In my very first Love Letter (my very first post full stop, in fact) last summer, I talked about how I finally managed to rekindle my love of reading. Although it’s dropped off slightly again since then, I have managed to keep up a better pace. There’s been a lot of non-fiction – mostly research for a future rage-fuelled passion project/probable blog series at one point – but I’ve also made time to fit some fiction in as well. 

I’ve been reading Naomi Alderman’s latest, The Future, since just before Christmas, but (and I’d expect nothing less from this author) it’s pretty heavy-going, especially with the current state of the world, so I’ve needed to take quite a few breaks as I go along. 

It’s also a hardback, and so doesn’t fit easily into my bag. I needed something to keep me company on my adventures, so I reached for one of the many, many (many, many, many…) paperbacks on my TBR pile. Enter, Daisy Jones and the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2019). I’d had loads of recommendations for it, from loads of different people whose opinions I trust, so it seemed like a fairly safe bet. 

The story…

Through a series of interview transcripts from people in and around the band, the book tells the stories of Daisy Jones, and a fledgling band which eventually becomes The Six. There are definite echoes of Fleetwood Mac as we follow the rise and fall of a rich, complex cast of characters. There’s sex, drugs and rock & roll in spades, but the real power is in the multi-layered relationships between them all. This is one of those tales that is better the less you know about it going in, so I’ll say no more, and move on to…

The verdict…

Daisy Jones was my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book, but it definitely won’t be my last. The transcript format took a little bit of getting used to, and definitely works better in physical print than ebook or audiobook, but it lends a real authenticity to the storytelling – especially in later chapters. 

It was a beautiful, captivating gut-punch of a book – delivered in a soft, subtle way. I was also left with a sense of deep sadness that I will never be able to hear the songs that form the beating heart of the story. The lyrics to all of them are printed after the end of the story, which was a lovely touch – but I so desperately want to be able to hear the melodies, the instruments, everything that comes together to make the song – and the story – complete.