Daisy Jones & the Six, book review. (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

Ooooooooh!

SMACK!

PUNCH!

SLAP!

Phew . . .

Well, that about sums up Taylor Jenkins Reid's rather superb biopic novel of the rock 'n' roll band that was, Daisy Jones & the Six. From their slow-burning start through their rise to fame to superstardom, playing the largest stadiums and having the biggest selling album of the year before their sudden - unexplained until now - split.
This book is a journey, and it's a journey I'd recommend you all take because if you're not in a rock n roll band, if you're not touring with a number one album to your name, or never will, this'll be about as close as you'll ever get to finding out what you missed.

It’s the late 60’s when two brothers start a band, one clearly having the edge on talent, but that's not an issue, they both know what’s what and so the scene is set.

It's a slow burn at first: bars, support act, a few line-up changes, what you might expect from a band finding its feet, but moving through the decade (1970's in case you're wondering) their writing improves, the venues get bigger, the drugs and drink flow to excess, and they're getting a name for themselves.

Then: Daisy.

Carefree, gorgeous, voice like an angel (or a devil if she's in the mood) and then suddenly, the sky's the limit.
Written in a way that makes you search the internet for band memorabilia or a copy of their seminal album, Aurora, this book flies by - maybe not in the one sitting suggested by Reese Witherspoon on the front cover but not far off - and of course the copious amounts of sex, drugs, and infighting - all told with hindsight many years later in an interview style, is bloody brilliant – it even has the song lyrics at the end for the entire Aurora album – how cool is that?

Of course, all good things have to come to an end, as did this book, but I'd love it if someone far cleverer than me put a soundtrack to it. The lyrics are there, so come on musicians. Books rarely come with a soundtrack, Robin Wasserman's, Girls on Fire being one of the exceptions, so surely someone out there can give it a go!!
Four big fat gold stars for this one then, losing that elusive fifth star for being just the slightest be repetitive around the halfway mark.