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The Life of Senna
Tells of the life of the greatest racing car driver the world had ever seen, Ayrton Senna, who died following a horrific crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
602 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
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May 7, 2023
I suppose it all depends on what you are expecting out of the book titled The Life of Senna. If you are here for all the minute details of his racing career and recap-like style that will arm you with Senna trivia for the rest of your life, then it’s a win. If, however, you are looking for a well-written engaging biography interesting on its own merits even to those who are not well-versed in the sport, then let me direct you instead to a different book, The Death of Ayrton Senna by Richard Williams.
Ayrton Senna, the three times Formula One World Champion, was a great race car driver and fascinating person who was capable of inspiring adoration in fans and what seems to be quite a dislike from the press. A man who was strongly driven to win and to excel — the “cool perfectionist Senna” — even if it meant not being very strategic with racing and settling for second even if it would give him better odds at the eventual championship.
The problem is, overall this is not a very well-written book. It's not the level of detail, or the fact that I just learned to distinguish a chicane from Luisa Ciccone — I actually am ok with the technicalities. It's just that Rubython's writing sounds forced and wooden. It’s hard to explain what goes into good writing — like porn, you only know it when you see it — but this book just doesn’t have it.
The writing has an amateur feel to it. There are entire chapters that seem to be made of recaps of other chapters, with quotes thrown in without much analysis or understanding. Instead of analyzing, Rubython just goes for what you can see either as detail overload or wealth of information (although, according to my well-versed in the sport reading buddy, not all of it is factually correct), but quantity and quality are not the same thing. At times it reads like a school book report, and that’s disappointing.
So, comprehensive? Yes. Good book? Not quite.
And then there’s Rubython’s puzzling inability to describe Senna’s personal life without cringeworthy moments. It’s that secondhand embarrassment that makes you want to facepalm and walk away at the same time. Rubython should have stuck to just describing Senna’s racing career.
Yet I didn’t quite dislike it. It kept my interest throughout and I feel that I’ve learned quite a bit, and the chapter on the immediate aftermath of that horrific crash that ended Senna’s life was done in the style that well suited that frantic overwhelming and horrified mood where reality seems suspended and disconnected. I just wish the rest of it had been that good — but no, it was followed by more wooden book report-like recaps that were not edited together well enough for a more unified and coherent experience that doesn’t read like a series of articles hastily jumbled together.
2.5 stars rounding up because apparently I do like Senna quite a bit.
———
Buddy read with Dennis.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
Ayrton Senna, the three times Formula One World Champion, was a great race car driver and fascinating person who was capable of inspiring adoration in fans and what seems to be quite a dislike from the press. A man who was strongly driven to win and to excel — the “cool perfectionist Senna” — even if it meant not being very strategic with racing and settling for second even if it would give him better odds at the eventual championship.
“There were two Sennas: the introspective philosopher who valued his family and God above all else; and the ruthless champion who many thought had changed the face of Formula One for the worse. The truth was a complex amalgamation of the two.”
The problem is, overall this is not a very well-written book. It's not the level of detail, or the fact that I just learned to distinguish a chicane from Luisa Ciccone — I actually am ok with the technicalities. It's just that Rubython's writing sounds forced and wooden. It’s hard to explain what goes into good writing — like porn, you only know it when you see it — but this book just doesn’t have it.
The writing has an amateur feel to it. There are entire chapters that seem to be made of recaps of other chapters, with quotes thrown in without much analysis or understanding. Instead of analyzing, Rubython just goes for what you can see either as detail overload or wealth of information (although, according to my well-versed in the sport reading buddy, not all of it is factually correct), but quantity and quality are not the same thing. At times it reads like a school book report, and that’s disappointing.
So, comprehensive? Yes. Good book? Not quite.
And then there’s Rubython’s puzzling inability to describe Senna’s personal life without cringeworthy moments. It’s that secondhand embarrassment that makes you want to facepalm and walk away at the same time. Rubython should have stuck to just describing Senna’s racing career.
“They had a lot in common - they both knew fame, had money and were single.”
