“Daisy Jones & The Six” is a unique book, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, that made me laugh, cry, and wish I had lived through the 70’s Rock n’ Roll era.
Told through character’s being interviewed, it’s a unique narrative. Even more fun, it’s an amazing audiobook, since the story is told in an interview style, and because every character has their own voice actor. It truly does read and sound like a interview.
But the story is also amazing. Reid’s writing is complex and emotive, and is just overall entertaining. You truly feel for the characters as they explain their past actions, and how they came to be Rock legends of the 70’s.
I found myself wishing this was a real band that I could listen to and love. But, Reid did take lots of inspiration from real life bands, one that was extremely clear was Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. So, I will just have to cope with having to listen to the amazing music they have created.
Reid includes real life references to music, musicians, pop culture, etc. So it truly does read like you are reading about a real band. But it also reads like an amazing glimpse into the rock n’ roll culture of the 70’s. Reid doesn’t hold back from the vices of that era, with the drugs, partying, and some of the more problematic parts of the music industry, like the underage groupies partying with rockstars.
But she also expresses the raw emotions that music is capable of portraying. In the story, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne from the band, the Six, are both described as amazing song writers and musicians. It’s amazing how Reid can delve into the mind of a musician character, and how they use their music to express themselves. Billy writes about love, his vices, his family, etc. And Daisy does too.
The best part of the interview style is that it gives the reader’s a chance to get a clear answer behind why the characters did things. Quite literally, the interviewer will ask them to elaborate, or to give details behind certain moments. In literature, a key rule is to “show and not tell”, but that wouldn’t work in this case. Reid wants the readers to truly understand the characters, not just come to their own conclusions. As in the case of real life interviews, the characters are able to tell their own side of the story, even including the different viewpoints between them.
This book was incredibly moving, as Reid uses the 70’s and the music culture to create a discussion about the illness that is addiction. The easy accessibility of drugs and alcohol in the music industry was, and still is, problematic. But the characters are fairly open about their issues, specifically Billy Dunne, who describes his addiction and how it affected his life as openly as he physically can. It’s honestly very touching, and I love how Reid handled this important topic. It not only shows how important it is to talk about how addiction can harm people’s lives, but also how we need to be more understanding. People with addictions are still people.
I know at heart that the 70’s was not a perfect time, no decade ever will be, but I wish I could have lived and grown up with the music. Not that I hate modern music, quite the opposite, but the music of the 70’s just has a certain magic to it that I love and wish I could have experienced first hand.
“Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a beautiful book full of heart and magic. I certainly can’t wait for the show adaption, and I am waiting to see exactly how they can depict the 70’s music culture. One thing the show cannot miss is that it’s soundtrack must be absolutely phenomenal, so it has high hopes to live up to.