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John (Paperback)
by Cynthia Lennon
| Category:
Biography |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
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¥ 148.00
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| MSL Pointer Review:
An honest portrayal of John as a human being, a full and truthful story of her time with him. Wonderful sharing of personal memories. |
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Author: Cynthia Lennon
Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition
Pub. in: August, 2006
ISBN: 0307338568
Pages: 320
Measurements: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00529
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- MSL Picks -
Cynthia Lennon offers us her first-person account of the dizzying time of Beatlemania through John, her book about her life with John Lennon, both before and after the Beatles. She doesn't try to include every little event of the times but she does do a credible job of showing an insider's view of a wild, wild ride.
The author fairly honestly portrays Lennon and his excesses, showing his background in detail and giving Cynthia's views on what she believes happened during and after their time together. Being what it is, it is obvious that Cynthia has chosen to put her spin on events, though she can hardly be blamed for doing so. Her devotion to John and their son Julian is evident. She is honest about her feelings for his family, which is a refreshing viewpoint. However at times it seems as though she is trying too hard to be fair, especially when it comes to her feelings over Yoko's miscarriages and the birth of Sean. While this is a noble attempt, it doesn't necessarily ring true, especially in light of the way Cynthia was treated by both John and Yoko.
The early events depicted in this book do not shed any new light on the Beatles' experience; most of them feel as though they've been lifted straight from other books (in particular, from Peter Brown's excellent account, The Love You Make). I am hard-pressed to think of an account in John that hasn't already been told in many other places. Still, Cynthia manages to give us a touching view of the man at his home and if she wants to dwell on the loving relationship she felt they had, it is not my intention to take away from her expressions in this book. If she's chosen not to overly analyze her own shortcomings during this time, that's not a sin and just the fact that she came through it all is a triumph.
Overall this book is well-written and it is always good to read an insider's account of the surreal experience of belonging to the Beatles' entourage. This book is enjoyable overall and Cynthia writes in an honest way that will capture your attention and keep you reading. If you're looking for an in-depth account, this may not be it, but it certainly does add to any Beatles' fan's enjoyment and knowledge.
Recommended.
(From quoting Tamela McCann, USA)
Target readers:
General readers, especially The Beatles fans.
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Cynthia Lennon was born in Blackpool, England, in 1939. While attending the Liverpool College of Art she met John Lennon, whose rebellious style, caustic wit and passion for rock and roll already marked him as someone different. John and Cynthia married in 1962 and their son, Julian, was born in 1963. The Lennons were divorced in 1969. Cynthia retained custody of Julian, who saw his father sporadically until John was killed in 1980. In the years since, Cynthia has been a restaurateur, a designer and a television personality. She now lives in Spain with her husband, Noel Charles.
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From the Publisher:
The Extraordinary Story of a Man, a Legend and a Marriage
When she was eighteen years old, a girl named Cynthia Powell met a boy named John Lennon and they fell in love. Their ten-year relationship coincided with the start of the Beatles phenomenon - from Liverpool’s dockside clubs to the dizzying worldwide fame that followed. And Cynthia Lennon, John’s first wife, was an integral part of the swirl of events that are now an indelible part of the history of rock and roll.
In John, Cynthia recalls those times with the loving honesty of an insider, offering new and fascinating insights into the life of John Lennon and the early days of the Beatles. And with the perspective only years can provide she also tells the compelling story of her marriage to a man who was to become a music legend, a cultural hero and a defining figure of the twentieth century.
Cynthia has seldom talked in any detail about her marriage and the painful events that followed John’s tragic assassination in 1980. Now she candidly reveals the good and the bad, the loving and the cruel sides of John. She tells of the breakdown of their marriage and the beginning of his relation- ship with Yoko Ono in more detail than has ever been disclosed before and documents the difficulties estrangement from John - and his subsequent death - brought for herself and their son, Julian.
In John, Cynthia Lennon has created a vivid portrait of the 1960s, the Beatles and the man she never stopped loving.
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-12 00:00>
Beatlemania swirled around me being born in 1949. I was in love with all four of them, still am today. As years went by, I had a pretty good handle on what John was all about. Without having even read the book, sorry folks, I can tell you the reviews of the book are more than accurate, they are insightful and moving. Anyone could see John Lennon was twisted. Anyone could see he was angry and that he didn't practice what he preached. It, at times, throughout the years, made me sad and sick and I wondered all these years if anyone else saw what I did. Now, with mixed feelings, I'm happy/sad to see they did. I congratulate Cynthia and Julian for getting this book out. I think it important to open the eyes of those fans who, without a book like this, wouldn't understand their legendary idol was a kick in the ass fraud. I feel for Cynthia & Julian, I've nothing positive to say about the Ono's. An eye opener, John was all too human. I imagine his band mates went through hell. In one of the books written by George, he describes how he felt it important to stay low key because he didn't want to incur John's wrath. George Harrison is a hero in that group, so is Ringo. Paul, you can say what you like about him but I feel he was out for one thing and one thing only..., himself. Still is today. The heros of the group are George & Ringo. George's death devastated me whereas John's didn't phase me. On the path to self-destruct for years, to me, it was just a matter of when someone would pop him, not if. His dynsfunctional childhood got the best of him, caught up to him. My condolences to the greatest group of four young men that ever came down the pike and turned into such a sad sad ending. I'll get around to reading the book, eventually. I don't have to though. Thanks everyone for the lovely confirmation. My heart is in my stomach. |
An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-12 00:00>
"The first time I saw him I thought, 'ugh, not my type!'" And yet, Cynthia (Powell) Lenno became a vital and longstanding part of John Lennon's life. His first true love and wife, they shared the birth of The Beatles, a son and his entrance into the drug culture that ultimately ripped them apart. Her longstanding love for him shines yet, through other marriages and many hardships, John will forever be the love of her life.
