Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and the Six is a truly powerful book. It's an oral history of a made-up band in the 1970s, and is almost entirely character-driven. And what characters! Daisy, the talented and beautiful singer with serious drug and alcohol issues; Billy, the self-proclaimed leader of the band, trying so hard not to abuse alcohol again, trying never to cheat on his wife again, resisting temptation, chasing his dreams. All of the other characters are strongly drawn, especially Eddie, who whined for the entire book, and whom nothing could satisfy.

I didn't think I'd like the book because I don't listen to music much, but it was honestly an education: I learned quite a bit about old-fashioned sound mixing, how songs are written, and how music management and producing work. You don't need to be a music-lover to enjoy every page of this novel. I'll be keeping this book around for a second read sometime down the road.… (more)