John by Cynthia Lennon

5 Stars

“Once again John and I kissed good-bye.”

Holy moly. Guys, you've got to get on to this. There are so many words I could use to describe this but most of these words would probably get my post flagged. It just blew my mind and I can't get over it. 

I haven't read non-fiction in such a long time in fact I don't even remember the last one I read. It would've been years ago though. I'm not always a big fan of non-fiction because I find I really need to have a fascination with the topic to enjoy it. I do have a massive fascination with the Beatles, particularly John. It was strange because it was written so well that it almost felt like fiction and I'm struggling to wrap my head around the fact that this is a real story. 

It was incredibly vivid and raw. Cynthia Lennon had me feeling everything. In the two days it took me to read this, I fell in love with John Lennon, I had a baby with John Lennon, I was betrayed by John Lennon, and I lost John Lennon. It was so engaging that it felt like all that was happening to me which was the insane part for me because I didn't realise non-fiction could be told in such a way. Everything was described so well that I create the images in my head which I wasn't expecting it since everything happened so many years ago. 

I was worried the book would bore me because I already knew most of the story but the thing is, I knew what happened but I didn't know everything else. I don't know how to word this in a way that makes sense. Basically, reading the story from the memory of a woman who spent so many years with John and in John's orbit, it makes it very intimate. It's kind of like, the book made everything sound less like facts and more like something that truly happened to someone. Before reading this, everything was simple facts 'John was shot and killed' 'John had an affair with Yoko Ono', that sort of thing which for a lot of people is kind of general knowledge and for the past year with my interest in the Beatles, it's been just general knowledge to me so it's kind of shocking to put it into a real life scenario. It's not like I didn't know that all this was real, it just put it into a different context for me.

I have so much respect for Cynthia, she's always been one of my favourite Beatles' girls. I don't know how she managed to write a book about a man who did such a horrible thing to her and still portray him in all the ways she saw him beforehand. It had no bitterness to it, it had this air of truth to it. She still managed to write the happy times and the lovely times and the times he was awfully sweet to her. I guess that's another thing that made this book feel like a fiction book to me. She told it just like a story in the way that she didn't give hints to what was coming up so even though I knew what was coming up and how it would end, I was on the edge of my seat hoping and hoping it wouldn't. It was totally bizarre and I respect Cynthia for being able to put all her feelings now to the side so she could write a truthful and accurate representation of John. 

I both hate and love John Lennon and this book only made it that much stronger. Both the love and hate were just multiplied which makes it even more hard to discuss the many ways I feel about John Lennon. I've always been more of a Paul girl with a side of George perhaps. I have no problem saying I think John is an arsehole but in that I have a deep appreciation for him. It's complicated. But, the book gave me a lot more reasons for why I love John and why I hate him. 

If you're interested in the Beatles or just John or the sixties in general or even if you just like biographies. I think this would be something you'd be interested in. I think it was fantastic, I wouldn't go as far to say anyone would enjoy this because I definitely think you have to have some sort of interest in it to appreciate it. I will definitely go on to read a bit more non-fiction after this wonderful experience. It was so real and beautifully honest.