Even as I was prepped for it by all the hype, I didn’t expect to like Daisy Jones & The Six as much as I did. I devoured it in a day, feeling angry whenever I had to put it down. It starts off good, gets better, and brushes greatness near the end.
The whole concept of a fictional musical biography would normally not hold much appeal. I find most musicians vain in the same way I suppose many non-sports fans find athletes vain. But everyone and their mother kept telling me how good it was. So I decided to give it a shot.
While I’m sure Taylor Jenkins Reid hits all the appropriate beats for the 70s music scene (and if she doesn’t, I don’t really care), what makes this book interesting is how unique each character feels. Reid is able to capture the distinct voices of a group of people and bring their fictional story to life through use of “interviews.” While I found both Daisy and Billy obnoxious as the leads, I was invested in their story because Reid made me care. Her ability to world-build this kind of tale is incredible. I know some of it was drawn from the real life story of Fleetwood Mac. I don’t know how much of what Reid did is derivative. But not knowing that particular tale, this all felt exciting to me.
And then there is the twist near the end. Some might not like it, and it could be written off as a bit of a gimmick. I felt like Reid had done a good enough job building up relationships to make it count. It elevated the story for me and changed how I felt about the book, which I was already positive towards anyway. It added depth and sorrow to an already sad tale.
This one will no doubt be on my best of list, though I’m still 10.5 months away from writing it. I’m also looking forward to the Amazon miniseries. They found the perfect person to play Daisy in Riley Keough.
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