———
“She asked him his star sign. “Aries,” he replied. “Me too,” she said.”
Yet I didn’t quite dislike it. It kept my interest throughout and I feel that I’ve learned quite a bit, and the chapter on the immediate aftermath of that horrific crash that ended Senna’s life was done in the style that well suited that frantic overwhelming and horrified mood where reality seems suspended and disconnected. I just wish the rest of it had been that good — but no, it was followed by more wooden book report-like recaps that were not edited together well enough for a more unified and coherent experience that doesn’t read like a series of articles hastily jumbled together.
2.5 stars rounding up because apparently I do like Senna quite a bit.
“When British police flagged down a speeding Porsche on the M25 and posed the question, 'Who do you think you are? Nigel Mansell?', the car's Brazilian driver replied wearily and truthfully: 'No, actually I'm Ayrton Senna'.”
———
Buddy read with Dennis.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
May 5, 2023
Oh dear, oh dear!
While it was easy to find a rating for this, those three stars need some explaining. First of all, this is not a good book. The reason it gets a good rating from me is its subject matter and the author's wealth of knowledge about it. Rubython, like me, is clearly a huge fan of Ayrton Senna. So, be prepared for some bias, if you are planning to read this.
Be also prepared for minute detail of everything that happened during Senna's racing career. This is both good and bad. I only started watching F1 in 88 or 89, and while by now I've seen pretty much all the races since Senna's 1984 debut season (and even further back), I wasn't always aware of what was going on in between. I was just too young at the time. So, it's good, fun even, to learn all those things. Especially since this book also gives a detailed recount of Senna's career in junior categories. It's also bad, because Rubython is not capable of framing things, putting them into context, maybe not even of understanding them properly. He's certainly not capable of any form of analysis that is worth reading. His writing usually goes like this: This happened and then that happened and so and so said this, which made other guy say that and then this happened and let's throw in some quotes here, shall we? It's exhausting. It's amateurish. In fact at some point I felt compelled to look up Rubython to see if he actually does this writing thing professionally. I was shocked to find out that he does.
Some chapters work better than others. Although more by accident than skill. His style pretty much remains the same. But a play-by-play recap of events in the immediate aftermath of Senna's fatal accident actually captures the sureal atmosphere and the overwhelmingly sad and disorienting mood during that day, and the following days, very well.
The Prost/Senna rivalry and the tense atmosphere during those years comes through even by just stating all that was happening and everything that was said. Again, the subject matter makes this book interesting and enjoyable.
That is until Rubython recounts the exact same event in several chapters or uses the same quote for the tenth time, assigning sometimes the same and sometimes different meanings to it. Then it gets a little annoying. I've never read a book that is so repetitive. It is either lazily put together from individual articles or badly edited, if edited at all. Sometimes he repeats himself within the same chapter even.
As long as Rubython is writing about Senna's racing career, I can get by some of those issues. At least you can sense that he mostly knows what he's talking about. When he's writing about Senna's private life, though, the whole thing becomes cringeworthy. He should have just left that part out, because he clearly doesn't know how to write about relationships. He makes such shallow observations, presenting them like they were in any way meaningful, it's quite painful to read.
No, this is not a good book. If you want to read a great biography that does this special person and athlete justice, then pick up Richard Williams' The Death of Ayrton Senna instead. It's only a third of the size of this book here. And yet, within roughly 200 pages Williams manages to capture the essence of Ayrton Senna. He understands and can make his readers understand Senna's complex character and why he did what he did and why he meant and still means so much to so many people. Rubython seems to be one of those. But even writing a book three times the size, he can't put it into words.
For a lifelong supply of Senna trivia and some great photographs, though, The Life of Senna is a useful addition to your library. But if you are not a fan of the man already, dear God, please skip this and read something better. Or watch some races. Or a documentary.
Which is what I am doing right now.
Buddy read with Nataliya.
It was fun reading this with you.
"He just jumbles quotes and very brief recaps here, without analysis or understanding. Like a young kid giving a book report."