I must first commend "Cyn" for opening up her old wounds again to let those of us who love and mourn John Lennon to see him for the truth of his humanity and reveal all - good and ultimately bad. I don't think anyone can fully comprehend her long suffering in the public eye; from their public breakup, the knowledge of John's infidelity, her bravery in raising Julian on her own and seeing him long for his father, to all the speculation still occuring more than 25 years after his murder.
This book really didn't change my feelings towards John, and I feared it would. I was afraid she would reveal too many awful things about his character, possibly a meanness or uncaring that would destroy the loving, insightful and encouraging messages in his songs. In short, I was afraid what she had to say would make him into a hypocrite. To my infinite relief this was not so. Some scenes are so painful, so hard to understand why he behaved the way he did and yet was able to write and sing such powerful messages they still reverberate today and into the future.
Still, we have an inkling. Cynthia delves deep into her own past and John's, right into their childhoods. I was relieved to have the true story of why John was raised by Aunt Mimi. For a long time, I couldn't understand why he loved his mom, Julia, so much if she had abandoned him. Now I see Mimi took him almost by force, as a small child ripped from his mother and her one day commonlaw husband who could have been a new father to him. The revelation of Mimi's seemingly often and outrageous, controlling behavior definitely gives insight into John's rebeliousness, his temper and his tendency to run from a problem. Rebelliousness and unwillingness to face problems is often symptomatic of an ultra controlled childhood.
Cynthia's continuing love for John is evident throughout the book. Through all the descriptions of their pains, struggles and disconnects she does her best to understand why things were the way they were. She finds reasons for his behavior and in an amazingly fair analysis, she puts blame on her own behavior. Saying that if she'd just stood up to him sometimes instead of always giving in to his every whim, he might have responded. As John was accustomed to a strong woman raising him, a little steadfastness in Cynthia may have been good.
There is also the inevitable price of fame. Too much too soon became overwhelming. Cynthia describes fans haunting their homes, and John himself once spoke of how he was always tired after being on tour and coming home, Julian would want to play and all he wanted to do was sleep. Everyone wanted a piece of John, so sad that touring and fans took him away from his own family. His insecurity played into this as well, his own lack of self esteem hidden behind a brash exterior - this became a secret belief that he could not and did not know how to take care of the tiny human who was his son. John once referred to Sean as his second chance, to start over and do all the things right he didn't do for Julian. Older and wiser, unfortunately cut off from the son he always felt he had let down. We read this in his own words in the copy of a letter her wrote to Cyn and which she includes in this book.
Not all was bad times though, John's careless attitude freed Cyn from her shy, reserved manner and in the early years of their relationship, she describes the happiness and love they felt, even making sure we knew that her and John always intended to marry, the pending birth of Julian just make it sooner rather than later. Keep in mind also that they were together for several years before the birth of Julian. For those who would like to relegate Cyn and Jules to a brief point in history, remember that she was there with John for 10 years, a fourth of his life! They were together from the birth of The Beatles right up until the final phase.
Then, came drugs. John's experimentation with LSD was the first major fissure in their lives. Cynthia speaks of his increasing fascination with the drugs and its visions, her fear and the withdrawal into drugs which Cyn was unwilling to follow. Then, the fateful meeting with "the woman with hair like a dark cloud" and her introduction of heroin to John. The painful moment when Cynthia finds her in their house, wearing her own bathrobe. Cyn expresses her views on the effect of Yoko Ono on John's relationship with Julian, the control she took of his life and the doubt and mistrust she planted in his mind. Yoko had what Cynthia lacked, a strong will and commanding attitude, something John clung to as his own life felt spun out of control.
I'll leave it up to the reader to form their own opinion, but I will just say that I stand on the side of Cyn in this issue. I believe she has been fair and insightful, doing her best to explain, not dramaticize or sensationalize their life together. She does not set out to vent her anger, monstracize John or set the blame on him now that he is unable to defend himself. She loved him, she still does and she wishes only to dispell the ugly rumors and let the people who love him know the love of her life for who he was.
