REVIEW: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Series: None
Genres: Historical Fiction
Published: March 5th 2019 by Ballantine Books

REVIEW:

Jumping into the fictional world of Daisy Jones & The Six was an emotional roller coaster ride I was not prepared for. Written to portray the good times and bad times of a band trying to make it big in the late sixties – early seventies, I was immediately drawn to this title. The form of this book is one that I particular enjoy. This story is presented like reading the transcript to a documentary; a written interview. The dialogue jumps between all seven members of the band, their management team, and from time to time people of great importance to them, in a Behind the Music style production.

As I’m sure many other readers will tell you, it is difficult not to draw thoughts of Fleetwood Mac. As a fan, the fictional spin on an iconic band such as Fleetwood Mac really worked for me. Some of the best rock ‘n’ roll of all time was recorded during this time period—it was the perfect era to use in the creation of a book such as this—and it was evident that this period was very well researched. Taylor did a wonderful job of capturing the nostalgia and feel of this time setting perfectly. From the avocation of “peace and love,” the subtlety in the inclusion of the second wave of feminism, to the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll that was the seventies rock era.

Given that this book read like the oral history of the band, there are many times  you will feel as if these are real people and not just a creation from the mind of its author. It will become impossible not to impulsively search Daisy Jones & The Six on Spotify or Google because these characters, this story, was written to feel so real. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but whenever offered a glimpse of the lyrics—with one or two lines of a verse—I wanted so badly to read each song in its entirety. When this was exactly what Taylor offered her reader in the final pages, I could not have loved that inclusion more.

In the end, Billy Dunne and Daisy Jones had my heart singing, soaring and crushed. This is my first read by Taylor Jenkins Reid and to say I am obsessed with this story is an understatement. This book would definitely translate well to television and I’m excited to see how it is adapted and who is cast. Thanks, Reese Witherspoon! Needless to say, this book has everything I love wrapped up in its pages. I could not recommend it more and it’s definitely one of those books that you don’t want to miss. Period.

Most loved quote:

“You have to have one person in your life that you know would never do anything to steer you wrong. They may disagree with you. They could even break your heart, from time to time. But you have to have one person, at least, who you know will always tell you the truth.”

Thank you to BookSparks #bookshark and Ballantine Books for gifting me a copy.

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.