Dear Husband and I watched Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back documentary (six-plus hours), and that slice of their lives made me want to know more. After research, I chose Bob Spitz's book The Beatles: The Biography. I listened to it through Audible and didn't find out until the end that it was abridged. ☹️
I still learned a lot about John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but I'm curious about what was left out--it wasn't their drug use or availing themselves to their groupies. Spitz charted their pre-Beatles lives, influences, and struggles to make it big. As I went through the book, I would stop and listen to the album it was referencing. 🎶 Thank you, Alexa!
Reading the book was like watching Titanic. I was invested in their climb to fame, which made their dissolution painful.
I had one big question: Did Yoko Ono break up the Beatles? My answer: maybe. She didn't keep them together, but it seemed John and Paul were wrestling for individuality as, to a lesser degree, were George and Ringo. They were ripe for a life beyond The Beatles.
The book reminded me of the Eagles' song Life in the Fast Lane. The Beatles: The Biography describes a band that succumbed to a Rock and Roll lifestyle and unchecked egos.
After reading about the six Mitford sisters, I tried to find the novels written by Nancy Mitford. Unfortunately, they weren't available through my library, but I did find a murder mystery series written around the sisters. The Mitford Murders is the first in the series written by Jessica Fellowes. She is the niece of Jonathan Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame, and she's written several successful companion books related to Downton Abbey.
She is well-versed in this period of history, giving the book a realistic feel without being intrusive. The murder is the actual unsolved murder of Florence Nightingale Shore, a retired nurse clubbed to death on a railway car. Fellowes cleverly blends fact and fiction, crafting an entertaining tale.
I quite liked it.
It was ripping good fun.
😜
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