John Lennon: The Life

A good read and stays true to Lennon's life, but....

This is basically a copy and paste effort, and there were a lot of grammatical errors, which I found distracting.

May Pang's influence on John should not have been underestimated (Elliot Mintz, Yoko's lackey, recalled that Pang never attained the status of being Lennon's old lady). She may not have, but she succeeded in getting Lennon and Julian together to "come together" in what could have been a very meaningful father/first born son relationship. I'm sure that she was glossed over since Yoko had input and I was very sure this would happen. A shame. According to May and very believably so, via dated pictures, she was a part of John's life for a long time.

For any avid Beatles fan, this was nothing that we did not already know.

I was disappointed.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Balanced, Thoughtful, Highly Revealing

It is a shame that this is the third full Lennon bio to have appeared, simply because it is superb and I fear some potential readers may pass this one over. Philip Norman does what few Lennon/Beatles biographers manage to, he digs into the interior of this complex and interesting soul and provides an exhaustive and multi-dimensional view of the man. I am walking away from this wonderful bio [a very easy read] feeling as if I finally "know" this man I've admired for so long.

Norman seems very sensitive and insightful, and he manages to thoughtfully connect-[some]-dots of Lennon's lifetime in a way I've not encountered before. Normally the childhood & early years of a bio are ones I simply skim over; here, these chapters lay an essential foundation for the life that is to be explored. The author does a fabulous job of fleshing out Lennon's early familial years and bringing that post-war era Liverpool to life ... he does the same with the Hamburg years. Both of these are relatively under-explored and one-dimensional periods of the usual Lennon bio. What I like most about this book is that, while the Beatle years are certainly well-explored, this isn't a bio of "Beatle John." Rather, the man takes center stage while the Beatles and their music are presented as simply a part of an overall life.

There are a few areas skimped over or under-explored, however. The leap from Cavern Club regulars to global stars seems to happen suddenly, without much explanation or exploration. Likewise, I missed any seed-planting related to John's massive leap from "semi-violent Beatle John" to "hippy peace activist." That transformation is just presented without motivation or explanation. I also feel that the Dakota years are relatively under-explored, which is a shame given Yoko & Sean's participation in the project.

All in all, I would highly recommend this title for anyone remotely interested in Lennon and/or the Beatles. I'm not sure John Lennon will ever be fully understood even by those closest to him during his lifetime, but this intimate portrait brings us as close to him as we're likely to get. It truly is a wonderful book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

FYI yoko didnt break them up

Look it up. Yoko did NOT break them up. Plz do ur research.

Amazing book

Best biography ever!

Great Book

human face to a complex, brilliant icon

The most detailed biography about John lennon ever.

Book Review Outline
Book title and author: John Lennon the Life by Phillip Norman
Title of review: Greatest biography in the world
Number of stars (1 to 5): 5

Introduction
It is a biography about the life of John Lennon and his family. This book would be great for people who want to learn more about John Lennon.

Description and summary of main points
The author is a great writer and has written many books including biographies on the Beatles. I think it's terrific how he put the book together. The main point of the book is to tell you about the life of the singer and song writer John Lennon.

Evaluation
I think the book gives a lot of information about him and I think the author did a lot of research to be able to find out what he was like and what happened to him as a kid. In the book it says a lot about his personal life and what he was thinking about when some of the events that occurred when he was living were going on. The book really did let you know all about the life of John Lennon because it started with him as a young child and ended when he was killed. I think that it's a lot better than other biographies about John Lennon.
Conclusion
The book has lots of great information for the reader. The author did a really did a great job with getting information about the book. The book really helps with learning about John Lennon.

Your final review
I think that this is the single greatest biography about John Lennon in the world. I also think that the author is one of the best authors in the world. The author must have been researching on this book for years.

Book Review Outline
Book title and author: John Lennon the Life by Phillip Norman
Title of review: Greatest biography in the world
Number of stars (1 to 5): 5

Introduction
It is a biography about the life of John Lennon and his family. This book would be great for people who want to learn more about John Lennon.

Description and summary of main points
The author is a great writer and has written many books including biographies on the Beatles. I think it's terrific how he put the book together. The main point of the book is to tell you about the life of the singer and song writer John Lennon.

Evaluation
I think the book gives a lot of information about him and I think the author did a lot of research to be able to find out what he was like and what happened to him as a kid. In the book it says a lot about his personal life and what he was thinking about when some of the events that occurred when he was living were going on. The book really did let you know all about the life of John Lennon because it started with him as a young child and ended when he was killed. I think that it's a lot better than other biographies about John Lennon.
Conclusion
The book has lots of great information for the reader. The author did a really did a great job with getting information about the book. The book really helps with learning about John Lennon.

Your final review
I think that this is the single greatest biography about John Lennon in the world. I also think that the author is one of the best authors in the world. The author must have been researching on this book for years.

Book Review Outline
Book title and author: John Lennon the Life by Phillip Norman
Title of review: Greatest biography in the world
Number of stars (1 to 5): 5

Introduction
It is a biography about the life of John Lennon and his family. This book would be great

A wealth of information!

This book was absolutely filled with information about the great John Lennon. It told so much about his childhood and the road to the Beatles as we knew them. I would have liked a little more personal information about his life with Cynthia, and felt that his life with Yoko was a little glossed over. All in all it is THE book to read to know John Lennon as the genius and the flawed human being who didn't always do right by people. RECOMMENDED!

Riveting depiction of music business especially regarding Rock & Roll groups

No hold barred describing the characters involved. Very interesting comparisons of how the groups are viewed in England as compared to American idol status. A real education of how a groups can become a sensation or die on the vine. A real "can't put down" book.

Entertaining

I have read a few other Lennon books but I did find this one to be well rounded and quite absorbing as I read it on holiday. It is a good "gift giving" book and is full of info that fans would like.

Nothing new here

If you are an avid beatle or john lennon fan , there is nothing new to read here. I think everything that could be written about the beatles or john lennon has already been done. If you are not familure with the beatles or lennon then you have all the info you need here 800 plus pages full

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Author, Light at the End of My Pen

John lennon, is the best! Can't wait to read this book. I like to think I've kept the torch going. My first book published this year. Am recommending John Lennon, by Philip Norman and Light at the End of My Pen, by John D. Perez

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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