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Linda McCartney: A Portrait
A look at one of the most famous marriages in the history of rock music chronicles the life of the successful photographer who married a Beatle, discussing her initial rejection by the public and her recent, tragic death. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 23, 2014
Here's another book I forgot about. As a fan of the Beatles, I found it quite interesting as Paul and Linda kept their private lives as just that. It was an incredible time as the Beatles were at the height of their career, then ultimately the band break-up, which is quite the story in and of itself, and then moving onward.
This book is from Linda's perspective -- meeting Paul as well as the great musicians of the time and her involvement with many, her marriage, family, struggle for her own identity and then the final days of breast cancer. So this book tells about Linda Mc Cartney and her life with Paul, the Beatles, her family and the world at large. It gives great insight to what we, as fans, had no idea for the most part.
This book is from Linda's perspective -- meeting Paul as well as the great musicians of the time and her involvement with many, her marriage, family, struggle for her own identity and then the final days of breast cancer. So this book tells about Linda Mc Cartney and her life with Paul, the Beatles, her family and the world at large. It gives great insight to what we, as fans, had no idea for the most part.
June 12, 2017
For those interested in finding a true biography of Linda McCartney, I'm sorry to say that you will have to keep waiting. This book really falls into the category of memoir, so it is both short on details and long on personal anecdotes.
I became fascinated with Linda McCartney after the release of Paul McCartney's second "solo" album, Ram because she made a significant contribution as a musician and because the media were so rabid in their hatred of her. I just couldn't see how a photographer from New York with a five year old daughter could be so completely evil. Perhaps I liked her as a reaction against that.
I followed Wings pretty closely and I simply couldn't find any flaws in her work as a musician. Later, when I became aware of her devotion to vegetarianism, I became a supporter and I continued through her advocacy of animal rights. All of this makes me a fan, so my review may be as tainted as Danny Fields' memoir, so please be aware of that.
This book is about a friendship and it attempts to cope with all of the vitriol that was hurled at her during her relationship with Paul McCartney. He was also one of the "forgotten friends" who got left behind when Linda moved to England to live with and then marry Paul McCartney. He was one of the few who was able to overcome their bitterness when their friend abandoned them. This is a good way to approach Linda's shyness, which always made her look cold from a distance and not easy to like as an icon or public figure.
The private Linda was quite a bit different from that public persona and Fields spends considerable space dwelling on her the loving environment she created both as a mother and as the person who had to nurse McCartney back to mental health after the breakup of the Beatles. He also lets us know that this extreme organization was used by her as a businesswoman who was able to create a multi-million dollar company selling prepared vegetarian meals.
Personally, I have lost too many family members and friends to breast cancer, so this story does not have a happy ending. However, Fields gives considerable detail to the memorial service, which turned out to a major cultural event, and was deeply moving for all involved.
What many people fail to understand is that Linda grew from a woman who was almost universally hated into a woman who was almost universally loved and admired, something that may be in truth called a meteoric rise.
Even lacking detail, moving around in time, and often digressing, this is still a very good book about Linda McCartney and will do until someone actually writes a definitive biography of this amazing woman.
Highly recommended for readers of all ages.
I became fascinated with Linda McCartney after the release of Paul McCartney's second "solo" album, Ram because she made a significant contribution as a musician and because the media were so rabid in their hatred of her. I just couldn't see how a photographer from New York with a five year old daughter could be so completely evil. Perhaps I liked her as a reaction against that.
I followed Wings pretty closely and I simply couldn't find any flaws in her work as a musician. Later, when I became aware of her devotion to vegetarianism, I became a supporter and I continued through her advocacy of animal rights. All of this makes me a fan, so my review may be as tainted as Danny Fields' memoir, so please be aware of that.
This book is about a friendship and it attempts to cope with all of the vitriol that was hurled at her during her relationship with Paul McCartney. He was also one of the "forgotten friends" who got left behind when Linda moved to England to live with and then marry Paul McCartney. He was one of the few who was able to overcome their bitterness when their friend abandoned them. This is a good way to approach Linda's shyness, which always made her look cold from a distance and not easy to like as an icon or public figure.
The private Linda was quite a bit different from that public persona and Fields spends considerable space dwelling on her the loving environment she created both as a mother and as the person who had to nurse McCartney back to mental health after the breakup of the Beatles. He also lets us know that this extreme organization was used by her as a businesswoman who was able to create a multi-million dollar company selling prepared vegetarian meals.
Personally, I have lost too many family members and friends to breast cancer, so this story does not have a happy ending. However, Fields gives considerable detail to the memorial service, which turned out to a major cultural event, and was deeply moving for all involved.