Altogether, this has been a revealing but kind look into the mythic life of John Lennon. Letting us see the man through the legend. Even through all the pain, Cyn never attempts to turn him into a monster, she shows us his soft side and vulnerabilities; the humanity of a celebrity we sometimes forget was a mortal man.
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Bouffard (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-12 00:00>
By the time the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, I was madly in love with them and their music. Paul McCartney was the love of my 13-year-old life, so it never bothered me that John Lennon was married and had a child. To my friends who were ardent Lennon fans, this fact was unacceptable. There were times I wondered how John's wife, Cyn, felt about all of this. After reading her memoir, entitled John, that question has been answered -- along with many others.
First and foremost, the reader should pick up this book expecting to read about love, happiness, frustration, pain, hurt, anger, tears, and conflict -- all of the things you would find in any relationship that is put under a non-stop eye of media scrutiny. No matter what you've read about the Beatles over the past 43 years, this story is different because it's told by someone who wasn't in the machine that made the Beatles a success. We've all read stories about John, Paul, George, and Ringo as told by everyone from their roadies to their contemporaries. Now we get to hear from the woman John married first and who was an unsuspecting participant on the ride of insanity known as Beatlemania.
When I began this book I was looking forward to hearing Cynthia's side of the story. I knew there would be some bitterness against Yoko, some anger towards John, comments on the use of drugs, cashing in on her marriage to him, and perhaps some self analysis in the process. She is only human and the journey of writing this book had to be a painful one for her, even all these years later. Yes, all of that is in her book. She is honest in her narrative and admits there have been times she's cashed in on the Lennon name to support herself and Julian. Anyone who's been a single parent with a child to support can understand that.
Now, let's move on to the positive aspects of this book. Cynthia weaves a wonderful picture of the Liverpool that was in the late 1950s/early 1960s. From her first meeting of John at Liverpool Art College through the early days of their romance, she shows us all the colors of John's character. She spends time discussing his early life with his family ... the father who deserted him, the mother who died tragically, life with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George, his half-sisters, and his other aunts and uncles and cousins. Through these descriptions, you get a feel for the loving family he had around him. You also begin to see how John built walls around himself to keep out the pain created by certain events in his childhood. His acerbic wit, jealousy, temper and creative genius all stemmed from his insecurities.
Some of the funniest bits of the book are when she describes the early stages of their romance. She talks about some of the letters John sent to her from Hamburg, Germany and how some were so risque she had to hide them so her mother wouldn't see them. I enjoyed how she shared John's romantic side, such as the card he made her for their first Christmas together, or the things he wrote on the envelopes of his letters, such as "Please Mr. Postman, don't be slow, I'm in love with Cyn so go, man, go." She also quotes bits of his letters to give us a picture of the John she knew and with whom she fell in love.
Cynthia portrays herself as a rather shy girl, full of insecurities, that carried over into her adult life. She is blunt about saying she wanted a "normal" life with John. Obviously, they never had a chance to be normal. Several times, Cyn mentions that LSD and drugs were a big contributor to the break up of their marriage. I will let you draw your own conclusions on that. Her description of finding out that John and Yoko were a couple is heart-wrenching. I could feel her pain in her words.
Probably the most important aspect of this book is the glimpse of Julian's childhood. He was always sheltered from the press as much as possible, so it was interesting to get her perspective on how his life was affected by it all. She is fiercely proud and protective of her son. Julian writes the foreward for this book, and likewise he is fiercely proud of and loyal to his mum. Cyn's descriptions of how John's death affected both she and Julian are sad, touching, and painfully honest.
John was everything I expected and then some. For any Beatles fan, it's worth the read.
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Dee Thurman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-12 00:00>
It's so sad to think that most of us think of John Lennon and his other half as being Yoko Ono. That indeed was the later side to his life. What most people neglect to pay attention to is the John Lennon before he and Paul, George and Ringo made it big time! Cynthia, John's first wife, was there from the beginning. Unfortunately due to their fast rise to fame, the media put a hush on all girlfriends and wives so as to ensure the girl's frenzy in America. Cynthia was there along with their son Julian, who John pretty much disowned after Yoko came into the picture. After reading this book I received a much clearer picture of the complex man, John Lennon. Does anyone know that John and Yoko were at dire straits in their relationship at the time of John's death and that divorce lay ominously in their near future? John and Yoko didn't even share the same bed, let alone the same bedroom for months before he died. Who gets all the acclaim since his death, Cynthia? Julian? No it's still Yoko banking in on the name of John, and so is Sean Yoko and John's son. One of the questions Cynthia answers at the end of her all-telling book is, "Would I do it all over again, knowing what I know now about life with John Lennon?" And she answers, "With the exception of having Julian with which her life has been truly blessed, No. I would not do it over again!" It's an easy enjoyable read. I was also surprised and perplexed at to why Paul and Jane Asher broke up, it was mentioned, but not explained, I assume because this book wasn't about them, but about Cynthia and John and the relationship between them and her relationship with the other Beatles. I highly recommend this daring autobiography. It opened my eyes to someone who has always been up way too high on a pedastal most of my life! |
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