Customer Reviews

A Day in the Life: One Family, the Beautiful People, and the End of the Sixties

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

No spoilers.

I got this book because I had read an interview with actor Jake Weber, where he talked about his turbulent upbringing during the 1960s. He was one of two sons of a young socialite named "Puss" Susan Coriat, and her husband, Tommy Weber.

I started reading the book, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Robert Greenfield really manages to tell a compelling and interesting story, yet still maintain a journalistic distance.

Both Puss Coriat, and Tommy Weber came from privileged, wealthy families. Yet both sets of parents divorced, and Puss and Tommy were shuttled around to various schools and relatives. Puss Coriat's mother Pricilla was well-known - she was known as the "little rich girl" and was one of the wealthiest women of her time, yet she was foolish and a spendthrift. Tommy's parents were likewise pretty dysfunctional.

Puss and Tommy meet and fall in love and marry right at the start of the craziness that marked the mid-to late 1960s. They were right in the center of it all, and they hung around with all the celebrity rockers of their time, in particular the Rolling Stones and Keith Richards. Throw in to this mix a lot of various drugs, (LSD, marijuana, heroin, among others) and you can kind of see where this is going.

I don't want to give anything away, but there is not a good ending for either parent, in particular, Puss. She develops a sort of drug induced schizophrenia, and had an apparent psychotic break along with depression. (Her reaction reminded me a lot of Sid Barret's from Pink Floyd, and in fact he is even mentioned in this regard.) Tommy's life continues with the focus on drugs, sex and rock 'n roll, which doesn't serve him well as he ages.

In short, this is a fascinating little book that really gives you a sense of what that decade and lifestyle were all about. It's one thing to choose that way of life if you are on your own, but it's a different case if like Puss and Tommy, you have two small boys. My heart went out to those boys, and it's a tribute to them both that they seem to have turned out so well.

Recommended, especially if you like reading about the wild times that were the 1960s, and what it was like to have been a part of the madness. My only criticism is that there are some substantial gaps in the narrative, but that's not the fault of the author as much as there were few (competent) witnesses around to say what happened. I'm not sure if I ever felt like I "knew" Puss, or for that matter even Tommy, but the book amply demonstrates how people with such promising futures could mess up their lives due to partying, drugs and alcohol, in a decade that seemed to revel in it all.

What an amazing story! A Fairy Tale but one that doesn't end with "they lived happily ever after". Greenfield reveals a part of the swinging 60's that ads to the saying "sex drugs and rock'n roll", heartbreak and despair. I was totally engrossed in this story and could not put it down. WHen is the movie coming out?

A DAY IN THE LIFE: ONE FAMILY, THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, AND THE END OF THE SIXTIES tells how an ideal marriage between two members of the English upper class fell part as the psychedelic dreams of the 50s became the hard-rock of the 80s. Using Tommy Weber and Susan Coriat as an example, the 60s and sentiments come to life in a solid true-life story of social change at its fastest pace.

I found this book to be interesting at times but I couldn't quite get why I should care. Yes it was the swinging sixties and there was a lot going on. I guess the major question is why this particular family? Why did Robert Greenfield choose this family to write a book on? Puss and Tommy were somewhat remarkable but not enough to base a entire book on. Also, i got a little lost when he was went into the details of Puss's journey to Morocco, India, and wherever else she went and Tommy's excursion to Afghanistan to smuggle back a bunch of opium. I didn't really care about Tommy's hijinks or what he did to make money. Basically, I found the book to be insignificant and somewhat boring. I managed to finish it but I kept falling asleep while trying to read it.

One of the most watched couples in London during the 1960's was Tommy Weber and Susan Coriat. They had beauty and youth and power and knew everyone that mattered. A Day in the Life is the fascinating story of what happens when there is too much drugs, sex, and rock and roll.

Wonderfully written account of a family that gets caught in the crossfire of the 60's counterculture revolution, which included all the sex, drugs and rock n roll possible. Enjoyed learning about the personal histories that led up to this trainwreck of a family. Even more intriquing is that we know the offspring as actors in the public eye. A real page-turner.

I bought this book because Robert Greenfield is a respected writer. The topic of 60's 'Swinging London' is of interest. The book is only 280 pages. It is basically about rich English youth in the 60's that get too into drugs, get to hang-out with the Rolling Stones a little bit and indulge themselves. Their big mistake was they had two little boys, who obviously, and rightly, now trash their self-absorbed irresponsible parents for their unstable chilhood. I am also a baby boomer, like the characters in the book. Without a doubt the most selfish generation in the history of the world. This book is not bad, but really should have been a magazine article as only the last 100 pages were worth reading.

absolutely nothing compelling about two selfish people who should never have reproduced. too rich..too self absorbed...too screwed up. there were no beautiful people and puss and tommy had none of the creativity that was so evident in the sixties. just the story of 2 pathetic losers whose only claim to fame was getting cocaine for the stones. save your money this one was a stiff bore

Very good book to read on your spare time, I truly enjoyed every part of it, it kept me reading more and more.

I bought this after I was intrigued when it was mentioned in an article in People magazine. I was expecting more than a few juicey tidbits about the members of the Rolling Stones. Left me disappointed & somewhat depressed.