Saturday, July 11, 2020

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

https://amzn.to/32dW0nvSynopsis (via Goodreads): Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six: The band's album Aurora came to define the rock 'n' roll era of the late seventies, and an entire generation of girls wanted to grow up to be Daisy. But no one knows the reason behind the group's split on the night of their final concert at Chicago Stadium on July 12, 1979 . . . 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 'n' 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.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band 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 that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.


The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

“Do you know what you do with that level of trust? When someone says, 'I trust you so much I can tolerate you having secrets?' You cherish it. You remind yourself how lucky you are to have been given that trust every day.” 
Daisy Jones & The Six was an amazing and utterly breathtaking read. I started this book back in January when my #OTSPSecretSister gifted it to me, but then the audiobook became available at my library. I'd heard the audio was phenomenal, so I gave it a shot. Thank the stars I did! I loved it so much! Everyone had a very distinctive voice, and it's why I opted to finish the book on audio instead of physically reading the rest when my hold expired. 

“Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people.”
I desperately wanted this band and their music to be real! The author wrote their story in a way that felt factual - -  like it was something that really happened in the 70's - - and not something she simply pulled from her head. I honestly thought this book was based on a real band until I Goggled them and their songs. The disappoint was real, friends. I could have cried when I realized the author hadn't based her book on anyone real. Reid made me want to know Daisy Jones & The Six. This story was both perfection and nowhere near enough for me. I could have easily read another book about this amazing group of people. They included an instrumental version of Honeycomb at the end of the audiobook, but it only made me want to hear more. I wanted their entire album to be real so I could play it on a loop.

“She had written something that felt like I could have written it, except I knew I couldn't have. I wouldn't have come up with something like that. Which is what we all want from art, isn’t it? When someone pins down something that feels like it lives inside us? Takes a piece of your heart out and shows it to you? It’s like they are introducing you to a part of yourself.”
I was really surprised with how the story played out, too. There were so many small details that accumulated over time, and I loved that everyone remembered their shared past differently. They all had this amazing experience together - - this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - - and their thoughts and memories didn't always align. It was such an authentic portrayal of people and how we all see and experience life in different ways. Billy would remember saying such and such to Daisy, but her story would be just slightly different. You get the truth as people remember it, so you don't know exactly what happened. You get an idea about a situation or conversation, but people's memories shift facts and feelings around over the years (and sometimes while they're happening, because people perceive things differently).

“But loving somebody isn't perfection and good times and laughing and making love. Love is forgiveness and patience and faith and every once in a while, it's a gut punch. That's why it's a dangerous thing, when you go loving the wrong person. When you love somebody who doesn't deserve it. You have to be with someone that deserves your faith and you have to be deserving of someone else's. It's sacred.”
I cannot wrap my head around how wonderfully written this book was! I was blown away by the storytelling, and the incredible characters Reid brought to life. They really lived within the pages of this book. I could see them as they remembered themselves, how they were in the present, hear their songs being played - - it was like I experienced this fantastic rollercoaster ride with them. I wasn't a bystander witnessing greatness, but an active participant in their lives.

“I am not going to sit around sweating my ass off just so men can feel more comfortable. It’s not my responsibility to not turn them on. It’s their responsibility to not be an asshole.”
There were so many quotable lines in this book, and I'm looking forward to highlighting the hell out of my physical copy when I do a reread (because there will be a reread)! I wish I could show you all of my favorites, but that would basically be this entire book - - no joke. The ending was unexpected, but beautiful and absolutely perfect. I fucking loved this book.


Narrators:

Daisy Jones, read by Jennifer Beals
Billy Dunne, read by Pablo Schreiber
Graham Dunne, read by Benjamin Bratt
Eddie Loving, read by Fred Berman
Warren Rhodes, read by Ari Fliakos
Karen Karen, read by Judy Greer
Camila Dunne, read by January LaVoy
Simone Jackson, read by Robinne Lee
Narrator / Author, read by Julia Whelan
Jim Blades, read by Jonathan Davis
Rod Reyes, read by Henry Leyva
Artie Snyder, read by Oliver Wyman
Elaine Chang, read by Nancy Wu
Freddie Mendoza, read by P.J. Ochlan
Nick Harris, read by Arthur Bishop
Jonah Berg, read by Holter Graham
Greg McGuinness, read by Brendan Wayne
Pete Loving, read by Pete Larkin
Wyatt Stone, read by Alex Jenkins Reid
Hank Allen, read by Robert Petkoff
Opal Cunningham, read by Sara Arrington

50 comments:

  1. Wow, sounds like this was a real hit for you.

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    1. It really, really was! I only wish the band were real, haha. ;)

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  2. This was one of my favorite reads last year. It was so easy to forget that Daisy and the rest of the band weren't living, breathing people and I couldn't download their music. :)

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    1. Yes! It being fictional was my only complaint! <3

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  3. I need to read this, I liked the TJR book I read.

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    1. Which one have you read? Someone gifted me One True Loves and I'm really looking forward to it now. :)

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  4. Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. It was one of my favorites last year and I wanted the band to be real as well, lol. At some point I really want to go back and listen to the audiobook version because I've heard nothing but praise for it.

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    1. I really wish I'd been able to finish the audiobook the first time it became available! It was rotten luck that I had to wait another 6 months for two more hours of audio, haha. I could have finished reading it, but the narrators were just phenomenal. I honestly believe it's the best way to experience this book. You'll have to let me know what you think!

