Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Pattie Boyd, Penny Junor Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me
Book Review: Love Pattie; Hate the Book
Summary: 2 Stars
Let me first say that I had been fascinated with Pattie Boyd from the time I was a child. Other girls my age wanted to be Marcia Brady; I wanted to be Pattie Boyd. She was like Cinderella to me and her story fueled my daydreams about Swinging London and Carnaby Street and the Mods and that whole magical time and place. I thought she was so beautiful and feminine and, to me, she was as much of a sixties icon as Twiggy.
Over the years, I have read ad nauseum about the Beatles and everything and everyone connected with them. But Pattie remained a bit of an enigma. Everyone knew the story of how she introduced George to TM and the Maharishi and how she was Eric's muse and how he descended into a heroin-driven abyss because of his unrequited love for her, and blah blah blah. The stuff of fairytales, to be sure, but old news.
So when I found out about Pattie's book, I was really excited. I was thinking "You go, girl!" and I was glad that she was finally going to tell the real story. I pre-ordered it the day it was available for pre-order. Sadly (as Pattie would say--and did say, in every other graph in the book), I wasted my time. I've had the book since it was released (a little less than a year ago?) and have never finished it. I got about a third of the way through, and then resorted to the index so I could just get to the good stuff without having to endure the rest of it. The problem was: there *was* no good stuff--at least, nothing that hasn't already been out there for years. Add to that the fact that more than two--not one--generations have passed since Pattie was considered an "it" girl, and that, consequently, the public's interest has waned and the story's relevance has decreased drastically, and you've got a recipe for failure.
The book could have been saved, however, by good writing. The story should have been a compelling one. It was anything but. To say that Pattie sounds like a stereotypical "dumb blonde" is an understatement. She comes off sounding like a pampered bimbo, a doormat, and a whiny airhead (and I don't really believe she is any of those things) who can't handle anything and is constantly "in tears" over the tiniest inconveniences. Yet, she endured real pain--intense grief--and the emotion does not come through. Why?
I feel bad not only for hating this book, but because I do think--or should I say, hope--that Pattie was and is a person of substance. If I want to reminisce, I'll dig out my vintage 16 Magazines and read "Pattie's Letter from London"--that teeny-bopper column had way more substance than this book. I would hate to see this tome end up as Pattie Boyd's legacy.
Book Review: Not Worth The Wait
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to agree with many other reviewers. Although I was born in 1965, I became a huge George fan and always envied Pattie's life and looks. It was very interesting to read about her childhood and early modeling career but we want to read about her as a Beatle wife and That Triangle. I was pulling my hair out at her jumping from one year to another. one minute a story is a married story, the next is a premarried story, etc. Unlike the official review, I see no "scandals" that I didn't already know. Sure we read about a few drug stories and a cook's meal or two, but what about any explanation for her leaving George for a very seedy-at-the-time Eric? Pattie was always an enviable muse, but when she talked about trying various drugs like LSD because as she writes "I would try anything!" I lost a lot of respect. She speaks about that in such a flippant way as if she's talking about riding a roller coaster or trying calamari. This woman must have 50,000 pages of unknown Beatle stories, and they don't all have to be sordid or hurtful, and we don't read much of anything. We just wanted a book of new things!
I bought the book as a pre-order last fall, and I am sorry to say I cannot remember much else about it. If people had asked her for fifteen years to write her story, this could not possibly be "it."
Book Review: Pattie Boring!
Summary: 1 Stars
This woman is so boring it's incredible! How could someone who has lived such a fascinating life write such a horrible book? Her time lines are completely screwed up. Her misery about not being able to conceive is a bore. Some people weren't meant to have children! Her whining and complaining in general is laughable. If you're looking for a book that makes you dislike Harrison and Clapton, this is the book for you! More then that, if you want to HATE Pattie Boyd and all her vapid whining nothingness, buy this book!Book Review: Great Perspective, Written Well Enough
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is written in a plain and understandable way. Not massively insightful but her perspective makes it very meaningful as 60s rock history. Pattie names names like few others so you can launch lots of research from her work. Being a woman's account, she tends to focus on ambience such as the food, the fashions, the wallpaper, the furniture, etc. Her memories benefit from having a diary but her depictions of John, Paul & Ringo as individuals are not very sharp. For instance, John Lennon is hardly mentioned in this book. Book Review: History even this Beatlemaniac was Unaware of
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a unique perspective coming from the Beatles inside circle. Pattie Boyd's view of the Beatles's history tied a lot of things together for me. I was one of those fans that found about where the Beatles were staying and places they were visiting when they came to L.A. back in the mid to late '60s so I was able to get there and hang around and wait for them to appear. I didn't realize how much they were annoyed with us and frightened by us, how the fan's behavior turned them off to touring. I'm really enjoying reading this book and recalling the past and my youth as well as the Beatles'.