Book Club October 2019- Daisy Jones and the Six
By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published year: 2019
Publisher: Hutchinson
Pages: 368
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In 1979, Daisy Jones and The Six split up. Together, they had redefined the 70’s music scene, creating an iconic sound that rocked the world. Apart, they baffled a world that had hung on their every verse.
This book is an attempt to piece together a clear portrait of the band’s rise to fame and their abrupt and infamous split. The following oral history is a compilation of interviews, emails, transcripts, and lyrics, all pertaining to the personal and professional lives of the members of the band The Six and singer Daisy Jones.
While I have aimed for a comprehensive and exhaustive approach, I must acknowledge that full and complete accounts from all parties involved has proved impossible. Some people were easier to track down than others, some were more willing to talk than others, and some, unfortunately, have passed on.
All of which is to say that while this is the first and only authorised account from all represented perspectives, it should be noted that, in matters both big and small, reasonable people disagree.
The truth often lies, unclaimed, in the middle.
What I thought
Initially, Meghan, who chose October’s book, asked me if I had read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I told her that I had and that I had really enjoyed it. She then told me she had been thinking about picking it for book club. Slightly selfishly, I suggested she check out Jenkins Reid’s newest book because I’ve been meaning to read it since it came out. But also, because I know that Meghan is very into music and bands and rock and roll. So she picked that!
Daisy Jones and the Six is told in the style of an interview tell-all. The members of band each share their point of view of how the band came to be and how it ended.
I have never read a book like this before and I really enjoyed it. I initially thought that because of the interview style that I would fly through the book, but it ended up taking a little bit longer than I originally thought. I think I got a little burned out on some of the drama, but not necessarily in a bad way? Real memoirs sometimes take me a little time to get through and, in the best way, I think this read more like a memoir than a work of fiction.
I enjoyed every band member except for Eddie. He irritated me. I understood where he came from, but he drove me nuts and I just wanted to skip over his parts.
This book is very different from Jenkins Reid’s previous novels. Even though it is most similar to Seven Husbands, it’s still very very different. I find it fascinating that she can write such varying content and it’s still done so well.
The story itself wasn’t groundbreaking, but I don’t think it needed to be. I think the best part of this story was the storytelling and that was done perfectly.
What Book Club Thought
I don’t have much more to say as we were all on the same page with this one. I don’t know if I would say it’s a great book club pick because it didn’t spark a lot of discussion with us. Everyone really liked it and we all liked the unique way in which it was written. If you have read this book, I would recommend looking at Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Instagram because she has posted bits of behind the scenes information from her writing process during Daisy Jones and it is really interesting!