John Lennon: The Life [Hardcover]

Philip Norman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 28, 2008

Phillip Norman, whose 1981 classic Shout! is considered the definitive biography of The Beatles, returns with John Lennon: The Life. This New York Times bestseller is an intimate look at the troubled genius who—along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—changed the shape and sound of popular music forever. From his early Liverpool days and heartbreaking childhood tragedies through the heady roller-coaster ride that was The Beatles and far beyond—his prolific post-“Fab Four” career, his turbulent marriage to Yoko Ono, his peace crusade, and his shocking death on the New York City streets—John Lennon: The Life is a remarkably fair and honest, utterly enthralling study of an achingly human rock legend.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Bookmarks Magazine

Critics generally praised John Lennon: The Life, though they often seemed shocked at how much hate and violence could be found in one of the 20th century's most famous proponents of peace and love. Some were also taken aback by the book's length—over 800 pages for a figure who famously lived only to age 40. But most reviewers concluded that the bulk of this biography was appropriate, not only because Norman is the first author to investigate Lennon in such detail but because his sense for which details are interesting (a well-developed portrayal of the young Lennon's Liverpool) and which are not (Beatles ephemera) keeps the book moving at a steady pace.
Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

Review

“[A] haunting, mammoth, terrific piece of work.” (New York Times Book Review )

“It’s this level of detail that makes Norman’s 822 pages such compulsive reading.” (Bloomberg News )

“[Norman] sharpens what we know about Lennon at just about every turn…devotees will relish the new information, while casual readers will find a familiar story told more truly than ever before.” (Rolling Stone )

“[Norman’s] definitive biography draws impressively on exclusive and extensive interviews with Yoko Ono and, for the first time on the record, their son Sean…densely detailed, intricately woven and elegantly told, John Lennon: The Life neither condemns nor condones, nor does it consecrate its subject. (USA Today )

“The bad news is that John Lennon: The Life is so rich and enveloping that it demands to be read…it’s a clear-eyed and compassionate study of a man...Grade: A-.” (Entertainment Weekly )

“Powerful and heartfelt.” (Washington Post Book World )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 864 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006075401X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060754013
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (144 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( L ) > Lennon, John

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly the definitive biography of Lennon November 8, 2008

By Wayne Klein HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Do we need another biography on John Lennon? Yes. Why? Because the two most popular ones are the hatchet job that Albert Goldman did and Ray Coleman's fine biography that didn't quite capture the essence of who Lennon was and was hamstrung by trying to undo the damage of Goldman's book. The other question we need to ask is if there are any new facts about Lennon's life that make this worthwhile (and considering that Norman covered part of Lennon's life in his Beatles book SHOUT!). Yes--Norman digs up new facts both good and bad. He doesn't turn these new bits of info salacious or sensational comments or observations providing them with a context to help us understand Lennon as a human being.

Philip Norman has tackled one of the most difficult subjects for a biography because Lennon's life was well covered by the press and fostered a lot of myths himself. With access to Yoko Ono, Freddie Lennon's biography (and unpublished papers), Sean Lennon, Paul McCartney (via email) and others, Norman has prepared a biography that is fair balanced and presents his contradictory character thorughout his life--his bravado as well as his insecurities (of which there were many).

Fans that have read other Beatles books or Lennon biographies should be aware that the bulk of the book covers Lennon's pre-Beatles life and his time in the band throughout most of the 800 plus pages of the book. Norman does revisit familiar ground simply because they are essential events and there are those that haven't read ANY books on Lennon but he also introduces a lot of new information as well.

There are a few flaws because we are, after all, only human.... There's no bibliography or discography for Lennon (although fans may be aware of the latter the former is important)although he usually cites his sources in the book. Nevertheless, Norman has written a nearly perfect (there are a few minor flaws that crept past those that reviewed the text)biography on Lennon in terms of the facts and the various opinions that knew him best. The book devotes too little in terms of Lennon's post-Beatles career and "The Lost Weekend" that he experienced when he broke up with Yoko. It also skimps over the recording sessions for "Double Fantasy" (where Yoko reportedly fought so much with Lennon during the sessions that co-producer Jack Douglas often scheduled them to work on their tracks at different times). Norman has his opinions as well and doesn't hesitate to let the reader know them. You may disagree with his opinions(I did on some) but he at least provides us with why be believes them.

Recommended. Read more ›

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life of a Beatle November 17, 2008

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Most beloved public figures have many facets -- some of them nasty, some of them pleasant and admirable. Most biographies either focus on the good, or the bad.

But fortunately, Philip Norman is making a valiant effort to show, if not all of John Lennon's facets, then as many of them as possible. Having explored the Beatles and their impact on a generation, Norman narrows his focus down to "John Lennon: The Life" -- and he does a superb job unearthing the many details, relationships and differing faces of this much-lamented rock star. We'll never get a John Lennon autobiography, but Norman does a pretty good job of getting inside his shaggy head.

John Lennon was born into an incredibly stormy marriage (which broke up soon after) and raised by his loving, strict Aunt Mimi, though he was something of a hellraising trickster as a child. The one blot: the tragic, shocking death of his mother Julia.

Of course, everyone knows what happened later -- after a brief stint at art school, Lennon became part of a band with an ever-shifting name, and started working on pop songs alongside Paul McCartney. Though briefly devastated by the death of a bandmate, Lennon quickly rose to fame and fortune when the renamed Beatles became not just a hit band, but a new way of life for the youth of Britain, and then the entire world. Hit album after hit album poured from the Beatles, along with the usual rock-star intake of drugs, sex and occasional PR disasters.

But Lennon's interests began to stray in more spiritual directions, and as his marriage to the sweet-natured Cynthia fell apart, he met and fell in love with eccentric Japanese artist Yoko Ono.... Suddenly he was devoting himself not to pop hits, but to experimental numbers, "bed-ins" and sitting in bags, and using his world-wide celebrity for the furtherance of peace. While this lifestyle didn't quite tame Lennon's wild side, it led to new focuses in his life -- until it was tragically cut short.

You have to hand it to Philip Norman. While most biographers tend to portray Lennon as a hippie saint or a hopeless jerk, he tries very hard to find a happy medium that encompasses all of Lennon's personality: a flawed man who had a boatload of issues and could be both cruel and kind. While he gets a bit worshipy in the latter parts of Lennon's life, Norman does a pretty good portraying both the musician and those around him in a realistic, compelling light.

Additionally, Norman gives as much careful attention to Lennon's youth as he does to the Beatlemania and John/Yoko years -- in particular, his relationships to his mother, Aunt Mimi, Paul McCartney and the delicate artist Stu, as well as the months and years as a struggling young musician. There's lots of pop psychology, but it works.

In he meantime, Lennon's life is carefully framed in the political and social climes of the time -- the post-war fifties, colourful psychedelic chaos of the 1960s, and the later, grimmer times of the Vietnam War. Politicians, pop art, Liverpudlian slang and changing societies are all explored in detail, and Norman has the perspectives of a lot of people who actually lived in the time and knew Lennon -- his wives, his sons, his bandmates, and even his Aunt Mimi (and she gets a LOT of words in).

He also injects a wry sense of humour into the story (Lennon's aunts turning up at a Beatles performance) as well as a steady, sometimes evocative writing style ("The room reeked of stale beer and wine, and was lined in dusty velvet drapes..."). At the same time, there's some pretty shocking allegations here, such as the claim that Lennon may have been inadvertently involved in the death of his bandmate, but Norman avoids tabloid journalism by explaining why he doubts Lennon actually did any of that.

Lennon himself is a colourful mosaic of seemingly contradictory qualities -- he could be mean-spirited (mocking the disabled), wild, kindly, romantic, neglectful, vibrant, brilliantly unconventional and craving a spirituality that's hard to get when you're filthy rich. As seen by Norman, much of his personality seems to be based on the fear of loved ones dying and leaving him, but we get glimpses of dozens of different sides to his psyche.

"John Lennon: The Life" attempts to accurately portray one of the twentieth century's most unconventional and beloved pop stars, and for the most part, Philip Norman does a brilliant job. Read more ›

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars In The Shadow Of Mummy December 9, 2008

By Isis

Format:Hardcover

It's not until the very end of this very long book that the reader discovers an interesting fact: Yoko Ono does not endorse Philip Norman's book. Why? Because, the author writes, his book is seen by Ono as being "mean to John". How odd! It's certainly well understood by many fans that John Lennon was Not a saint. He had many dark elements to his personality, as well as the lighter ones: humor, intelligence, talent and compassion. Philip Norman does a fair job presenting Lennon's flaws, as well as his many gifts. (For me, the best part of the book is when Paul McCartney explains how he and John were more alike, than not. At last, a rather stupid myth: John being the "genius" and Paul being the "light one", can receive a much more complex - and satifying - analysis. John's "genius" received a ton of help from McCartney and the other Beatles - and also from George Martin's musical genius and ability, as well).
In this book, it's really Yoko Ono, herself, who Norman paints as one-sided - in the positive sense, mainly. One can, of course, sympathize with Ono's trials by fire. It's through this book that I learned the concrete details of the anti-Yoko sentiment rabidly at play in the late 60's, (such as fans mean-spiritly thrusting yellow roses - thorn side out - into Ono's hands - the color of the Roses a racist comment on Ono's backround). Such disgraceful and hateful cruelty is not something that Ono deserved then, or now. That's not even a question to consider.
At this point, any fair-minded person can easily detect how Ono truly helped Lennon. Yet, it's also glaringly obvious how overly dependent Lennon was upon her. John Lennon was a damaged, wounded, very insecure man.... The irony of John throwing barbs at Paul for McCartney's sappy "muzack" truly loses much of the intended sting when one considers all the love-sick songs that Lennon wrote (and/or Preached) about Ono. The better ones are, in fact, really quite beautiful. Yet, a vast many of them show how Lennon worshipped Yoko Ono's views as THE TRUTH, bar None. This over-heated dependency came from a man who was forced to learn, quite early, that he could never have "Mummy". This area of crucial loss which Lennon went through is one that Norman writes about with depth and honesty. He shows, in great detail, the devastation to Lennon's psyche, from age four onwards, over the crucial, cruel Double-loss of his mother. Unfortunately, Norman is far too respectful (and careful) around Ono, later on, when it's time to tie in this early loss to Lennon's later neediness of Yoko Ono as his one true center and (alternate) religion. Perhaps Norman needed to be timid around Ono, to get her cooperation.
Yoko Ono has gone from being a figure that everyone hates into a woman that No one must ever dare to view with anything short of John's complete awe. One cannot blame John Lennon for falling in love with Yoko Ono, but we do not need to join in this deifying of Ono that he espoused, during his life. In the Playboy Interviews, given shortly before his tragic death, Lennon speaks of Ono as this flawless Goddess of Truth & Reality. Lennon's view of Ono is part of the Grand Mythology he fostered in his lifetime. It's time to take a more unsparing look at this myth, without hating Yoko.
May Pang, in her book, Loving John, presents a far more complex picture of Lennon and Ono, as does Cynthia Lennon, in her two books. Philip Norman neglects to give either Pang or Cynthia Lennon much credit, though. He dismisses both of them far too easily than their importance in Lennon's life merits. He even writes off poor Julian. Sean's memories of his Dad, at the book's end, are interesting and important. Still, when Sean Taro ("firstborn" in Japanese, we learn - yet, one more way for John to try to deny Julian) Lennon starts talking about the "intensity" of his father, and this intensity making the Beatles a group that were more than just "sugary", this reader knows that Sean, too, has fallen sway to the Great Ono Myth: that She, Yoko - and Not the Beatles, nor even John Lennon, himself - was/is the True Artistic Genius. Regrettably, Philip Norman's book gives deference to this crazy bit of nonsense a bit too much, as well. Read more ›