I loved, loved, loved this book. It's such a clever idea to show the relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney through the songs they wrote. I mean, it's kind of an obvious idea. Because their songs completely reflected their emotions. But, at the same time, it's not something I would have ever examined as thoroughly as this book does. And it's fascinating.

I'm always conscious of an author's bias when writing about real people, and, if I'm honest, I had the feeling this author was in Paul's corner and didn't always view John's actions very highly. But, that said, I think I probably agree with his narrative. I felt incredibly sorry for Paul. His heartbreak at the break up of the band, and, moreover, at the end of his friendship with his best friend, was tangible. When I read that he went home and cried for an hour after the meeting where John announced he was leaving, it brought tears to my eyes. And the way John encouraged Ringo and George to side with him and to gang up on Paul felt like a school ground bully, insecure and needing to get everyone standing behind them. Also, the way John publicly ridiculed and ranted against Paul must have been so hard. The thought of having someone who had been your best friend for half your life suddenly take everything away from you, including themselves ... Very sad.

I was happy to read that their relationship improved towards the late 70s, and John even acknowledged some of the bad behaviour he had displayed. So did Paul. It makes me wonder what could have happened, had John not been killed when he was. Who knows? Maybe The Beatles would have released a song or two, for charity or something.

All in all, this was a very interesting read. Loved it!

Any Beatles fan or music lover. The way the author traces John & Paul's relationship, literally, through their songs is so clever. It's really fascinating.

The music.

Listen to The Beatles, watch their live performances. Find new Beatles music I didn't previously know.

Happy. Sad. Engrossed.

Ian Leslie. From Amazon: "Ian Leslie is an acclaimed journalist and author whose books on human psychology communication and creativity include Curious, Born Liars, and How to Disagree. He has written for the New York Times, the New Statesman, the Economist, Guardian and Financial Times. He is also the author of the influential newsletter, The Ruffian. Leslie lives in London."

It's entertaining and really interesting.

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Created May 19, 2025 at 5:48am • Submit your own review...