Good evening and happy book review Tuesday! Again, I apologize for the delay last week (silly dentist appointment), but this week, I have my coffee and one of my trusted cats by my side to make sure I get this review to you before my eyes close.
Little announcement before I begin. I made a bit of an update to the website (on the right side of the homepage) and my Facebook page (if you follow me there, it’s a pinned post). I’ve now uploaded forms to anyone who would like to submit a book review to be featured on the site! I’ve had a handful of requests in the past, so I wanted to help out in a more formal way. I will, however, be charging a minimal $5.00 fee in order to put your book to the top of my list, read, and write up a full review plus social media promotion. Don’t get me wrong, I adore reading books and bringing you guys summaries and literary hot topics, but with a fairly full schedule, and all the work that I put in running, updating, and funding this website, I figured slight compensation for my time would help. Anyway, that’s my announcement and disclaimer. If you’re an author interested in having your book reviewed and featured/promoted on the site, submit your form!
Now, let’s jump into tonight’s review, shall we?
So, I have at least two series I’ve read these past few weeks that I have yet to review for you guys, but in looking at my posts, I see that my Biography section is severely lacking. I’ve read quite a bit of bios and autobios over the years, but I’ve been terrible about talking about them. That changes now when I dig into my literary vault to discuss Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd.
Married to not one, but two of the most famous names in rock music, Pattie tells a compelling story of her life with George Harrison and then later on, his friend, Eric Clapton. The pages of her journey were filled with names that were and continue to be significant in music history.
I loved this book and getting the behind-the-scenes perspective of the infamous model-turned-rockstar-wife.
I grew up loving the Beatles and Eric Clapton, but this story gave me a whole different take on their personal lives and careers. Ms. Boyd certainly led an interesting life on the road and I enjoyed the female perspective of the “boys only” club of drugs and sex a life of rock brings about. Happy she was able to stand on her own two feet and have her own journey after being married to two of the biggest names in music!
Keep in mind that going behind the scenes means tampering with the magic of lyrical and melodic icons. While it was interesting to dive into life on the tour bus, or on lavish vacations, on the road, and with more fame and fortune you can imagine, it was a slightly heartbreaking to see what some of these guys were really like. It was more than “boys will be boys” mentality. While I respect the hell out of Clapton as a musician, as a person, he was pretty appalling when it came to how he treated Pattie.
Her marriage with George may have been falling apart, but they were still very much together when Clapton starting declaring his love and trying to lure Pattie away from her husband. She explained the two loves she felt with each of them, “What I had felt for George was a great, deep love. What Eric and I had was an intoxicating, overpowering passion. It was so intense, so urgent, so heady, I felt almost out of control.”
After years together and a rocky marriage filled with drugs and a level of emotional abuse, Pattie called it quits when she found out there was an impending baby that belonged to Clapton and another woman.
Eventually, she walked away from both marriages, but seemed to remain on friendly terms with both Harrison and Clapton. Always a fan of photography, Pattie catalogued her years with her husbands and decided to share some of her shots throughout her story. You can see some of the photos on her website, here.
Not necessarily a love story, but one of adventure and honesty, I couldn’t put this book down. If you’re interested in what life was like for the girl who had “Layla”, “Something”, and “Wonderful Tonight” written about her, grab a copy of this book!
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
Read This Book:
