A lifetime of letters, collected for the first time, from the legendary musician and songwriter.
John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius.
This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself.
John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius.
This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself.
My Rating: 8.5/10
John Lennon died more than a decade before I was even born however my dad being the massive Beatles fan that he is ensured that I knew all about him and the amazing music that he created.
This book however adds so much depth to the person John Lennon was. Each postcard, most of which were supplied by fans who had bought them at auctions, shows massive insight on John's life over the years before Beatlemania up until his tragic death.
I loved that each of these postcards were included with context added with the editor's narration of John's life. The postcards weren't just randomly put together.
I also loved that this book seemed to contradict some rumours I have heard about John such as him not having any contact with his eldest son Julian as this book has numerous letters showing otherwise. Plus he sends Julian a letter with lyrics from 'Beautiful Boy' long before the song was even released as people assume the song is about Sean as his name appears in the song.
I also loved the quirky illustrations that John always added to his letters. Sometimes they were quite elaborate while others were simply lazy doodles.
Overall, I loved that this book was told somewhat directly through John as I thought that this was likely the best way for me to begin my Beatles book reading journey.
If anyone knows any other Beatles related books worth reading please leave a comment below.
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