Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Book Review

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Book Review

The lowdown from GoodReads:

Publication Date March 5th, 2019.

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.

Daisy Jones & The Six

Sarah & Jessica: We have been Really Into Taylor Jenkins Reid for years now.  Sarah has been reading her books for years. She encouraged Jessica to read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Jessica fell in love.  I do not think we have ever seen this much hype for a book, and with good reason.  The story is enrapturing, Taylor Jenkins Reid is at the height of her career. This book was picked up by Amazon and Reese Witherspoon before it was published.  TJR has kind of become a rock star of the writing world.

Jen: I became really into TJR when I read One True Loves and devoured the book in one day. I went directly to the bookstore the next day and purchased her first 3 books and read them in happy romantic bliss. I found her books so well written and so easy to read. I started purchasing One True Loves for all my friends as gifts. She really changed things up with Evelyn Hugo and I wasn’t sure at first if I’d like it, but come on it’s Taylor. Of course, it was amazing. As soon I heard about Daisy Jones, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. I was blown away. Taylor is such a talented author who can write so well that she has the readers convinced that Daisy Jones was an actual band. I myself googled it twice!

Documentary Style

Daisy Jones & The Six reads like a VH1 Behind the Music (showing my age here), and the story of the band’s rise and fall is told directly from the people involved.  This is an effective and fresh point of view writing, and in the spirit of the book, we thought we would review and discuss it the same way.

Jen: I was asked to be the moderator for Taylor’s first stop on her book tour. One of the questions I asked her is what made her decide to write this in an interview style. Taylor told me that she felt this the only way to write the book. It reflects the way bands were interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine back in the day. I thought this style was very creative and really made this book unlike any other I’ve read before.

1970’s

Jessica: I love that TJR chose to tell a story in the ’70s.  For me, it is just such a gritty time, before 24-hour news and MTV.  Rock stars were at their height, and Daisy Jones & The Six certainly exemplify sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.  I

Sarah: Oh, this time period! I already know Jessica & I would have been into Daisy Jones & The Six. We are definitely not disco type of people. The feel of the music is very Jackson Browne Running on Empty album to me. The landscape of it all just makes me think of late summer California nights. There are even pieces of this book that give me A Star Is Born vibes. Like me, I know TJR saw it in the movie theatre at least twice. I am pining to visit this book & live in it for a while.

Jen: I was excited that this book was written in the ’70s because although I look like a spring chicken, I was a  product of the ’70s. I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac and adored the fashion. I have many pictures of my bell bottom pants, tons of peasant blouses, clogs, and ponchos. I changed over the years but I actually came full circle and now dress in what we call BOHO. So I could really picture the music and the fashion when I was reading the story. Taylor told me during the interview that although she was born in the ’80s, she was always fascinated by the music of the seventies. The fact that bands that had male and female leads who sang passionately together yet weren’t together romantically. Yes, Sarah! After watching a Star is Born I was thinking about Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga & Daisy & Billy. They sing these amazing songs. And the way they look at each other, it’s hard to believe they are not a couple. Just like Billy and Daisy.

Family

Jen: It was really crazy reading about Daisy’s family, or lack thereof. I know kids had much more freedom back then, with no cell phones. Basically, just be home before the street lights come on. With no parental guidance and very mature looks, Daisy was thrust into adult situations very early on. Without her actual family to care for her, she had to turn to friendships, men, and people who she was way too young to associate with. Eventually, when she joined The Six, the band became her family.

Sarah: Jessica & I were talking and totally agree the aspect of a family is huge in Daisy Jones & The Six. Daisy is longing for a family. She wanders & floats in & out of places searching for someone to call her own. I think we all can relate to that on some level.  On the flipside, every one of Billy’s decisions is made with his family in mind. His wife, Camilla is such a central character in the story. She’s not always around, but she’s the North Star. She guides Billy & The Six follows suit.

Jessica: Absolutely.  Family was the first theme I sussed out of this book, and it was also present in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  Family isn’t always the one you are born with, but the one you make for yourself.  The band was a family, Daisy made a family with her best friend, and members of The Six had an internal family of their own.

Fame

Sarah: Oh, the Fame Monster! Sorry, I throw a Lady Gaga reference in every chance I get. Like our beloved Behind The Music, Daisy Jones & The Six shows us what fame does to a person. We see fame lift, people, up & we see it tear people down.

Jessica:  Both of TJR’s last two books are heavily focused on fame, possibly because of her LA lifestyle?  I love reading about the hunger, the rise and fall, and the effects that fame has on a person and the people that surround them.

The Music

Jen: Taylor has never been a musician. But how cool that she wrote songs for the band? I asked her when she hears Daisy Jones & The Six songs in her head who is singing them. Her answer, Daisy Jones. These songs belong to Daisy Jones and it’s her voice, whatever it sounds like that’s singing them. When the rest of us hear the description of this beautiful girl with unique features and a deep voice we all think of Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac. That’s the voice I hear. Taylor said her favorite 70’s bands are Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, and Linda Ronstadt. She also loves the sound of The Civil Wars.

Sarah: Can we get this album made already?!? I am really looking forward to the Audiobook of Daisy Jones & The Six. Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer, Jennifer Beals & more are all part of the audio cast. If they sing the song lyrics that are in the book, I WILL SWOON! Once the TV series is made, I sure hope they spend some time & money producing the hell out of these songs. I just cannot wait.

Jessica:  Oh my gosh I know!!!  The songs in this book are incredible!  I wouldn’t be surprised to see an album come out of this, and I am so impressed by TJR for getting these into the book.  It would not be the same without them.

The Verdict

Jessica: To say that I read and enjoyed this book would be an understatement.  I devoured this book and tried my hardest to savor every morsel.  I read this book months ago, and it has been a blast discussing Daisy Jones & The Six again. CLosing my eyes, I am right back in the novel, partying at the Chateau Marmont, living in the house with The Six, waving goodbye as they head out on the road, and recording music together.  For me, the mark of a good novel is one that I get lost in, and Taylor Jenkins Reid had me.  It was so easy to read, yet there wasn’t anything dumbed down.  I cannot wait to see it come to life on screen, and I cannot wait to see what TJR does next.

Sarah: I am SO COMPLETELY Into This book! Daisy Jones & The Six has it all. Stellar writing, a cast of memorable characters, drugs, sex & rock ‘n’ roll. As soon as Jessica read it she told me I had to read it ASAP & that my mom would LOVE it! I can totally see why. This is a book for everyone. My mom will love it, I love it & you will too! I am so excited for this book to be out in the world!

Jen: I wasn’t sure when I started Daisy Jones that I would like it. It took me a few chapters to get used to the interview style but I quickly became addicted. Daisy Jones & The Six was picked as Hello Sunshine’s March pick as well The Book Of The Month’s March book. What else is super cool and unusual is there is an entire Daisy Jones and The Six playlist you can listen to on Spotify. Definitely download the music. The 70’s bands featured on the playlist help put you right in the mood. Heck, put on your bell bottoms and tie-dye shirts to really feel the time period. I loved this book and I know you will too!

Special thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for providing our copy for an honest and fair review.

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About the Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her novels have been Indie Next Picks, chosen by Book of the Month, and featured in People, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, and more. Her newest novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, will be out March 5th. She lives in Los Angeles.