barbara's recovery from it.

It seemed to me at the time (and subsequent events confirm it) that although Barbara made a full physical recovery - a miracle in itself - the mental scars never healed. She was less enthusiastic about her work than she had been. Perhaps this lack of enthusiasm explains why so little of her music from her peak years has ever been released on CD.

This book was in the American bestseller listings soon after publication. With Barbara's retirement from the music business, it seems that few people are interested in reading about her life any more (except her fans, who are likely to have a copy already) - this is a pity, because it's one of the more interesting country music biographies despite being a difficult read.