By: Philip Norman Publisher: Ecco Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Ecco Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 864 Publication Date: November 01, 2008 Release Date: October 28, 2008
For more than a quarter century, Philip Norman's internationally bestselling Shout! has been unchallenged as the definitive biography of the Beatles. Now, at last, Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom belonging to the world's most beloved pop group was never enough. Drawing on previously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, here is the comprehensive and most revealing portrait of John Lennon that is ever likely to be published.
This masterly biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at every aspect of Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into a near-secular saint. In three years of research, Norman has turned up an extraordinary amount of new information about even the best-known episodes of Lennon folklore—his upbringing by his strict Aunt Mimi; his allegedly wasted school and student days; the evolution of his peerless creative partnership with Paul McCartney; his Beatle-busting love affair with a Japanese performance artist; his forays into painting and literature; his experiments with Transcendental Meditation, primal scream therapy, and drugs. The book's numerous key informants and interviewees include Sir Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, Sean Lennon—whose moving reminiscence reveals his father as never before—and Yoko Ono, who speaks with sometimes shocking candor about the inner workings of her marriage to John.
Honest and unflinching, as John himself would wish, Norman gives us the whole man in all his endless contradictions—tough and cynical, hilariously funny but also naive, vulnerable and insecure—and reveals how the mother who gave him away as a toddler haunted his mind and his music for the rest of his days.
Thorough, smart and fair-minded. Though perhaps too lenghty and layered for all but the most serious of Lennon fans.
Order Review When I read the product review it made it sound like the book was in very good condition. When I received it, there was no cover on it and the book it self had stains on it.. For the price I paid I was very unsatisfied.
Changed my perspective of Lennon This was an excellent book and very well-researched. It did change my perspective of the man, however - I was never much into the Beatles' personal lives although I have always loved their music. John Lennon to me was the writer and singer of "Imagine", one of my favorite songs - one that means, for me, tranquility, peace and living with others non-judgmentally. The book describes Lennon, especially in his early years, as a very different man - violence-prone, phobic of people with disabilities and very self-centered. I will try to keep the 'Imagine' version of him in my head, although it was good to read the actual history. One thing that I don't understand is why this book has doubled in price on the Kindle. When I bought it a few months ago, it was only $9.99. As of this writing, it has gone up to $19+.
Drew me in I was actually waiting for my boyfriend to do a blood donation and had nothing to do so a nurse offered me his book to read while I waited. I really had nothing but a passing interest, but the writing was very compelling. I bought this for my Dad for Father's Day because he loves biographies and the Beatles and knew he would enjoy this (plus, I 'll get to finish reading it when he's done!).
Get a better editor!! Between the awkwardly crafted sentences, the double or missing words from sentences and the flat out misinformation in this book (the riots at the Democratic Presidential convention in 1968 were not started by anti-Daily forces and coincidentally involved the protesters; the protesters were the target all along) it is a hard read. I am a Lennon fan from way back and in fact am hoping some of my retirement income comes from selling off some Beatle paraphernalia in the future. And this book has lots of filled in information of his earlier years. But how much is accurate? Norman does such a bad job of getting his facts straight on the known information (see above) that it is hard to believe he got the other things right. And every few pages there is a sentence I have to re-read several times because it is just bad grammar. At first I thought maybe it was some sort of British writing I was unfamiliar with but it happened over and over. And I have read other British writing and have never seen sentences that just do not make sense. Despite these problems I did read the entire book and enjoyed some of it. Lennon comes off even worse than I have seen him depicted but I think it is accurate in painting him as a tortured soul who was extremely reactionary. Just be aware of the annoying editorial gaffs.
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