Kick-Arse, Flawed Heroines in a Hard Rock World.
What's not to like?
LA-based author Taylor Jenkins Reid has created a time machine into the heady, madness of a 1970’s rock band on the rise to the top.
I love historical fiction with a heroine who makes those around her question the status quo and Taylor has delivered that in spades.
In fact, as we dive into the story of a hard rock band that partners with a rebellious female singer/songwriter we are introduced to three strong female characters who are creating their own paths.
Daisy comes from a privileged family where she had everything, except the love and support of her parents. In fact, they’re barely aware that she’s out on the strip every night, learning about love, life and music the hard way.
Our second female with serious gumption is Camila who knows exactly what she wants and has never taken the easy path. She falls in love with The Six frontman Billy Dunne and makes some hard decisions for her family.
Our third kick-arse woman is Karen Sirko, a highly-talented keyboardist that has paved her own way in a seedy, male-dominated world and refuses to compromise to get her dream.
In a band of talented artists with growing egos and remarkably easy access to any and every kind of recreational drug that existed, there is bound to be drama. Get ready.
Book Review - Unique Interview Style
Bucking the traditional historical fiction format, Daisy Jones and the Six is written as a compilation of interviews, the narrator is the interviewer.
It opens the door to perceiving the same story from multiple different angles and adds the complexity of having to decide who is telling the truth.
And having a few details of the story snap into clarity when the surprise identity of the narrator is revealed.
While not all in the Historical Fiction Heart Book Club enjoyed the format, it was certainly memorable.
Love and Rock n’ Roll
There is a definite love story that plays out throughout the story, but I’m so happy it wasn’t wrapped up in a pink bow of perfection.
There’s a love triangle that’s made even more complex by addiction and guilt.
There’s heartbreak and unexpected happy endings. But I think the real story is about the women chasing down their dreams in ways that are different but entirely their own.
A refreshing historical fiction, Daisy Jones and the Six is set to be made into a Netflix series. I can’t wait to see how these characters play out on film. But I’m also scared that they won’t match up to the ones created in my head while reading…the perpetual fear of an avid reader.
It’s definitely not a traditional historical fiction, but if you accept it for its uniqueness, it’s very well done.
Star rating: 4 out of 5
PS – we’ll be reading Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the first quarter of 2022 in the Historical Fiction Heart Book Club.
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