Summary:
A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity…until now.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.
Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.
My take: 5 looks
I don’t know why I was hesitant to start this book. Well, yes, I do. I was afraid that it was going to be like “A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan, which I didn’t like. I didn’t want to read another narrative of a washed-up rock band.
But, it was NOTHING LIKE THAT.
Sorry, but I did, indeed, mean to yell.
This book has it all. Characters that you love one minute, hate the next, and love to hate somewhere in between. There are seven people in this band: one control freak to whom it never occurs that his way is not the only way; his brother, who is pining for another member; the “token chick” who wants to break stereotypes and play rock and roll; the one who takes everything personally and seethes about perceived wrongs; the one who knows that this is a temporary gig; and, the stalwart member who shows up on time, hits the rhythm, and generally gets along with everyone. And then, there is Daisy Jones. Part Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, and Deborah Harry, Daisy does it her way and doesn’t give a crap about anything else. Raw energy, sex appeal, and in charge of her power, with a voice that drills into your soul like a power tool. The way Reid writes about Daisy Jones, you see her, feel her, and know her.
Told in a documentary style, with interviews long after the band’s shocking break up during a sold-out stadium tour, I think the book works so well because of this brilliant delivery. It feels straight from MTV’s “Behind the Music”. It feels real, intimate, and exclusive. If you read this book and don’t want to hear the album, “Aurora”, then you are missing something.
The fact that Reid gives such good service to supporting characters works well in this style, too. It’s not just the band. Reid includes those who make these people who they are, the choices they make, and the paths they take. You’ll meet and hear from the family, producer, best friend, mixer, and band manager. All of these have a perspective, opinion, side to the story. When all of it comes together, you want to be a part of it. You want to know more. You want to listen to the music and see if it touches your soul like you think it will.
This is, by far, one of the most engaging stories I have ever read, and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Highly recommended.
