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A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Days Night And I Love Her Anytime At All Can´t Buy Me Love I Should Have Known Better If I Fell I´ll Be Back I´ll Cry Instead I´mHappy Just To Dance With You Tell Me Why Things We Said Today When I Get Home You Can´t Do That
- GenresFictionMusicMedia Tie In
156 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1964
6 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
John Burke
60 books12 followersJohn Frederick Burke was an English writer of novels and short stories, specializing in film and tv tie-ins.
He wrote under the pen names J. F. Burke, Jonathan Burke, John Burke, Jonathan George, Robert Miall, Martin Sands, Owen Burke, Sara Morris, Russ Ames, Roger Rougiere, Joanna Jones and co-wrote with his wife Jean Burke under the pen name Harriet Esmond.
Note: There are several authors called John Burke. This author has two spaces in the name John^^Burke.
He wrote under the pen names J. F. Burke, Jonathan Burke, John Burke, Jonathan George, Robert Miall, Martin Sands, Owen Burke, Sara Morris, Russ Ames, Roger Rougiere, Joanna Jones and co-wrote with his wife Jean Burke under the pen name Harriet Esmond.
Note: There are several authors called John Burke. This author has two spaces in the name John^^Burke.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 24, 2013
When I found out there was such a novel, I had to find it. I'm a member of the Beatles generation, just hitting puberty at the same time they hit America.
The movie A HARD DAY'S NIGHT would seem an unlikely candidate for novelization. Most of the movie involved them playing music or being chased by hordes of teenage girls(boy did I want to be a Beatle back then). here wasn't much of a plot to hang a novel on, but author John Burke managed a reasonable effort here, concentrating on Paul's grandfather more so than the movie seemed to(it's been a number of years since I saw the movie so I may be wrong). He's something of a curmudgeon, a bit of a conman, certainly a rogue.
There's also a reference to Raymond Chandler in one bit of dialogue. That may have been there though. At that point in my young life, fourteen, I'd never even heard of Chandler. let alone read any of his work.
The book will probably not be enjoyed by anyone out of my generation(these young kids think of them as old fogies), but I enjoyed this trip back to my much younger days.
The movie A HARD DAY'S NIGHT would seem an unlikely candidate for novelization. Most of the movie involved them playing music or being chased by hordes of teenage girls(boy did I want to be a Beatle back then). here wasn't much of a plot to hang a novel on, but author John Burke managed a reasonable effort here, concentrating on Paul's grandfather more so than the movie seemed to(it's been a number of years since I saw the movie so I may be wrong). He's something of a curmudgeon, a bit of a conman, certainly a rogue.
There's also a reference to Raymond Chandler in one bit of dialogue. That may have been there though. At that point in my young life, fourteen, I'd never even heard of Chandler. let alone read any of his work.
The book will probably not be enjoyed by anyone out of my generation(these young kids think of them as old fogies), but I enjoyed this trip back to my much younger days.
April 23, 2022
A surprisingly funny novel. It definitely goes more in depth on the story than the movie (though too be fair, there wasn't much of a story to begin with), but it sometimes hilariously takes breaks from the story to have the Fab Four belt out their then-newest hits for no reason.
It's a nice breezy read, and I'd recommend it to fans of the Beatles and the movie, especially since you can find it for pretty cheap these days. 3.5/5
It's a nice breezy read, and I'd recommend it to fans of the Beatles and the movie, especially since you can find it for pretty cheap these days. 3.5/5
November 11, 2018
Fun, and great reminder of a great film.
April 30, 2019
A cute novelization of the movie. I liked it!
Read
August 29, 2023It’s literally just the plot of the movie!
July 3, 2019
I am an avid Beatles fan and "A Hard Day's Night" is one of my favorite movies. This novelization does it justice. It's not the same as watching the movie, of course but, while reading it, I could visualize the movie clearly and had a lot of fun doing so.
May 29, 2021
Brought back some great memories!
August 13, 2015
This review originally published at Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5
What are The Beatles without their music? You can get a decent idea by reading this book.
If you aren't already familiar with The Beatles, then you should probably just skip this book (and this review). Your lack of 1960's pop culture knowledge aside, you wouldn't understand the references or 'hear' the character's voices.
