Book Review: A Story about Love, Addictions & Music
Daisy Jones & The Six
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2019
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5
Synopsis:
Daisy Jones & The Six follows the rise and fall of a 70s rock band of the same name. Daisy Jones is a girl growing up in the rock scene of LA, where she gets into parties and drugs at a young age. She loves music and hopes to write and perform her songs one day. She eventually crosses paths with a band called The Six, and they work on a song together. A producer realizes that having Daisy Jones as part of the band would push the band to even greater fame. Thus begins the tale of the rise of Daisy Jones & The Six, along with the complications that come with it.
Review:
When I first started the book, I thought it would be just a three-star read for me, but I judged it too quickly. This is my first book from Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR). I picked it up due to its popularity on bookstagram. TJR reads like a Fredrik Backman. She is able to capture complicated human relationships and takes you on a journey through this book.
It is a story about music, love, siblingship, friendships, and addiction. In an interview, the author mentioned that she read many rock biographies before writing this novel, and that’s how she went from taking a non-fiction narrative format and translating it into a fictional work. You know she has hit her mark when I couldn’t believe that the rock band was fictional at the novel’s end. She even added song lyrics to the book, making it seem real. The 70s rock lifestyle comes across as wild and crazy, with lots of drugs, drinks, and sex.
When it comes to the characters, we follow the lives of Billy Dunn and Daisy Jones more closely than the others. I enjoyed seeing how different people in the band viewed the same event. The group dynamics over time have been captured well, and the author explores the multi-faceted side of every character. Being an addict doesn’t mean a person is bad; at times, it all comes down to the choices one makes. Relationships are complex, and sometimes life can get complicated. This has been captured beautifully through TJR’s writing.
It is written in an oral history format with accounts of events for all the members. I listened to this book on Audible; the interview-style writing really made the book more engaging. Having so many character POVs does not get confusing but helps us better understand how each character feels through the narration.
Now coming to how the book ends, I am not sure I agree entirely with it, but it’s also understandable the choices the characters make. I am just one for perfect, feel-good happy endings, and this one is not sad but not a happy one either. There are a few reveals at the end worth waiting for; that’s all I will say about that.
Overall I highly recommend this one. If you love Fredrik Backman, then definitely check out this book! It is also being made into a TV series to be released soon.
Mini-Series:
The Daisy Jones & The Six mini-series is now out on Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here!
