Reid, Jenkins Taylor-- Daisy Jones & the Six informal buddy read starts March 25, 2019

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

This thread is open to discuss Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid



Synopsis
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their 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.

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.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Geri]

Got the link! Thanks, Laura! Really want to read this!

[Laura]

Me too! Can't wait to start this one. I 'd like to finish up three first but that might be unrealistic. I 'm reading The Lost Man and its due back today but I'm hanging onto it hoping to finish it over the weekend and pass it in late.

[Brooke]

So excited to read this one! I made sure to stick it in my suitcase tonight so I don’t forget it. I’m leaving in the morning to go babysit my 17-mo-old niece until Wed night so my brother & his wife can go out of town. I’m hoping she doesn’t wear me out too much, because she goes to bed by 8:00, allowing for great reading time!

[Geri]

Laura wrote: "Me too! Can't wait to start this one. I 'd like to finish up three first but that might be unrealistic. I 'm reading The Lost Man and its due back today but I'm hanging onto it hopi..."

3 books in the next few days is ambitious. I don’t think I can do that and I read way too much!

I really liked The Lost Man! Hopefully, you do too.

[Geri]

Brooke wrote: "So excited to read this one! I made sure to stick it in my suitcase tonight so I don’t forget it. I’m leaving in the morning to go babysit my 17-mo-old niece until Wed night so my brother & his wif..."

That’s sweet of you to do!

[Laura]

Geri wrote: "Laura wrote: "Me too! Can't wait to start this one. I 'd like to finish up three first but that might be unrealistic. I 'm reading The Lost Man and its due back today but I'm hangin..."

I finished 2/3. I think I'll send back The Lost Man and request it again then I won't have to rush through it ( or incur more late fines) I enjoyed what I read so far.
I love my niece/nephew time. Enjoy Brooke.

[Brooke]

Laura wrote: "Geri wrote: "Laura wrote: "Me too! Can't wait to start this one. I 'd like to finish up three first but that might be unrealistic. I 'm reading The Lost Man and its due back today b..."

I picked up a copy of The Lost Man at the used bookstore a couple of weeks ago. I've heard it is the best she's written so far, so I'm going to read it sometime soon. I really enjoyed Harper's other 2 books.

[Laura]

I'm going to put another request on it as I enjoyed the first 40 or so pages I read.

[Laura]

Daisy Jones & The Six
Less than 20 pages in..started this one eating breakfast this morning
(view spoiler)[

Yikes what a life Daisy is leading already as a young teenager. How horrible that her parents didn't even really know she moved out or back in. What kind of horrible parents are they? Jeez.. I noticed if my daughter moved out (hide spoiler)]

[Geri]

I started today too. No chapters or page count for me. Daisy has made her first album. The book isn’t what I expected. I tend to have trouble with non traditional writing styles. This documentary/interview style feels a bit shallow to me, lacking some details. I don’t hate it, but I’m not loving either. I will keep going, though. Maybe I will warm up to it.

Question: Daisy Jones and The Six are real? I never heard of them.

[Laura]

I tried to google and all I found were references to the book?

I'm up to around page 100 Daisy and Billy recorded their first single together

(view spoiler)[
This is definitely a different reading format and I 'm like you Geri I tend to have trouble with non traditional writing styles but this lifestyle is so foreign to me that I 'm a little bit hooked. I 'm interested in seeing how Billy and Camilla 's relationship progresses. I don't think it will last. I was frankly surprised that he went to rehab.
I think the group (and Daisy) are very stereotypical "rock stars" ---though I say rock stars loosely as they aren't quite there yet- I can see it coming) Billy is a bit of an ass... I'm surprised Camilla took him back after all the cheating.. I would have kicked his butt to the curb and not looked back!

I suspect that Billy and Daisy "hook up " eventually and something happens that she leaves the group? He cheats on her? He can't handle the pressure of fame? Her fame? (hide spoiler)]

It's interesting that Reid chose to write a book in this format after the success of her last book

[Brooke]

I didn't make it too far last night. I stopped after the first 2 sections that introed Daisy and The Six members.

I thought it was true at first, especially after reading the author's note at the beginning of the book. But I found a few articles about it, and it is all fiction. She wanted to tell a story about a woman in the big rock n' roll era that was strong and didn't want to play 2nd fiddle to a man. And she thought this docu-style would tell the story best. I find it interesting, but I'm also having trouble keeping all of the characters straight. I don't know if that is because of exhaustion or because of the writing style.

Reese Witherspoon owns the rights to the book and is adapting it into a limited series (I think). They have a team writing lyrics & music for it now.