During the crescendo of their fame, The Beatles made a movie, A Hard Day's Night, which was essentially one of the first music videos. One of the things the movie did was to make the general public aware of the youthful, jubilant personalities of the four boys, and their carefree attitudes. They were fun and witty, with clever banter. And they made some pretty good music.
This book doesn't have the music, of course, but you can pick up that almost anywhere. What the book does manage to do is make a little more sense of the story-line (something I was never quite able to do from watching the film), and captures the quick wit and friendly banter. It really helps to be able to hear the voices (for those of us who feel we know the quartet well).
I definitely enjoyed re-living this time with The Beatles, and if you can get your hands on a copy of the book, you might, too.
Looking for a good book? The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night by John Burke is a lively romp that captures the fun of The Beatles' movie.
What are The Beatles without their music? You can get a decent idea by reading this book.
If you aren't already familiar with The Beatles, then you should probably just skip this book (and this review). Your lack of 1960's pop culture knowledge aside, you wouldn't understand the references or 'hear' the character's voices.
During the crescendo of their fame, The Beatles made a movie, A Hard Day's Night, which was essentially one of the first music videos. One of the things the movie did was to make the general public aware of the youthful, jubilant personalities of the four boys, and their carefree attitudes. They were fun and witty, with clever banter. And they made some pretty good music.
This book doesn't have the music, of course, but you can pick up that almost anywhere. What the book does manage to do is make a little more sense of the story-line (something I was never quite able to do from watching the film), and captures the quick wit and friendly banter. It really helps to be able to hear the voices (for those of us who feel we know the quartet well).
I definitely enjoyed re-living this time with The Beatles, and if you can get your hands on a copy of the book, you might, too.
Looking for a good book? The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night by John Burke is a lively romp that captures the fun of The Beatles' movie.
December 30, 2007
I pilfered this from my mom's paperback collection as a kid. It was a dozen years old then but I've kept it for thirty years because it's a neat little collector's item. I don't just mean because it was published in 64---it's a collector's item because there's none of the cynicism or schadenfreude we're so inundated with today. That's not to say it's naive; it's just innocent, which ain't a bad thing. A straight-ahead novelization of the Richard Lester movie, it's a reminder of a time when popular culture didn't derive its entertainment from feasting carrion-like off its idols. The blurbs say it all: Gear! Fab!
September 14, 2023
Rating 3.5
An entertaining adaptation, sort of, of the movie that featured the Beatles as an exaggerated version of themselves, and Wilfred Brambell as Paul’s grandfather.
Since it is impossible to reflect in prose the movie with its musical interludes, the writer focuses instead on grandad and his storyline.
It is funny in places and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.
It could be described as a bright and breezy read.
Definite recommendation just not exactly sure who to.
An entertaining adaptation, sort of, of the movie that featured the Beatles as an exaggerated version of themselves, and Wilfred Brambell as Paul’s grandfather.
Since it is impossible to reflect in prose the movie with its musical interludes, the writer focuses instead on grandad and his storyline.
It is funny in places and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.
It could be described as a bright and breezy read.
Definite recommendation just not exactly sure who to.
March 12, 2012
Ah, what can I say? I was 13 when the movie came out and I saw it so many times I could chant along with the dialogue, so of course I had to have the book. And there it is, still on my bookshelf. I guess I just can't bear to part with it.
April 4, 2016
Oh, yes. I was not immune to Beatlemania in 1964. My diary was filled with blow by blow descriptions of radio interviews, fan magazines & movie reactions. Still have this PB along with a big box full of Beatle memorabilia somewhere in the attic.
August 4, 2022
Never knew there were novel versions of “Hard Days Night” and “Help!” until recently and both for a total < $10! So much fun and one can hear their voices in the hilariously dry dialogue. A treat for any reader, esp a Beatles fan!
November 22, 2013
Basically, a copy of the screenplay of the movie. Fun, if a little campy. But the movie was, too, wasn't it?
March 4, 2015
Haha, the obsession continues, with the fictionalized version (longer) of AHDN!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews