BEATLE WIVES - Marc Shapiro


 Let's see... The Beatles reached their peak as a working band almost 55 years ago and still we can't seem to get enough of them.  I wonder how many new Beatles-related books are still published each year.  They broke up as a band well over 50 years ago, never had a reunion tour, two of the members have passed away ... what more can we write and publish about them?

Answer: Who cares ... just keep 'em coming!

Author Marc Shapiro digs deep to come up with a new twist on Beatlebilia - let's look at their wives.  

Why didn't anyone think of this before? A spouse has considerable influence on an artist (or at least often can), as evidenced by so much hatred by many Beatle fans for Yoko Ono and the sometimes tepid reactions to Linda McCartney.

The book isn't really written so much as it is pieced together. Shapiro has researched old interviews, and visited a good number of Beatles-specialty websites to gather a clear snapshot of the former and current Beatle wives. Because of this, it's little more than window dressing. But for those of us not really willing to put in the time to do even this much research this is a nice, quick look at these women who are generally (not always) famous for whom they were married to, rather than for who they themselves are.

I'm not a super-knowledgeable Beatle fan but having read a lot of the books about them, I feel I have a better than average understanding of the lads so it was nice to learn a few new things through Shapiro's work.

While I know this is specific to the wives, I wish Shapiro had found a way to include more information about Paul McCartney's long-time partner Jane Asher.

Looking for a good book? Beatle Wives by Marc Shapiro is a quick look at the various former and current Beatle wives - a work of piecing together of available information. Consider it a Polaroid™ snapshot of these women, rather than fresh, in-depth essays, but it's still a valuable (for Beatles fans) addition to a Beatles library.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Beatle Wives: The Women the Men We Loved Fell in Love With

author: Marc Shapiro

publisher: Riverdale Avenue Books

ISBN: 162601602X

hardcover, 192 pages

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