Chronicles, Volume 1 by Bob Dylan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Chronicles, Volume 1
Book Review: Annoyed
Summary: 5 Stars
I was reading 1 and 2 star reviews of this book and got sick of the whining and complaining by their respective authors. Bob doesn't tell us what his songs mean, Bob doesn't tell us about his wives and kids, bla bla bla. Look, Bob's going tell what Bob wants the public to know, and what he tells in the book I found interesting. It was like hearing someone tell stories that happened during his life. We all do that with our families and friends. What is wrong with him talking about what he feels fit? Why can't people accept the fact that he doesn't want his personal life open to the general public??? Once that happens, maybe they might find the book an interesting read.
Aside from this, I did find the book intereseting and funny. I liked the flow of the language. I enjoyed reading his descriptions of things, how he saw them, and how he saw himself. You can learn a lot about people by listening to the way they talk and how they perceive themselves (whether it is an accurate perception or not).
Reviews were written saying that he seems like less of a genius and more human...duh...Hasn't Dylan been saying that for 4 decades? Now that some people have read his book, they finally believe it. Maybe the book does give more insight to the man than they thought!!
If you are looking for juicy gossip about Bob, this is not the book for you. I can't believe that people expected him to write about affairs he had, rude things he said, or whatever. Maybe this would have been better...Chronicles Vol 1: Bob Dylan's Failures. Unfortunately, people would have eaten it up like vultures because today's society thrives on sex and other's misfortunes. Who in their right mind is going to write a book telling total strangers all of their faults, failures, and personal problems during their lifetime? Would you?
Hey, if you are a Dylan fan, read the book. If you aren't, why did you buy it in the first place???
Book Review: Astonishingly good
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a big Dylan fan and wanted the book ASAP, but I'll admit I wasn't expecting anything nearly as good as this. Unfortunately it sounds like Bob doesn't enjoy the process of unearthing and regurgitating his life story then putting it to paper, so it may be a wait until we get more. The book is everything you'd want in a Bob Dylan book, but he has left out so much that we can only hope we get a volume 2 one day.
Mr. Dylan hasn't had experience writing a book like this so I underestimated what he could do in this form. Much of the book is like reading his distinctive song lyrics which is a joy unto itself. His arrival in NYC in 1961 is an amazing story which he tells very well, and his other choices of what to share with the public are tantalizing and insightful. For once in his life he isn't trying to pull something over on the public to keep his life private; at times he is very straightforward in how he felt at various stages of his life, as when he was under seige at Woodstock. Great book, anyone with any interest in the life or songs of Mr. Dylan should take a look.
Book Review: At LAST!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent Dylan autobiography, that few could have expected - shows the Man in all his ragged, human glory. The lack of comment on events such as JFK's assasination does not detract from the book as a whole, as his observations on a vast range of other topics and themes make for far more interesting reading, one suspects - eg. the aforementioned revelations about his love of Ice T an so forth.
Without Bob, the Beatles would never have gotten beyond 'I wanna hold your hand' - without Bob, the world of culture would be a vastly different place. This book puts him back in the spotlight, an icon for our times - funny, bizarre and thought-provoking absolutely essential.
Book Review: Attention Media: Bob Dylan Is a Human Being
Summary: 5 Stars
The supreme irony of this book, and maybe of the 60's, is that while the world was on fire, the Beatles were in India, and the counterculture was screaming for its leader to come out and tell them how to live, Bob Dylan was dreaming of a 9-5, of coming home to a little house with a dog and a white picket fence.
Dylan's virtually unsurpassed talent for summing up a person, a day, a city, or a year in a single line is on full display here. He writes with searing economy and the grace of a gifted but weathered poet turned to prose. Sentences open up like flowers; like his best songs, most of the book seems exactly right, and comes off as though it has always been there, waiting for you to find.
The book is like a secret window into a time much mythologized and little understood. With Joyce Johnson's Door Wide Open, the out of print Strawberry Statement, Frances Fitzgerald's Fire in the Lake, and Robert McNamara's film The Fog of War, Dylan's book sheds real light on the end of an America everyone thinks they know. Like his music, the book is a gift.
Book Review: Attn: Ghost Writer required
Summary: 2 Stars
Upon completion of this book, I came away knowing less about Bob Dylan than before I picked it up. There must be a reason he elaborates on certain aspects of his life that would appear to be trivial in nature to most people however we've no idea why these events warrant pages of type.
I don't buy this 'He's a genius so everything he does is genius'. Even a genius can fire blanks now and again. Dylan is no exception. Why is this books timeline so jumbled? What's the point of it? Presumably he chose the order in which his rather boring anecdotes were presented in, however again we're left scratching our heads.
Too many names dropped, not enough editing. This guy's a songwriter - not a writer.