What many people fail to understand is that Linda grew from a woman who was almost universally hated into a woman who was almost universally loved and admired, something that may be in truth called a meteoric rise.
Even lacking detail, moving around in time, and often digressing, this is still a very good book about Linda McCartney and will do until someone actually writes a definitive biography of this amazing woman.
Highly recommended for readers of all ages.
June 30, 2011
Not the best written biography, to be sure, but excellent for anyone interested in Linda's life. I know when I first found it years ago online it seemed like godsend to information-thirsty, Linda-loving me.
Linda McCartney is so much more to me than the wife of my favourite Beatle. She has been an inspiration over the years and is one of the few "famous people" I really wish I could have met.
Linda McCartney is so much more to me than the wife of my favourite Beatle. She has been an inspiration over the years and is one of the few "famous people" I really wish I could have met.
February 19, 2021
Back in the 70's there was a somewhat cruel joke doing the rounds. What do you call a dog with wings? The answer of course was the subject of this 2000 biography.
And I guess that was the thing about Linda McCartney. Nobody took the time to understand what she was really all about. Particularly the music press. She was compared to Yoko in the way that she was a 'foreigner' who got her filthy mitts on a sacred Beatle and effectively broke up (nearly) everybody's favourite band. As the world eventually learned, the Beatles broke up the Beatles.
So who was this daggy blonde who stood on stage with Paul with a goofy smile and one finger on the keyboards? She was Linda McCartney who just happened to be a natural at snapping iconic images of rock stars, a doting mother, a loving and supporting wife and an earthy, honest woman who was committed to causes like animal rights. In short she was her own woman and Paul McCartney was lucky Linda had his back when he was at his lowest ebb.
Danny Fields has credibility in his own right as a respected rock music manager among other things, and was a life-long friend of Linda so you would expect some bias. It's just that the first half of this book almost gushes out in long winded sentences almost at random in a manner that is more akin to gossip. There's also paragraphs bound up with endless descriptions of 'hot guys' and myriad 'bitchy swipes' and you start to believe you're reading an autobiography. I for one was ready to call it quits.
Then out of the blue, order was restored and things became more cohesive. I was beginning to feel a little empathy for the subject even if at times, Paul and Linda proved to be 'royal pains in the proverbial'. In the space of fifty pages my one star rating had catapulted to three! But let's not get too carried away. It's at best a reasonable account of an enigmatic life. And somewhat sad to boot.
And I guess that was the thing about Linda McCartney. Nobody took the time to understand what she was really all about. Particularly the music press. She was compared to Yoko in the way that she was a 'foreigner' who got her filthy mitts on a sacred Beatle and effectively broke up (nearly) everybody's favourite band. As the world eventually learned, the Beatles broke up the Beatles.
So who was this daggy blonde who stood on stage with Paul with a goofy smile and one finger on the keyboards? She was Linda McCartney who just happened to be a natural at snapping iconic images of rock stars, a doting mother, a loving and supporting wife and an earthy, honest woman who was committed to causes like animal rights. In short she was her own woman and Paul McCartney was lucky Linda had his back when he was at his lowest ebb.
Danny Fields has credibility in his own right as a respected rock music manager among other things, and was a life-long friend of Linda so you would expect some bias. It's just that the first half of this book almost gushes out in long winded sentences almost at random in a manner that is more akin to gossip. There's also paragraphs bound up with endless descriptions of 'hot guys' and myriad 'bitchy swipes' and you start to believe you're reading an autobiography. I for one was ready to call it quits.
Then out of the blue, order was restored and things became more cohesive. I was beginning to feel a little empathy for the subject even if at times, Paul and Linda proved to be 'royal pains in the proverbial'. In the space of fifty pages my one star rating had catapulted to three! But let's not get too carried away. It's at best a reasonable account of an enigmatic life. And somewhat sad to boot.
February 1, 2019
As a diehard Beatles fan, and most especially a McCartney fan, I've always been interested in anything related to Paul or Linda. I've read several books about the Beatles and Paul, and was excited to find a book on Linda. I enjoyed reading this, getting a glimpse of Linda's background, her early years, life as a renowned photographer, years with Paul, and her devotion to vegetarian and animal causes. Some of it was a little plodding, but on the whole it read smoothly and held my interest. I loved getting to know Linda up close and personal. She was an amazing woman who I will always admire!