While it was easy to find a rating for this, those three stars need some explaining. First of all, this is not a good book. The reason it gets a good rating from me is its subject matter and the author's wealth of knowledge about it. Rubython, like me, is clearly a huge fan of Ayrton Senna. So, be prepared for some bias, if you are planning to read this.
Be also prepared for minute detail of everything that happened during Senna's racing career. This is both good and bad. I only started watching F1 in 88 or 89, and while by now I've seen pretty much all the races since Senna's 1984 debut season (and even further back), I wasn't always aware of what was going on in between. I was just too young at the time. So, it's good, fun even, to learn all those things. Especially since this book also gives a detailed recount of Senna's career in junior categories. It's also bad, because Rubython is not capable of framing things, putting them into context, maybe not even of understanding them properly. He's certainly not capable of any form of analysis that is worth reading. His writing usually goes like this: This happened and then that happened and so and so said this, which made other guy say that and then this happened and let's throw in some quotes here, shall we? It's exhausting. It's amateurish. In fact at some point I felt compelled to look up Rubython to see if he actually does this writing thing professionally. I was shocked to find out that he does.
Some chapters work better than others. Although more by accident than skill. His style pretty much remains the same. But a play-by-play recap of events in the immediate aftermath of Senna's fatal accident actually captures the sureal atmosphere and the overwhelmingly sad and disorienting mood during that day, and the following days, very well.
The Prost/Senna rivalry and the tense atmosphere during those years comes through even by just stating all that was happening and everything that was said. Again, the subject matter makes this book interesting and enjoyable.
That is until Rubython recounts the exact same event in several chapters or uses the same quote for the tenth time, assigning sometimes the same and sometimes different meanings to it. Then it gets a little annoying. I've never read a book that is so repetitive. It is either lazily put together from individual articles or badly edited, if edited at all. Sometimes he repeats himself within the same chapter even.
As long as Rubython is writing about Senna's racing career, I can get by some of those issues. At least you can sense that he mostly knows what he's talking about. When he's writing about Senna's private life, though, the whole thing becomes cringeworthy. He should have just left that part out, because he clearly doesn't know how to write about relationships. He makes such shallow observations, presenting them like they were in any way meaningful, it's quite painful to read.
No, this is not a good book. If you want to read a great biography that does this special person and athlete justice, then pick up Richard Williams' The Death of Ayrton Senna instead. It's only a third of the size of this book here. And yet, within roughly 200 pages Williams manages to capture the essence of Ayrton Senna. He understands and can make his readers understand Senna's complex character and why he did what he did and why he meant and still means so much to so many people. Rubython seems to be one of those. But even writing a book three times the size, he can't put it into words.
For a lifelong supply of Senna trivia and some great photographs, though, The Life of Senna is a useful addition to your library. But if you are not a fan of the man already, dear God, please skip this and read something better. Or watch some races. Or a documentary.
Which is what I am doing right now.
Buddy read with Nataliya.
It was fun reading this with you.
"He just jumbles quotes and very brief recaps here, without analysis or understanding. Like a young kid giving a book report."
November 6, 2015
I remember sitting under the table watching the race being 13 years old and first thinking it was just a crash like they happen in F1. Then not understanding well what was happening and just staring, tears in my eyes. The day after I went on a school trip for a week to the Ardennes and I still see the front pages of news when stopping for a break on the motorway. I felt so quiet.
This book was in a calm way really nice to read because it seems to be written in a respectfull, beautiful way, while it also gives you facts about Senna as a person, driver. I don't see him as a saint who did everything right and was always right. But he was a driver and person in a completely different category in the world of F1 and till now, nobody has ever come near to who and what he was and did.
Reading about what I saw that day, twenty-one years later was good, it felt good.
This book was in a calm way really nice to read because it seems to be written in a respectfull, beautiful way, while it also gives you facts about Senna as a person, driver. I don't see him as a saint who did everything right and was always right. But he was a driver and person in a completely different category in the world of F1 and till now, nobody has ever come near to who and what he was and did.
Reading about what I saw that day, twenty-one years later was good, it felt good.
