Book Review: Daisy Jones and The Six

Daisy Jones and The Six

By Taylor Jenkins Reid

(Finished reading 11/03/20)

5/5 stars.

Angsty, tender, addictive.

“It’s like some of us are chasing after our nightmares the way other people chase dreams.”

Wow. This book really blew me away in so many ways. Daisy Jones and The Six is a fictional biography of a fictional ‘70s rock band. The story is told purely through interviews from the band members and industry experts recalling the events that led up to their sudden split in 1979. But it’s about so much more than music, it’s about ambition, desire, addiction and heartbreak.

The format of this novel is so unique and unlike anything I’ve read. Because it’s told through interviews, the whole book is essentially dialogue. As someone who loves a dialogue-heavy book, I found this immensely satisfying. But it was more than dialogue because it was characters recalling a decade long story forty years after the events. And it felt so REAL. I knew it was fictional but all the way through I kept getting an urge to google the album concept art, watch videos of their live performances and listen to all these songs. I loved reading all the lyrics at the back of the book and feeling every word. I really applaud Taylor Jenkins Reid for producing such an intricate and seemingly genuine story. I am only angry it is not real because I so badly want to immerse myself in their music!

As a fan of ‘70s rock music I loved how beautifully the book captured the decade. Since I wasn’t alive in the 1970s I can’t comment on the accuracy of the details. However, it still felt nostalgic, like a sepia bubble of this wild rock and roll culture. I loved the references to other ‘70s musicians and ‘70s fashion. It sounds crazy but I could almost hear what the music sounded like through the page just by thinking about the sounds of the ‘70s all mixed together. It felt like a very visceral experience. Even though I was reading I could picture everything in my head, colours, sounds, feelings. It’s unlike anything I’ve read, it truly felt like a journey. I’m very excited that it’s currently being adapted into a miniseries by Amazon as I hope it will be as phenomenal as I imagine. I can’t wait to watch it. Not only the TV series, but I’ve heard the audiobook is fantastic too. Every character was their own voice actor and it’s supposed to be amazing. I’m not usually keen on audiobooks as I prefer reading from a book but this is one exception that I think would work really well as an audiobook as it’s essentially a script. The book is also highly re-readable because I think you would pick up on different details on a second read through after knowing how it all plays out. For this reason, I’m thinking of giving the audiobook a listen instead of rereading the book as I imagine this will add an extra dimension to the story.

The story is essentially an angsty love triangle. But not in a typical soppy way, it was truly heart-breaking. Which was strange since the characters were very unlikeable in a lot of ways. They are all flawed, talented people chasing their dreams whilst battling their demons. But I think that’s what made it so great. We all have demons, regardless of whether you’re a celebrity or not. This rawness and guttural pain are what made this story so beautiful and yet so tragic. I also particularly loved reading both Daisy and Karen’s perspectives as women in the music industry. They were both women and yet dealt with this apparent sexism differently and were strong in their own ways. This highlighted to me so many issues that are still prevalent to present day feminism. Camila’s story also hit deep. Unlike the others she wasn’t necessarily part of the music and yet she faced her own battles and, in many ways, formed the backbone of the band throughout their journey. Every character had their own important story to tell and I loved that.

A key theme throughout the book is truth. Since the characters are each recalling the same events from decades ago, their stories often conflict. For example, one character might claim someone was wearing one thing and another character claims they were wearing something entirely different. But this also happens with larger plot points in the story too. As a reader we are left to our own devices to decide who to believe or whether any of them are really telling the truth. There are twists and turns throughout the book but a fairly large twist towards the end sheds some light on why their testimonies may be twisting the truth. I found this SO fascinating. Most stories we consume happen real time and we see exactly what happens. But this story rests entirely on trust. We are forced to trust the characters we choose to believe because we will never know what really happens. This trust is another theme emphasised throughout the book. It highlights that humans are flawed, we all mess things up, but trust is what binds us. The messages throughout are all so powerful and yet also unexpected going into the book.

I feel like there are so many other themes I could unpack as there’s so much going on in this book! I reckon I’ll still be thinking about this book for a good few days as there’s so many aspects that keep coming to my attention that I brushed aside whilst reading. I highly recommend giving this one a read (or a listen!) if it sounds like your kind of thing as I assure you, you won’t be disappointed! It’s perfect if you’re looking for something a little alternative or different from a classic novel. It’s also a great one to dip in and out of because the ‘scenes’ are quite short. Then again, I think I would have easily gulped it all up in one sitting if I could have! I’ve never read any of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other books either so I’m hoping to read more of her work in the future. I love how she writes and the concepts she creates so I’m excited for anything else she releases in the future.