Scan barcode
rheading's review against another edition
4.0
When I turned one, my grandparents oddly gifted me a cassette of the soundtrack of my favorite Bollywood movie at the time and I think I appreciate the sentiment behind that present and the medium of tapes a lot more after reading this book. Even though I'm too young to understand the intricacies of pretty much every pre-2000s rock-and-roll reference Sheffield makes (except for songs like "Hey Jude" and "Sk8r Boi" and artists like Elton John and Shania Twain), I really appreciate how the story lives up to its title. Sheffield keeps you invested in the soundtrack of his life and how his wonderful wife Renée helped shape it. Here's a great takeaway from the book for me: Human benevolence is totally unfair. We don't live in a kind or generous world, yet we are kind and generous. We know the universe is out to burn us, and it gets us all the way it got Renée, but we don't burn each other, not always.
espeni's review against another edition
5.0
Really good but also really sad. Lots of essays specifically about losing his wife very young.
errski's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was great. I love how the author writes about his wife, how much he loved her and dealing with the grief he felt without her, as well as about the connections to music in his life and relationships. I intend to go back and listen to all the songs on the mix tapes.
anateresa24's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
i think this has easily become one of my favorite books ever. I love that Rob Sheffield talks about music as if its alive, because it is ! when he talks about listening to a song that he can never share with renee, its a melancholic feeling hard to describe and yet does it perfectly. music is powerful and love is a mixtape. thank you, rob. i loved it
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
3.0
In the words used in Rent: "A bittersweet, evocative song". The story of finding Love and having that Love be stolen away by death and "simply being" in the aftermath intertwined with the music which makes that possible.