May 11, 2010
A lot of people don't like this biography about Ayrton Senna. Either because it was very late in coming, covers little outside those already on the market (Richard Williams - Death of Senna) & takes more time getting there, is very bias toward Senna, or Tom Rubython is a creepy man with a shady journalism history full of litigation. Anyway, a lot of that escaped me because I quite enjoyed it. Okay, yes, it is ridiculously bias, almost a bible of worship to the late great Ayrton Senna, but I was a fan of his back in the day and it provides a lot of interesting details about his life and the correlating events that happened after. Rubython did not write all this by himself, he squashed together his and other people’s work from an old magazine he used to be an editor for… There are some almost inexcusable printing errors, the title on the contents page is ‘The Lide of Senna’ and there is a picture of Senna at Monaco in his 1993 McLaren with the caption dating it as 1983…Regardless, it is a surprisingly enjoyable book to read and as far as I know no one has sued Rubython over it yet.
February 20, 2012
This book is very well written and gives a detailed and personal view of an extraordinary man. I had no problem getting through this substantial work, but I have followed formula one for many years, including the tragic weekend when Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenburger were killed. I suspect that the book would appeal more to fans of the sport, the movie / documentary is aimed more at the general public who may not actually watch the racing. The book, however, gives much more of the man rather than just the racing driver.
January 18, 2012
Just a truly fantastic book. By the end of it, I felt I had known Senna his entire life, and for a book written by someone else, about a person who is dead, that is very very special! It took me 6 months to find something else to read after this because nothing could hold my interest after this incredible book.
October 7, 2014
A great book on one of the greats also really like the movie
March 26, 2016
222 - 2016
Oh. Wow.
Di tahun 1994 aku menangis sampai bercucuran air mata saat mengetahui Senna telah tiada.
Dan sekarang, membaca kisah hidupnya, aku kembali bercucuran air mata saat tiba di kisah matinya.
Hanya seorang Senna yang mampu membuatku tertarik mengikuti balapan F1 dengan setia, dan hanya karena ia telah tiada aku tidak lagi mengikutinya.
Buku ini bercerita tentang Senna secara netral, baik dari kelebihan dan kekurangannya, kekuatan dan kelemahannya.
Dan kebesarannya.
This is one of the greatest men that I truly admire.
Oh. Wow.
Di tahun 1994 aku menangis sampai bercucuran air mata saat mengetahui Senna telah tiada.
Dan sekarang, membaca kisah hidupnya, aku kembali bercucuran air mata saat tiba di kisah matinya.
Hanya seorang Senna yang mampu membuatku tertarik mengikuti balapan F1 dengan setia, dan hanya karena ia telah tiada aku tidak lagi mengikutinya.
Buku ini bercerita tentang Senna secara netral, baik dari kelebihan dan kekurangannya, kekuatan dan kelemahannya.
Dan kebesarannya.
This is one of the greatest men that I truly admire.
December 30, 2016
Despite all the problems Brazilian's were suffering, this man provided them with something to celebrate. This book is the life story of this remarkable man, who meant so much to so many. He is a man the world revered and whose like will never be seen again.
April 3, 2017
Excellent book (although there's a lot of bias). So much detail about the life of a legend. One thing that sticks out is the impact of Senna's death on the racing and the sport's history. Safety grew because of his death, but we are at the point now in 2017 that safety is overreaching. This is Formula One, it is suppose to be dangerous; that's apart of the allure the sport offers. The other impact of his death is Michael Schumacher's records. He probably would not achieved all of what he's achieved with Senna around.
June 28, 2012
I am very biased, he was probably one of the best drivers the world has ever known and this book is a very detailed history of his relatively short life. If you loved Senna then you will love the book, otherwise read it as a piece of history.
January 29, 2016
Done thoroughly and with great respect for all concerned. The tragic events of Ratzenberger's death that weekend is looked at completely seperately to afford him the dignity he deserves. The authors also carefully consider all the theories and evidence for the cause of Senna's death without claiming to have a definite answer.
