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John Lennon: The Life
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 al
...moreHardcover, 851 pages
Published
November 1st 2008
by Ecco Press
(first published 2008)
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"In September 2003, I suggested to John's widow, Yoko Ono, that I should become his biographer," writes Philip Norman in the Acknowledgements section of John Lennon: The Life. However, after reading the final manuscript, "Yoko Ono was upset by the book," Norman tells us, "and would not endorse it . . . [saying] I had been 'mean to John.'"
I actually don't think Yoko's got anything to worry about; Norman's book is both clear-eyed and appropriately sympathe...more
I actually don't think Yoko's got anything to worry about; Norman's book is both clear-eyed and appropriately sympathe...more
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Phillip Norman's biography of John Lennon is outstanding. While I consider myself well-informed with respect to the Beatles and 20th Century pop music in general, there is much to be learned from these pages. While the book is long (some 820 pages), it never drags. Of particular interest is the period after the Beatles disbanded--this era in Lennon's history is subject to considerable misunderstanding due to some of his more outrageous antics during the so-called 'Lost Weekend. Norman presents a...more
Don't panic. I'm not going to give you a long (boring) review. I'm not very good at that. But I will say I just finished reading all 822 pages of JOHN LENNON - THE LIFE. I think it's an excellent book. Well written and very detailed. With all my respect and love for Yoko Ono, who withdrew her support for the book because she felt it was "mean to John". I must say I don't find the book "mean to John" at all. Mr. Norman is quite kind in my opinion. The 'sex with his mum stuff ...more
THE BOOK about John Lennon...finally. If you love John as I do, it's wonderful after all of these years to own and read a book that tells us all, at last, who and what John Lennon was. This book is the most honest and thorough account I've seen yet. It describes John as a human being, with his many positive traits, and his faults. This book provides much detail into John's relationship (or lack there-of) with his parents as well. The only thing I found disturbing about this book was the input by...more
So I'm listening to the audio version of this book, and I get to Track 9 and the second CD. Suddenly, within the same track, the narrative goes from John Lennon and his art-school buddies, straight to George Harrison joining the Quarrymen. It skips John's first meeting with Paul McCartney. This was abrupt, very weird, but I thought maybe there was just an editing error and I'd press on.
It kept bothering me though, and midway through the third CD I stopped to look up the audiobook ...more
It kept bothering me though, and midway through the third CD I stopped to look up the audiobook ...more
This is definitely a MUST for any John Lennon / Beatles fan.
Philip Norman, the author writes in this book:
"In September 2003, I suggested to John's widow, Yoko Ono, that I should become his biographer, Yoko Ono was upset by the book and would not endorse it . . . [saying:] I had been 'mean to John.'"
Maybe Yoko should have...it is by far one of the best John Lennon biographies that anyone has taken the time to research and write.
I am on ...more
Philip Norman, the author writes in this book:
"In September 2003, I suggested to John's widow, Yoko Ono, that I should become his biographer, Yoko Ono was upset by the book and would not endorse it . . . [saying:] I had been 'mean to John.'"
Maybe Yoko should have...it is by far one of the best John Lennon biographies that anyone has taken the time to research and write.
I am on ...more
A good read, which does capture something of John Lennon (I won't say that he leaps off the page, because I think it's very difficult for a real person to truly be captured in the pages of a biography. As in all of these books, there are some years captured in ten or so pages, and even if it was a dull year that just seems to swift for 365 days of life.)
The book is great at capturing 1950's Liverpool, and indeed early 60's Hamburg. The Beatles does form the lion's share of the narrat...more
The book is great at capturing 1950's Liverpool, and indeed early 60's Hamburg. The Beatles does form the lion's share of the narrat...more
Drdavidhartman1
added it
Interesting history of John's parent and grandparents and a rather sordid account of the Beatles' yesr in Germany but in general, the book lacks much psychological underpinning to either John or his relatives. A potential bombshell; that Lennon may have killed artist Stuart Sutcliffe by kicking him in the head in an alcohol-fueled rage is left as an open question, leaving one to wonder whether there is a statute of limitations on homicide or manslaughter in England. Lennon's swings from meditat...more
The book I half way read so far is The Life of John Lennon. It's a biography by Philip Norman. The book starts off with the life of his grandfather, John, and then it gets to his father, Alf. Along with his mother and his grandmother, but they explain more of the males lives and the wives are just part their life. You really get the feel of how Jonh Lennon's life was from when he was not even born. The author went into detail and gave you a lot of information on the who, the what, the when, the ...more
I've been an audiobooks listener for more than 20 years and this is by far the worst abridgement I've ever heard. First of all, there is no reason why any book should be recorded abridged. Still, I have listened to several that were (when there was no other choice) and there was always an attempt to make it cohesive. No such effort was made by Harper Audio on this one. Entire chapters were simply skipped. I first noticed when a casual referance was made about "ever since John's uncle George...more
I both loved and hated this book.
I loved it because I found out a lot about John Lennon that I didn't know. I was young for much of Lennon's public life and heard about him only from the perspective of the news media and my parents, but didn't understand his music, influences, or personal relationships.
I hated it because, like Eric Clapton's biography, I found out that the life of a rock start is shallow and disappointing. They seem to have done the things they did (take ...more
I loved it because I found out a lot about John Lennon that I didn't know. I was young for much of Lennon's public life and heard about him only from the perspective of the news media and my parents, but didn't understand his music, influences, or personal relationships.
I hated it because, like Eric Clapton's biography, I found out that the life of a rock start is shallow and disappointing. They seem to have done the things they did (take ...more
Norman's John Lennon: The Life provides tremendous insight into one of the most influential bands of the 20th century, albeit through a Lennon-tinted lens. Starting in Liverpool with the life of Freddie Lennon, John's father, the book covers, in considerable detail, the larger-than-life life of John, from birth to his death outside the Dakota in December of 1980.
The book is an excellent read for fans of the Beatles, talking about hits or well-known events in a matter-of-fact manner ...more
The book is an excellent read for fans of the Beatles, talking about hits or well-known events in a matter-of-fact manner ...more
While he doesn’t make sensational observations, Norman brings up new facts; some good and some bad. His goal is to give insight into Lennon as a human being. Sorting through available information must have been a huge task. Keep in mind, Lennon's life was well covered by the press and he fostered a lot of myths himself.
Through interviews with Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, Freddie Lennon's biography (and unpublished papers) and conversations and interviews with Paul McCartney and other...more
Through interviews with Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, Freddie Lennon's biography (and unpublished papers) and conversations and interviews with Paul McCartney and other...more
What I learned:
John Lennon's parents were terrible.
He needed therapy.
A lot of drugs were involved, but never, remarkably, during a recording session.
John really was a genius.
Yoko Ono is not an artist.
Writhing around in a bag is not art.
Screaming like you're in labor isn't music.
I really feel bad for Julian.
John Lennon's parents were terrible.
He needed therapy.
A lot of drugs were involved, but never, remarkably, during a recording session.
John really was a genius.
Yoko Ono is not an artist.
Writhing around in a bag is not art.
Screaming like you're in labor isn't music.
I really feel bad for Julian.
So far this is one of the best Beatles related book I've read. I'm a few chapters in and I they're still discussing his youth. Usually they just give the Readers Digest version we've all heard, but this sheds more light on John and how he came to be the man he was.
This offered a really good insight into John, particuarly his early life and his troubled childhood and teen years. I found it fascinating and thought that it portrayed John fairly: it wasn't overly negative but it didn't gloss over his less appealing personal aspects either. It's truthful, written well and endeared John to me even more.
I laughed at the story about his postcard to Mimi when he was in Scotland as a child; she'd given him a very small amount of pocket money and, given hi...more
I laughed at the story about his postcard to Mimi when he was in Scotland as a child; she'd given him a very small amount of pocket money and, given hi...more
The unabridged audiobook clocks in at around 32.5 hours, and I was captivated and entranced throughout. Narration was superb, and the impressive level of detail into the entirety of John's life is astounding. I must say that I've always been a huge John Lennon fan, almost placing him in some mystically heightened level of awe. After this book, as a good bio can do, he seems much more real and human... and I have to admit that my pre-book view of him is much different from my post-book view in th...more
I'm probably the biggest Beatles fan you'll find who isn't over the age of thirty. So, as you can imagine (haha, pun intended!), I really had a good time reading this book, so much so that I brought it with me here, there, and everywhere. First of all, it was so detailed it was scary! (it was thicker than my bible and weighed as much as my cat.) But, what I liked about it most was that the author did not place any sort of opinion that would take away from the reader's experience of reading a...more
This book is over 800 pages, so to say it is very detailed is almost an understatment. While I'm not particularly a Lennon fan, I thought it would be worth reading, and it turns out I really enjoyed it. As the author says, the book is written for someone that might know next to nothing about Lennon. It starts from before Lennon is born and has lots of childhood details that explain alot about what shaped Lennon as a person. One thing I really liked was that it was never a "Beatles"...more
Critics generally praised John Lennon: The Life, though they often seemed shocked at how much hate and violence could be found in one of the 20th century’s most famous proponents of peace and love. Some were also taken aback by the book’s length—over 800 pages for a figure who famously lived only to age 40. But most reviewers concluded that the bulk of this biography was appropriate, not only because Norman is the first author to investigate Lennon in such detail but because his sense for which ...more
Any new Beatles or Solo Beatles book is cause for celebration. It seems whenever I read one I find a new tid bit or two about the lads that I didn't know about from any previous work.
This book was no different. Norman delves deep into Lennon's early childhood and teenage years and writes a very solid bio on John. Even though Norman says he isn't a Paul basher there are a couple of times when Paul isn't painted in the best of light. At times it comes off a bit heavy handed and mean towar...more
This book was no different. Norman delves deep into Lennon's early childhood and teenage years and writes a very solid bio on John. Even though Norman says he isn't a Paul basher there are a couple of times when Paul isn't painted in the best of light. At times it comes off a bit heavy handed and mean towar...more
This is a very compelling biography of John Lennon that doesn't approach its subject as some sort of hippie saint. Norman presents a balanced version of John Lennon, both who was both sensitive and incredibly insensitive. Who could spend his life resenting being abandoned by his parents, and yet abandon to some extent his own children, who falls in love with Yoko Ono and who's relationship doesn't always seem healthy. While he pursues fame and fortune, he finds happiness only with his family...more
This 12.5 hour long unabridged audio book is good for long drives. Interesting, but with frustrating gaps in narrative, skipping over large portions of history. I was irritated when it jumped from the release party of Magical Mystery Tour to John & Yoko's miscarriage, skipping over much of the development of the last three albums, etc. Did the author assume everyone knew what happened in every moment of Beatle history? With as much detail as he belabored about the development of Rubber Soul and...more
An excellent bio on Beatle John; the research is thorough and the writing brisk. Most surprising is the book's unintentional celebration of Paul McCartney as the often overlooked genius of the band. Norman without a doubt establishes McCartney as Lennon's most inspiring partner. Yoko, who at first endorsed the book, later withdrew her support, claiming Norman was "mean" in his portrayal of the Walrus. (But one wonders if she was just jealous of Paul being the one who most made Lennon s...more
This audio version was a major disappointment. First of all, I didn't realize going in that this was an abridgement. It doesn't appear that an unabridged edition is available. Nowhere on the box does it say "abridged." Closer examination of the packaging found "Chapter selections approved by the Author" And that's just how they abridged this book! Cut out chapters (what a cheap, lazy way to abridge a book); years are missing, important events are missing, it is awful! I...more
I enjoyed the information on the earlier part of John's life, but that took up more than half the book! On the other hand, the presentation of Yoko as some sort of savior to John was a bit hard to swallow. It made me wonder if she has pre-approval of the manuscript. I'm not one of the people who hate Yoko and blame her for breaking up the Beatles; I think they were all ready to move on to other things in their lives, but I've always thought her relationship with John was rather co-dependant.
...more
This is a very comprehensive biography written in a professional, objective voice. The author's journalistic ethics are seen too infrequently. Mr. Norman includes information about the Beatles to the extent that it is integral to Mr. Lennon's story without stepping too far from his core mission. It must have been an exercise in discipline to avoid going further into some interesting tangents not strictly relevant to Mr. Lennon. At times, a lapse in discipline would have been interesting, as ther...more
Norman is irritatingly besotted with his subject, with the Beatles, and with himself. His portentous references to Beatles songs, Beatlemania, and Lennon's death at the book's outset are cheaply written and painfully contrived, nor is he half so clever as he fancies. But despite the author, this is a heck of a good story; a raging, shimmering figure, standing starkly alone against the joyous, silly, tragic backdrop of the 1960's, playing the central role in the biggest popular drama music has se...more
If you're a Beatle fan, you must read this book. If you're not a Beatle fan, you must read this book. If you have aspirations in music, art, politics, domestic homelife, or anything grandiose or banal, you must read this book.
It's easily the most comprehensive story of Lennon's life, and if you're like am, you'll find yourself fighting back tears at certain points in the story. Knowing how the story ends made it difficult, at times, to carry on reading. Learning of how optimistic Jo...more
It's easily the most comprehensive story of Lennon's life, and if you're like am, you'll find yourself fighting back tears at certain points in the story. Knowing how the story ends made it difficult, at times, to carry on reading. Learning of how optimistic Jo...more
With the seemingly hundreds of books already available about Lennon and/or the Beatles, what more could we possibly learn the legend? Apparently plenty, as Norman uncovers all kinds of new info. For the first time ever, we get the true story of the father who was not a part of his life, along with the woman who inspired the classic tune, "Norwegian Wood". Unlike a lot of books, the story doesn't end with the Beatles breakup, as we get details of his immigration fight, the "lost we...more
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