June 15, 2025
This biography was written after Linda's passing by her good friend from her New York days, Danny Fields who, like everyone who knew her well, absolutely adored her. He painted a picture of her familiar, to those of us knee deep in Beatle interviews and post-Beatle interviews: chill and low-maintenance; warm as all get out; shy, shy, shy; and a necessary, grounding force for Paul. Their marriage was a unique one in rock-and-roll, for its longevity alone but also for how much he needed her and not just the other way around. His insistence that she join him onstage in Wings is a reflection of that. And an unfair one too. She didn't particularly want to sing onstage and it opened her up to so much brutal criticism. Her voice isn't AWFUL, just, you know, amateurish. I would just die if I had to do that for my husband.
Interestingly, when she moves to London to marry Paul, she leaves all of her New York friends behind and inadvertently snubbed them by practically going no contact for a few years. She just totally devoted herself to Paul in his post-Beatle breakup depression and worked tirelessly to propping him up along with taking care of her growing family. Danny Fields writes about how some of their friends resented her for it and contributed to the ridiculous perception of her as being snobbish, even though nothing could be farther from the truth. (The truth is that she was probably a little bit awkward and shy and not very quick to smile so that comes off as rudeness. But boy that reputation stuck with her all through the 70s.) One ex-friend even wrote a SCATHING review of Ram.
That period of their early courtship and marriage is so stressful to me. It worked out I guess, but putting myself in her shoes with no hindsight, it is such an insane decision. Upend your life and move to a new country with your five-year-old for your boyfriend, the most famous, desired man in the world, get married and pregnant within a year and immediately encounter the worse in "for better or for worse." Months after their wedding in 1969, the Beatles implode. Moments after the birth of their first child, Paul descends into a heavy-drinking, stay-in-bed depression. You gotta be really sure of yourself that you made the right decision there. Throughout the whole thing, everyone in the fucking world HATES you for marrying said most famous, desirable man on earth. The very thought of it stresses me out.
It was interesting to read this guy's impression of how fame and wealth changed her. Not as much as it would have some other girl, but he does point out that everything revolved around the McCartneys, and within the McCartney marriage, everything revolves around Paul. He likens it to the Royal Family and the Queen. He describes a few moments that weren't so conscientious (not taking other people's schedules into account, etc.) but for the most part, she remained pretty humble. She raised her kids on her own, rarely wore makeup, always dressed poorly (that made me laugh when all her friends kind of roll their eyes at what she wears), and had a salt-of-the-earth quality to her.
Lastly her photography, which I really do love and think should be lauded more. All of these famous people say that she took "my favorite photograph of me." I love that. Danny wrote that she had great taste because all of these upstart portrait models became famous. Kind of cool to frame it like that instead of the groupie-hanger-on that people sometimes thought about her. I just love the contrast between this shy but perceptive girl from Scarsdale and these badly behaving rock gods. I mean she got hers and could party with the best of them, but she was by all accounts very square-presenting let's say. (I love that sartorial period for her. The mullet...less so.) I wish she had continued her career, but I guess it's not that surprising. Her husband may have been the poster child for the swinging sixties, but his expectation for a woman was still that she should support her family emotionally rather than going out and doing so financially. So that's exactly what Linda did. Not surprising, but sad. Her working pursuits after Wings were also family-focused (vegetarian activism with a line of frozen meatless meals, having Paul produce a solo album for her) and when she finally returned to photography, her kids were all grown up. And by that point, she had also probably grown accustomed to their Royal Family way of life, as Danny Fields put it.
This book didn't give me that much that I don't already know, although I still enjoyed reading it. I do really like and admire Linda but it makes me sad thinking of some of the tougher things in her life and marriage.
Interestingly, when she moves to London to marry Paul, she leaves all of her New York friends behind and inadvertently snubbed them by practically going no contact for a few years. She just totally devoted herself to Paul in his post-Beatle breakup depression and worked tirelessly to propping him up along with taking care of her growing family. Danny Fields writes about how some of their friends resented her for it and contributed to the ridiculous perception of her as being snobbish, even though nothing could be farther from the truth. (The truth is that she was probably a little bit awkward and shy and not very quick to smile so that comes off as rudeness. But boy that reputation stuck with her all through the 70s.) One ex-friend even wrote a SCATHING review of Ram.
That period of their early courtship and marriage is so stressful to me. It worked out I guess, but putting myself in her shoes with no hindsight, it is such an insane decision. Upend your life and move to a new country with your five-year-old for your boyfriend, the most famous, desired man in the world, get married and pregnant within a year and immediately encounter the worse in "for better or for worse." Months after their wedding in 1969, the Beatles implode. Moments after the birth of their first child, Paul descends into a heavy-drinking, stay-in-bed depression. You gotta be really sure of yourself that you made the right decision there. Throughout the whole thing, everyone in the fucking world HATES you for marrying said most famous, desirable man on earth. The very thought of it stresses me out.
