Daisy Jones and The Six
Daisy Jones and the Six
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity…until now.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.
Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.
Another great recommendation by my mom. This was a really easy read because of the transcript style it’s written in. However, it was a little hard to follow at times because of this, I found I would have to go back and double-check who was speaking when character monologues got a bit longer. Despite this though, the transcript style made the book overall quite easy to read which definitely added to its enjoy-ability. Definitely a book I would recommend if you just want a fun read or to get out of a reading slump, though I can’t guarantee it won’t put you back in one because of the ending.
I really liked that the characters in Daisy Jones and the Six (DJatS) all felt real. The way the characters a written and the way the story unfolds I found myself forgetting that this was a piece of fiction and had to keep reminding myself that none of the characters or events were real. Which is a real shame because I would love to listen to their songs*. Taylor Jenkins-Reid’s control over her story and characters was something to see. It was clear throughout the book that Jenkins-Reid had a deep understanding of her characters and had a clear plan and idea of how she wanted the story to go. The way the whole story fits together and that the audience is given the story in bits and pieces from several different perspectives makes it so hard to put down. I’ve always loved a little bit of an unreliable narrator because it makes the character feel so much more authentic and real and this book really gives you unreliable narration. Because it’s written like a documentary transcript all the stories are told through the perspectives of people who were actively involved in these situations and as the points of view change throughout you can get an idea of how their emotions changed the way they viewed the events, even if it’s in the most subtle of ways. One simple event can have 5 different interpretations, even different characters are described by others so differently it gives you a whole view of the situation and the people.
I really liked all the characters and understood their motivations, which also added to how enjoyable the book was to read, despite wanting to shake them by their shoulders sometimes. My favourite character was Camila, I just loved the way she was written to be and how strongly she held her beliefs and stood her ground.Not that the other characters didn’t but I just felt like I could relate to her the most. There were some frustrating parts because some events truly felt so preventable and it felt like it was obvious the characters were making the wrong choices, but it made the characters and story more endearing overall.
Despite wanting to throw the book at my wall once I finished it (don’t worry I didn’t fling the book) it was a really enjoyable read and definitely something I would recommend. The way the story ends feels so organic and true to the characters and their ideals that even though I hated that it ended it felt right and final. I wasn’t left with any lingering questions about the characters or events everything felt really well wrapped up that it gave me a sense of closure. I knew I’d miss the characters but I was glad they were getting endings that fit who and how they were meant to be.
*Although there is a Daisy Jones and the Six show coming out soon so I guess we’ll be able to hear the music.
