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jessrenbash's review
4.0
This book is a marathon, not a sprint. (Plus, you’re going to want to stop and listen to the songs referenced.) It is incredibly well written and researched.
fikeat01's review
5.0
Read this for a class... very detailed but so good! I'm now obsessed with The Beatles.
jocelovesclassics's review
4.0
This book is very detailed, you can tell research was put into this. No, wonder it is considered the biography to read. I only have two issue. It was slow in some parts. As well as devoting more time to John and Paul. Other than that it’s a definitely worth reading for any Beatles fan.
annhartman67's review
4.0
What a train wreck of a band! Super fascinating read - I had no idea about how dysfunctional the Beatles were - and no vice left unturned. There’s no arguing their talent and their incredible pace of songwriting packed into one decade. They’ve cemented their place at or near the top of all time great bands. I can’t help but think I’d rather have kept my untarnished view of them?
inkstainedlife's review
3.0
This may take a while--it's huge, and I have a few things going right now--but, um, I'm excited.
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Whew.
After three weeks, I FINALLY finished this tome. And that's saying a lot; I'm a pretty fast reader and tend to average a book or two a week.
It's also saying a lot about this book. It's about 862 pages (not including the notes and index), of Beatle history, and it took Bob Spitz about 300 pages of storytelling before Ringo even joined the band. It wasn't a fast-moving biography by any stretch, and though as a relatively new fan I was interested to learn more about the band, there was a 24 hour period in which I abandoned it for another (quickly read) book.
This book also confirmed my ranking John as my least-favorite Beatle, although I'm tempted to promote Ringo from second to first.
So I'm settling on three stars for now. The book was fascinating and drove me back to the Beatles' music again and again (and again ... I'm listening to "A Day in the Life" right now!), but it wasn't the best thing I've ever read.
---
Whew.
After three weeks, I FINALLY finished this tome. And that's saying a lot; I'm a pretty fast reader and tend to average a book or two a week.
It's also saying a lot about this book. It's about 862 pages (not including the notes and index), of Beatle history, and it took Bob Spitz about 300 pages of storytelling before Ringo even joined the band. It wasn't a fast-moving biography by any stretch, and though as a relatively new fan I was interested to learn more about the band, there was a 24 hour period in which I abandoned it for another (quickly read) book.
This book also confirmed my ranking John as my least-favorite Beatle, although I'm tempted to promote Ringo from second to first.
So I'm settling on three stars for now. The book was fascinating and drove me back to the Beatles' music again and again (and again ... I'm listening to "A Day in the Life" right now!), but it wasn't the best thing I've ever read.
cleng's review
5.0
This is, without a doubt, the best biographical book on the Fab Four that I have read! Highly recommended!!
floodfish's review
3.0
Too much John, not enough Ringo. And the best researched parts were about the Liverpool days, because that's the period there were the best sources for. Probably a must read for Beatles fans, and I learned plenty, but I hope someone does better some day.
seriousmoonlight's review
4.0
A great and thorough biography, although there are some odd mistakes that a copy editor should have caught (like messing up ages of the Beatles at various points of their careers). Nothing glaring, though, and I remember liking how the author doesn't play favorites among the four. This is definitely a "to reread" pick for me.