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  5. I loved this one, too! I first read it in print, and then listened to the audio - both blew me away!

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    1. I cannot wait to re-read this one at some point in the future, because there were so many wonderful lines! I only wish I could have included them all in this post, haha.

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  6. Okay I need to read this one! Everyone seems to really love it!

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  7. Awesome review. I'm so glad you loved it. I have a copy and need to read it ASAP. It's one that I'm pretty sure I'm going to adore.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Dear Lauren,

      Please read this book soon so we can talk about how amazing it is!

      Sincerely,
      Lindsi

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  8. I absolutely love this one so freaking much. And that was just from reading it in print. Even though Daisy Jones and the Six weren't a real band, it is definitely based on Fleetwood Mac. I absolutely loved this book so much, I could read it over and over - and I NEVER reread!

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    1. It's based on Fleetwood Mac? I hadn't heard that! Interesting! I rarely have time to re-read, but I have a few that I fallback on whenever I'm in a slump. They always do the trick and get me out of my funk. :) This book is definitely being added to that list. Have you listened to the audio?? It's life-changing!

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  9. I'm hoping to finally read this one some day! Maybe I will give it go on the audio. :)

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    1. I feel like everyone needs to read this one, haha. I hope you love it as much as I do, and definitely try the audio! Fantastic.

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  10. I've loved almost everything TJR has written, but I haven't read this one yet. I'm glad to hear it was a hit for you. The audio sounds amazing!

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    1. This was my first book by the author and I was blown away! I have a copy of One True Loves that a friend sent over, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I hope you get to read/listen to Daisy Jones & The Six soon! :)

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  11. Fantastic review it's now on my infamous TBR pile LOL

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    1. I know, right?? I add more books to my TBR than I take off, so it's an ever-growing monster. ;)

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  12. Glad to hear you loved this one. The audio sounds really good. I'll have to give it a shot someday! :)

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    1. I'd heard this book was good, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would love Daisy Jones & The Six. I really wish they were a real bad so I could obsessively follow their music, haha.

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  13. I have seen it around, but never read it, it does seem like I should!

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    1. Definitely! I would recommend this book to everyone, regardless of their reading preferences. :)

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  14. Oh wow. This sounds like an amazing story. I've seen it around, but honestly never gave it much thought.

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    1. I'd seen it around and knew I wanted to read it at some point, but I'm really glad I read it sooner rather than later. It's definitely one I see myself re-reading in the future. :)

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  15. I listened to the audiobook edition as well and it was outstanding. I can't imagine reading it in print actually. :)

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    1. Right?? Now that I've listened to the audio, I feel like the print copy couldn't compare, but know it has to since that's where the story came from. ;) I think the narrators did a wonderful job of bringing to book to life, and I cannot wait to experience it all over again.

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  16. I am on the waiting list for the audio..only like 110 more weeks to go! LOL

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    1. That's not too long!! I'm on a 6-8 month hold for several books. ;)

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  17. I quite recently read and reviewed the book and I loved it too. Great review.

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    1. Nice! I'll have to go back and look for your review. :) I love seeing other perspectives!

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  18. You got the audio, GOOD. I'll admit, I was confused the first few minutes because of all of the different narrators, but I ended up adoring this book as well. Taylor can tell a fantastic story!

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    1. There were soooo many narrators! It took me a sec to separate the voices/characters, but it was amazing once I did. They felt like real people telling a story about something that really happened. Amazing.

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  19. Isn't it great when you get that book that ticks all the boxes and gives you the feels! I really want to find a few of them this year!

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    1. Definitely! It's books like this that make reading magical. You find something you really connect with, something you can see yourself reading over and over again, and you realize that there are still more amazing stories to find. Books that make you feel seen, or characters you can relate to. I also love a good fantasy that takes me somewhere completely unimaginable, but also totally believable. :)

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  20. I want to listen to this one on audio. I should check to see if it's available because I just finished my last audiobook.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  21. I really didn't think this was my cuppa-tea, but your review has convinced me. I'll see if I can find it on audio.

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    1. I hope you like it as much as I did! I thought it was amazing and really loved the format!

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  22. Wow, Jennifer Beals and Benjamin Bratt read this one?

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    1. YES! There were sooo many incredible narrators for this one. :)

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  23. Yes! This! All of this!! I never listened to the audio but if I do a re-read I'll definitely use the audio. Reading the physical book was awesome, I imagine it would be even better when read by talented narrators.

    Apparently they're making it into a mini-tv series... I hope they do it justice but that should mean we finally get to hear the songs, right?! The book has the lyrics to them all at the back and they're lovely.

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    1. THEY ARE? I think I would be too afraid to watch it! Haha. I wouldn't want them to tarnish the idea I have in my head, but it could also be amazing... I haven't seen the lyrics! I'll have to look for them now. Thanks for telling me! :)

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  24. I'm partway through this, but my ereader broke! Gah. :( The audio version sounds awesome, though! I actually wasn't steaming through it as fast as I did The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I think because the chapter structure is a bit different and didn't flow quite as well for me. But that one's a lot of fun too!

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    1. Bummer! I've had that happen before and it was a very sad day! The audio was phenomenal! I cannot recommend it enough. Seriously. If I had the money, I would buy everyone a copy. ๐Ÿ˜‰ I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I've only heard good things about them!

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless