Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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60 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Depressing yet Moving, September 2, 2000
Even a dedicated Lennonphile who find new material in this well-written and poignantly sad examination of John's last year. The closer Rosen edges towards the assassination, the sadder and more wistful the reader feels. It's puzzling and amazing that an icon like Lennon was not very happy towards the end of his too-short life. The book brings out the numerous infidelities that marred the Lennon-Ono partnership, supposedly one of the greatest love stories of the era. Yoko comes off fairly well here, which is surprising considering the usually brutal treatment she receives at the hands of biographers.Her manipulative nature is exemplified in Lennon's decision to include Yoko's pathetic musical material on his last album, "Double Fantasy," which was utterly compromised by having Yoko wail on every other track. Her control over Lennon's decision-making processes is detailed here and is sobering. It's frustrating that John relied upon Yoko so heavily in making professonal decisions when his musical career had benn nearly without parallel. Ultimately this is an interesting and well-written book with few errors of fact and some new information (rare for any Beatles-related book). One of the most depressing nights of my life was when I heard John was killed, and this book brings back the anguish quite well. Twenty years later, all Lennon fans will eternally ask themselves how much more great music John had within him. Tragically, we will never know because of Mark David Chapman.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Last Years Of John Lennon, November 28, 2000
An infinite number of books have been written about the life and death of John Lennon, but very few have taken us into the inner sanctuary of the last years of his life when he was the self-proclaimed house-husband. Most people think that Mr. Lennon lived those last years in domestic bliss, taking care of Sean, baking bread with his biggest worry being what to watch on TV. Robert Rosen once had access to Mr. Lennon's personal diaries and he reveals that those above notions aren't the actual truth. The John Lennon we read about it in this superb book is a very fragile man who was concerned about his weight, his relationship with his first son Julian, his own relevance. We learn of his bizarre belief in numerology and how he delighted in any misfortune that befell Paul McCartney especially his drug bust in Japan. Mr. Rosen doesn't just focus on the failings of John Lennon, he tells stories of his tender relationship with Sean, the pride he took in learning how to sail and of his captaining a boat and the recording of Double Fantasy. The book also chillingly details the downward spiral of Mr. Lennon's assassin Mark David Chapman and the days and months leading up to him actually firing the shots that ended Mr. Lennon's life. Nowhere Man expertly breaks down the final chapters in John Lennon's life and we see him as a human being and not just a reclusive rock star.
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27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He became what he hated and sought to change...but too LATE., September 17, 2001
I thought about this book for days after finishing it. There are books on the Beatles as a group and individually...and then there are show biz books on the pitfalls of fame. This SUPERB book shows that his last years of his life, contrary to conventional wisdom, Mr. Lennon didn't live an ideal life -- free of money woes, free to contemplate, write beautiful music, travel, a life filled with hundreds of friends etc. In fact, as Mr. Rosen's GREAT reporting shows, he was worried about his physical appearance, jealous of Sir Paul, lonely, distrustful of people since he felt they wanted to use him, and striving to be a better father and friend to his son Julian.Rosen temporarily had access to Lennon's diaries (which were later taken back) and the book quickly evolves into less a book about Lennon or a Beatle than someone enslaved by fame and fortune: the once rebellious Lennon had become highly materialistic, a boss who almost gleefully hired and fired servants frequently and a person emotionally chained and drained by Yoko. Indeed, the book confirms fans' suspicions that had he not been with Yoko he might have created MORE during his lifetime. With all his wealth, real estate and servants he led a somewhat depressing, hum-drum life, holed up in his apartment, creatively bankrupt until when, towards the end, he recorded Double Fantasy. The irony is that just as he began to lift himself out of his creative and personal slumps, Mark David Chapman started going quickly downhill. This book brilliantly details Chapman's transformation into Lennon's assasin. And it's done with no corn or cliche -- just brilliant reporting that makes you feel the loss even more when it's over. On a personal note, I was working on a newspaper in Kansas (I am now a fulltime ventriloquist) doing night shift the night Lennon was murdered. When the editor on duty said "They shot John Lennon" my reaction was "Was he hurt?" You'll feel the loss AGAIN when you read this -- but this time a SPECIAL LOSS since it was clear he was finally getting his life, priorities, work and relationships on track when he was struck down. EXCELLENT BOOK ON THE PITFALLS OF FAME EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE BEATLES.
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