Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins-Reid
Daisy Jones & The Six tells the story of the rise, and fall, of a 70s band amongst the iconic era’s atmosphere of drugs, sex, and rock & roll. If you love VH1’s Behind The Music, this novel is for you.
First things first, Daisy Jones & The Six is a brilliantly engaging read in a surprisingly perfect format. When I opened the novel, which was very much a #bookstagrammademedoit purchase for me, I was gutted to find it was written in an interview-style form. I’m not a fan of the epistolary style, and I didn’t think this novel would be the exception. One of the things I love so much about reading - and writing, for that matter - is the world an author builds around what a character says. With all of the author's guidance stripped away, I didn’t feel as though there would be much for me to enjoy. I was proven wrong in my assumption.
In Daisy Jones & The Six, Jenkins Read presents a transcript of an interview. It is left to the reader to visualise body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and to interpret the words as one sees fit. I very much enjoyed this experience. There’s a gripping plot, which is as effective as it is melodramatic as it drives forward through the drug-fuelled life of the rock band. I was reminded throughout of the Lao Tzu quote: “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”
Now I’ve told you everything I loved about Daisy Jones’ story, let me get my one irritation about this novel out of the way: This is the story of Fleetwood Mac, and it seems to me as though it should be billed as such. Changing the name of the band, and the names of the characters, but pretty much telling their exact story without crediting it as such seemed quite cheeky. I was particularly bothered by the many similarities as I’ve loved their music since childhood - if there's a documentary or interview or biography I haven't read, I'd be shocked. Aside from that, Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac - sorry - Daisy Jones & The Six was a delightful novel, which makes for a quick and captivating read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Buy Daisy Jones & The Six from Apple Books or Amazon.
