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A review by justicepirate
John by Cynthia Lennon
4.0
This book was really well written and better than I had anticipated.
Cynthia was John Lennon's college girlfriend. He met her in an art course. He would badger her in class, but eventually, they became friends which blossomed into a romance. He was in his band with Paul and George when they met, but she was with John while the band was still becoming anything.
Cynthia reflects on how she and John were raised, how they met, what their time together was like while dating, John's rise to fame, what their marriage was like, what it was like raising Julian with John, what their time was like when their marriage ended, and the overall feelings she had during the time she knew John.
This book made me feel anger towards John Lennon, but Cynthia did not necessarily ever speak poorly of him. She always tried to work on her relationship with them, but it seemed like they were too alike in some ways and she let him control her or take advantage of her at times. It is so interesting how this book ended with a BAM though. WOW. Strong words in the last statement (when you get to it). Even though you just read the story, her words make you see that all the pain and hurt she went through really did some damage.
While I have always been intrigued by John Lennon, it is mainly that I love his music, and not so much him as a person at all. In reading this book, I feel like John was very witty and smart, but didn't realize the weight of his words or the damage they could do. I don't think he was a good boyfriend, husband, or father. He was a good musician, but to me, he was not a good person even with his talk about love. He showed little love to those who cared about and loved him. That makes me so sad.
I have a new appreciation for Cynthia as I did for Vivian Cash when I read her book (Johnny Cash's first wife).
Cynthia was John Lennon's college girlfriend. He met her in an art course. He would badger her in class, but eventually, they became friends which blossomed into a romance. He was in his band with Paul and George when they met, but she was with John while the band was still becoming anything.
Cynthia reflects on how she and John were raised, how they met, what their time together was like while dating, John's rise to fame, what their marriage was like, what it was like raising Julian with John, what their time was like when their marriage ended, and the overall feelings she had during the time she knew John.
This book made me feel anger towards John Lennon, but Cynthia did not necessarily ever speak poorly of him. She always tried to work on her relationship with them, but it seemed like they were too alike in some ways and she let him control her or take advantage of her at times. It is so interesting how this book ended with a BAM though. WOW. Strong words in the last statement (when you get to it). Even though you just read the story, her words make you see that all the pain and hurt she went through really did some damage.
While I have always been intrigued by John Lennon, it is mainly that I love his music, and not so much him as a person at all. In reading this book, I feel like John was very witty and smart, but didn't realize the weight of his words or the damage they could do. I don't think he was a good boyfriend, husband, or father. He was a good musician, but to me, he was not a good person even with his talk about love. He showed little love to those who cared about and loved him. That makes me so sad.
I have a new appreciation for Cynthia as I did for Vivian Cash when I read her book (Johnny Cash's first wife).