[Geri]

I read more today. I’m still having trouble. But like you, Laura, I am kinda sucked into this story of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. I am at the part where Daisy has officially become part of the band. The story does feel true but nothing too original. (view spoiler)[ Daisy is hitting the drugs pretty hard. Not sure how long she can do that. And I agree, Laura, something is going to happen between Billy and Daisy. And it won’t end well. As far as Camilla, that is the chance anyone takes when their partner is away a lot and famous. Groupies and cheating will occur! (hide spoiler)]

It’s interesting, Brooke, that this is already being turned into a tv series. I could see this working well as a movie or tv show.

I had to look up the author because I didn’t recognize her name. I read 2 of her books and thought the books were just okay.

[Laura]

I'm almost finished this one. I believe I have the last section left which I'm hoping to finish off tonight.

(view spoiler)[
Lots has happened... Daisy overdose was scary. I'm happy that she gave Nicky the boot but wake up girl and help yourself.. though I guess that is why its an addiction.

Although we still don't know the reason why the band splits... I can see why it happens; no one communicates with each other. I suspect Teddy's death will also play a factor as he seemed to be the glue that held them all together.
(hide spoiler)]

[Brooke]

I am halfway through!

(view spoiler)[ Man is there tension in the band. So many egos! I do like how Daisy stood up for herself and wouldn't take the backseat on the writing. I am worried about all of her drug use, though. (hide spoiler)]

I think now that I read a bigger chunk in one sitting I like the format better. I don't think it works well if I am just reading a handful of pages at a time. Now it feels like I am reading the transcript of a documentary and I'm enjoying it more. I hope to finish it tonight!

[Laura]

Reading each person's perspective is a bit amusing... they never jive.

[Geri]

I finished a few days ago. Just haven’t had time to post. This book was just okay to me. This may work better as a show. I never got too invested in the story or characters. The ending was too sappy for me. The audiobook had the music to Honeycomb at the very end. It will probably be used in the show. I would watch the show when it airs. I kept seeing Stevie Nicks as Daisy. Of course, a young Stevie Nicks.

[Brooke]

I finished a couple of days ago. I enjoyed it, although I thought it was a little underwhelming overall, probably due to all of the hype around it. I will watch the adaptation when it comes out. Because of how this was written, there is a lot of room for interpretation on the lives of all of them outside the group, but I don't know how much will be included. I guess it will depend on if it is a movie vs series and how many episodes, etc.

(view spoiler)[ I didn't like the ending. I think a neat & tidy summary of the characters can be a bit lazy, but I guess it works for this format. Kind of like a flash-forward "where are they now" at the end of the documentary. I didn't like that Camile died, though. She was the one character I greatly respected, although since the story was written by her daughter that could have influenced things. She probably wasn't as objective as she would have been with other characters.

The band was bound to break up eventually with all of the personality differences, but it felt weird and abrupt that it all fell apart at the same time.

As the story went on, I disliked Daisy more and more. She was so used to things being handed to her, she acted horribly when she couldn't have Billy. I guess it isn't 100% her fault since she didn't really have parents and was surrounded by enablers, but still. At some point when you are an adult you have to look in the mirror and grow up. (hide spoiler)]

Now that I've read 2 very different books by Reid I want to go back and read the other one I own. Hopefully I can fit it in soon!

[Laura]

I also finished this over the weekend.
I agree with your statement Brooke. I gave this one a 3 star. (view spoiler)[
I actually liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo better and I 'd guess it was because of the format in which this one was written.
(hide spoiler)]

One of these times we are all going to love our buddy read! Instead of hit or miss.

[Cat]

I read this over last weekend, and enjoyed it as a slice of OTT pop history. My favourite character was Warren - he just amused me with his laidbackness.

It was clear from early on that this was inspired, at the least, by Fleetwood Mac & Rumours.

[Laura]

Ohh, thanks for that tidbit Cat; as you can tell from our comments above we had no idea. I guess we aren't die hard Fleetwood Mac fans.

[Cat]

Laura wrote: "Ohh, thanks for that tidbit Cat; as you can tell from our comments above we had no idea. I guess we aren't die hard Fleetwood Mac fans."

One of my friends is a BIG fan, so I clearly picked up some bits & pieces from him!

I saw them live with him a few years ago, and they put on a good show - apart from the interminable 15 mins (probably less than that, but it felt AAAAAGES) when everyone except Mick Fleetwood (drums) left the stage. Mick Fleetwood is many many things - including a very good drummer - but entertaining raconteur he ain't :-/