Senna was undoubtably one of the world's greatest motor racers but this came at a price. He was single minded about winning and believed he should win, to the point that it excused any and all behaviour that brought him closer to that goal. He was too aggressive a driver to be a favourite of mine but I can't deny he was most likely the greatest.
He comes across as quite a volatile personality, remembering events as he wishes to remember them and using people for his own purposes. Even when he invited the "love of his life" out he hedged his bets and invited some other girls as well.
For a large book this has been well laid out so it's easy to read. It's split not only into seasons but also noteworthy events such as his feud with Prost. The downside of this is that the same thing can be reported twice in successive chapters making it sound slightly repetitve, especially when they repeat quotes.
The new film seems to be this book brought to the screen. Or perhaps the essence of this book since it focuses on his Formula One career only.
Senna was undoubtably one of the world's greatest motor racers but this came at a price. He was single minded about winning and believed he should win, to the point that it excused any and all behaviour that brought him closer to that goal. He was too aggressive a driver to be a favourite of mine but I can't deny he was most likely the greatest.
He comes across as quite a volatile personality, remembering events as he wishes to remember them and using people for his own purposes. Even when he invited the "love of his life" out he hedged his bets and invited some other girls as well.
For a large book this has been well laid out so it's easy to read. It's split not only into seasons but also noteworthy events such as his feud with Prost. The downside of this is that the same thing can be reported twice in successive chapters making it sound slightly repetitve, especially when they repeat quotes.
The new film seems to be this book brought to the screen. Or perhaps the essence of this book since it focuses on his Formula One career only.
June 7, 2017
Amazing book.
December 9, 2010
An insightful and broad writing of the life of the late great grand prix legend Ayrton Senna.The books gives an in-depth account of the entire life of Senna from growing up in Brazil and his first forays into motor sport in Europe to his life in the spotlight and ultimately his untimely death.Much has been written about Senna but this book stands up there with the best of them.I recommend this book.
August 13, 2012
Te topic if the book is fascinating and it feels like decently researched, the writing swings from repetitive to straight boorish; in any case it's a read you cannot put does if you are a motor racing passionate. Senna's unique mystique springs up thought the book: his shear focus; his analytical and often cunning thinking; his total commitment joined by a totally self centered energy while in the cockpit (and this is a great skill for drivers). It is a must read if you want to become a better racing driver or if you truly want to understand what the really outstanding ones do...
December 16, 2015
This is like a Senna bible and a total brick of a book !!! Mine isn't a paperback either but a hardback but with this same cover.
June 19, 2012
Moving
May 11, 2013
Good book, well researched but way too much detail on the trial after the accident.
June 5, 2016
Every time i thought about F1 Reminds me of senna and the book from Monza where legend died
April 6, 2019
The best of the 4 bios on Senna that I‘ve read.
March 16, 2018
Halfway through the book, I had decided that this was a five star read, my first for the year. The chapter delineating his death, towards the end, was the clincher. This single heart rending chapter, which described the fatal crash, the gruesome result and the reaction of the spectators, the medical team and people close to him, brought about memories of what I felt when I read about what the partition wrought to the common populace in Freedom at Midnight, more than five years ago. I was fighting a lump in my throat throughout. It was one thing to know that he died on track, (I had seen the movie Senna as well), but no account I read or watched had prepared me for this avalanche of emotions.