It was interesting to read this guy's impression of how fame and wealth changed her. Not as much as it would have some other girl, but he does point out that everything revolved around the McCartneys, and within the McCartney marriage, everything revolves around Paul. He likens it to the Royal Family and the Queen. He describes a few moments that weren't so conscientious (not taking other people's schedules into account, etc.) but for the most part, she remained pretty humble. She raised her kids on her own, rarely wore makeup, always dressed poorly (that made me laugh when all her friends kind of roll their eyes at what she wears), and had a salt-of-the-earth quality to her.
Lastly her photography, which I really do love and think should be lauded more. All of these famous people say that she took "my favorite photograph of me." I love that. Danny wrote that she had great taste because all of these upstart portrait models became famous. Kind of cool to frame it like that instead of the groupie-hanger-on that people sometimes thought about her. I just love the contrast between this shy but perceptive girl from Scarsdale and these badly behaving rock gods. I mean she got hers and could party with the best of them, but she was by all accounts very square-presenting let's say. (I love that sartorial period for her. The mullet...less so.) I wish she had continued her career, but I guess it's not that surprising. Her husband may have been the poster child for the swinging sixties, but his expectation for a woman was still that she should support her family emotionally rather than going out and doing so financially. So that's exactly what Linda did. Not surprising, but sad. Her working pursuits after Wings were also family-focused (vegetarian activism with a line of frozen meatless meals, having Paul produce a solo album for her) and when she finally returned to photography, her kids were all grown up. And by that point, she had also probably grown accustomed to their Royal Family way of life, as Danny Fields put it.
This book didn't give me that much that I don't already know, although I still enjoyed reading it. I do really like and admire Linda but it makes me sad thinking of some of the tougher things in her life and marriage.
May 15, 2019
A great read for fans of Linda McCartney. I was a bit disappointed in her comments about Wings during her Playboy interview, saying Paul played with good, but not great musicians - I must disagree. Maybe Linda was having a bad day, but I find it difficult to believe that she would think anyone Paul McCartney brought into the fold was mediocre at best. But that's about a snapshot of Linda, not the book as a whole. All in all it was an interesting and thought provoking read, and I learned a lot about Linda that I had never known before. I loved the McCartneys as a couple, and I was always a fan of her photography.
August 2, 2013
As a Beatle fan, I enjoyed the bits about the Beatles that I never knew before. I never realized Linda had such a hard time with the groupies who resented her marriage to Paul. I had a crush on Paul (and Ringo) in the 4th or 5th grade, but by the time he married I had moved on to Herman's Hermits. My only complaint about this book is that the author never says something once if he can find 10 other ways to say it. Also, I listened to this book on CD and the narrator annoyed me a little, but I couldn't figure out why....
February 7, 2013
I think anyone who is interested in Linda would like this. And this was written by a friend of Linda's, not a stranger. However, there was at least one thing he wrote that I know wasn't true, and he was kind of snarky about Paul, and even Linda at times. Still, I think this was a good book, and I learned more about her.
August 17, 2010
This book is not well written or particularly well researched. But it is an unusual perspective. I had no idea Linda and Danny Fields were friends. I enjoyed reading his voice - despite clumsy sentences and stories that were not always easy to follow.
July 31, 2015
Less of a biography and more a collection of personal reminisces of the author's friendship with Linda McCartney. Written in an informal style this is a fairly engaging, if unsubstantial, read.
July 23, 2018
I really appreciate the effort put into this "unofficial biography", but it just seems like he turns it back on himself, a lot. It was a little annoying..
November 14, 2022
I was gifted this book recently. While not the best written book, this is a loving tribute by Mr Fields who was a long time friend of Linda Eastman after they met shortly after she moved to NYC. I had a lot of misconceptions about Linda set aside by this book. I fell into that camp that she was from the Eastman family part of the Kodak brand. She definitely was not. While Jewish, she states categorically that she wasn't religious. While definitely raised in upper middle class comfort, she didn't feel comfortable following the paths set by her parents to follow. Instead of going to a 'prestigious' university, she choose to attend the University of Arizona in Tucson, which led to her lifelong love of the city and horses. Not long after I moved to Tucson in 1991, my first girlfriend told me that her previous boyfriend was a grounds keeper on the McCartney ranch. I also remember the local community station mentioning during a fundraiser that they received a sizeable contribution from the McCartney's. I regret to this day that I did not attend a book signing for Linda's 2nd vegetarian cookbook in 1995 at a local bookstore. I believe I was short of spare cash at the time, which periodically happened all those years of running my own business. It was at that time I realized that she was a strong advocate for vegetarianism and animal rights and that Paul was as well. I really enjoyed this book and may need to find A) one of Linda's cookbooks and B) find a more in depth bio of her life.