But as I mentioned I was prepared to give this a 5 star long before that, simply because of its comprehensiveness. I didn’t get bored at any point and the amount of research was truly impressive. There are 17 appendices where each of his race results, year wise performance, victories, poles, points etc. are listed. And this isn’t limited to his Formula 1 career, but also his go-karting and Formula 3 years. A very impressive piece of work, and will be loved by any Senna/Formula One fan. And any Senna fan would know that his driving wasn’t just about the stats, but also about the emotion and energy expended for himself, for his family and country, and this emotional aspect has been well captured in Rubython’s work as well. Hats off to the work and to Senna as well, one of the most loved national icons of Brazil. Obrigado Senna
But as I mentioned I was prepared to give this a 5 star long before that, simply because of its comprehensiveness. I didn’t get bored at any point and the amount of research was truly impressive. There are 17 appendices where each of his race results, year wise performance, victories, poles, points etc. are listed. And this isn’t limited to his Formula 1 career, but also his go-karting and Formula 3 years. A very impressive piece of work, and will be loved by any Senna/Formula One fan. And any Senna fan would know that his driving wasn’t just about the stats, but also about the emotion and energy expended for himself, for his family and country, and this emotional aspect has been well captured in Rubython’s work as well. Hats off to the work and to Senna as well, one of the most loved national icons of Brazil. Obrigado Senna
October 8, 2022
Very interesting biography about the racing driver. I like the fact the other drivers contribute in this book from their point of view and their personal mrmories. If you have read this book and haven't seen the SENNA documentary I highly recommend you watch that too. RIP
December 25, 2022
it took a while but i finally finished this bible. i really enjoyed the first two thirds, but then the last third felt rather disjointed and had a lot of typos and spelling errors which took me out of the reading a lot. there were quite a few chapters that i felt could have been condensed into one or two paragraphs, and the chapter on adriane was written in a way that made me feel like i was reading a shitty y/n fanfic, but other than that it was a good source of info on senna’s life and achievements!
December 10, 2023
Senna - The Virtuoso, The King of Rain! …”Plus the thoughts of what might have been.”
“Even if the Ferrari is as slow as a Volkswagen Beetle, I still want to be driving it on my last start, my last lap, my last race. Ferrari is the myth of Formula One. The tradition, the soul, the passion.”
“Even if the Ferrari is as slow as a Volkswagen Beetle, I still want to be driving it on my last start, my last lap, my last race. Ferrari is the myth of Formula One. The tradition, the soul, the passion.”
August 19, 2012
For the first three quarters of it you can get past the unbelievable bias of the author as it's a very interesting insight into F1 in the 80's and early 90's, Senna's life and how he got to the top. The last bit dealing with his death and the trial makes you feel a bit nauseous due to the authors, not even thinly disguised, hero worship and reluctance to actually question if Senna could have made a mistake at that final corner. Definitely worth a read.
Read
August 4, 2011Overall a good read although occasionally a little repetitive. This book mainly chronnicles the life of Senna during his racing years, skimming over his childhood. It's biggest flaw is probably the very long chapter dedicated to the trial which followed his untimely death in 1994, although I suppose you can easily skip it if you'd rather not hear the technicalities.
August 31, 2013
A thorough account of Senna's life and career, but poorly written; the book mostly enumerates factual statistics without much reflection, and suffers from a lack of final editing that would have given it a more coherent reading experience (especially the journalistic quality of sections on his love life are embarrassing).
December 22, 2018
The most complete biography of Ayrton Senna. Definitely a must read for all his fans and everyone passionate about Formula 1 and motorsport!
September 6, 2019
One of the best driver formula one history has ever seen.
January 10, 2020
Was hoping this would be the most comprehensive biography on Ayrton Senna, and thus the only biography of him I’d need, but unfortunately that’s not the case. My main problem with this book is the sloppy editing. The chapters didn’t flow into each other very well, and a lot of quotes were repeated, making it quite mundane to read (not to mention the frequent spelling errors). The part about Ayrton’s girlfriends was quite frankly embarrassing to read and the chapter on the trial after his death was way too long and elaborate. On top of that, the author was clearly biased in its writing, and I was hoping this biography would be written from a more objective point of view. What I did like were the photos by Keith Sutton that were included, which provided an image to the stories that were told. This was especially useful for a younger person like me who wasn’t alive when Ayrton was racing.
All in all, this book could’ve easily been reduced to around 400 pages instead of 600, making it a much easier read. I don’t understand why a rough draft like this has been republished several times after its release in 2004 and not been changed enough to produce a better quality. Wouldn’t recommend it.
All in all, this book could’ve easily been reduced to around 400 pages instead of 600, making it a much easier read. I don’t understand why a rough draft like this has been republished several times after its release in 2004 and not been changed enough to produce a better quality. Wouldn’t recommend it.
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