September 10, 2021
As a 70s child I loved Wings and Linda was as this book points out such an integral part of the band. She caught a lot heat in those days. The remarks I would hear about her lack of talent, looks and golddigger qualities were just awful! Sometime in the late 70s I came across a copy of her amazing book of photos "Linda's Pictures" Here the work of a true artist was to seen. Linda had a way about her that reveals the spirit of her subjects. Although she was best known in the photography world for her snaps of rock stars she had many photos of nature and just everyday people. She was a strong independent woman who could handle the responsibilities of motherhood while following her muses in a time of great changes, the renaissance of the 60s. She had no agenda to land a Beatle it just happened and the life they created together was beautiful. Linda was a warm, nurturing presence in many people's lives. Her work with animal activists and line of vegetarian cookbooks and frozen meals were revolutionary. Danny knew her well and his account of her all too brief life, work and personality bring her story to a whole new level. The author has had quite a life himself but that's another story. This is Linda's story, photographer, independent woman, reluctant musician, mother,friend, angel to the animals, activist, entrepreneur and oh yeah wife of that Paul guy.
January 15, 2026
Danny Fields feels like my friend talking about my other friend Linda( I also feel close to PaulMc). If you’re an admirer of the 60s and its music, stars and ordinary groovy folk this is for you. It’s a beautiful story about resilience and love and it was such a pleasure to read, I feel like I was there. What an incredible insight!!!!!!! Very enjoyable!! Not to mention Danny managed the stooges? For him to mention “ my beloved stooges” offhandedly made me feel like I was going to pass out.
June 28, 2022
An endearing depiction of all things Linda Eastman (McCartney) Her start as a professional photographer as a single mother, her career pre-Paul in the world of rock music, the romance of Linda and Paul, the dissolution of the Beatles, Wings, animal rights activism, the launch of her vegetarian line of foods and cookbooks. Linda was a force of her own.
January 30, 2023
This book gives interesting and personal information about Linda’s life. The author was a personal friend of hers so it’s heavily from his perspective and is very much about him. I skipped through several sections. Positives are that the book includes photos and an index.
May 29, 2024
I enjoyed this book very much. It seems Danny Fields is the other man that loved Linda. His being gay kept him from being a threat. It is actually a beautiful love story. I hope some day someone makes a movie out of it.
December 18, 2025
I didn't LOVED it but as a big fan of Linda and her work it was an intresting read. Even if I had wished for more detailed information about her and less about Dannys anecdotes it's still a good book and currently the only existing Portrait of her.
December 1, 2025
It was a good read with lots of great pictures. :-)
July 25, 2022
I’ve been an admirer of Linda McCartney’s photography for several years, and saw her retrospective at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow in 2019, before going on to complete a road trip to Campbeltown in Kintyre, near where many of her personal photographs were made.
Apart from her photography and what is written about her in the introductions to the photobooks I have, I didn’t really know much about her life, and was delighted when my wife bought me a copy of Linda McCartney The Biography by Danny Fields.
For many years, Fields was a close friend of Linda McCartney’s, with a host of wonderful memories to draw upon. The book begins in summer 1966 as the SS Sea Panther sets sail from a Hudson River marina in New York, with Linda on-board, ready to photograph the Rolling Stones on her first gig as a photographer. It ends with her death in April 1998.
I don’t read many biographies, but found this one fascinating to read. It complemented my already strong appreciation of her photography by filling some of the gaps in my knowledge, ultimately helping me to understand her pictures on a deeper level. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Linda McCartney, the person and the photographer.
Apart from her photography and what is written about her in the introductions to the photobooks I have, I didn’t really know much about her life, and was delighted when my wife bought me a copy of Linda McCartney The Biography by Danny Fields.
For many years, Fields was a close friend of Linda McCartney’s, with a host of wonderful memories to draw upon. The book begins in summer 1966 as the SS Sea Panther sets sail from a Hudson River marina in New York, with Linda on-board, ready to photograph the Rolling Stones on her first gig as a photographer. It ends with her death in April 1998.
I don’t read many biographies, but found this one fascinating to read. It complemented my already strong appreciation of her photography by filling some of the gaps in my knowledge, ultimately helping me to understand her pictures on a deeper level. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Linda McCartney, the person and the photographer.
March 26, 2010
Another book I listened to. I think Fields wrote a lovely book about a woman that most people really didn't know. She seemed like a very nice person; no wonder Paul married her.
January 6, 2013
Interesting.
May 31, 2014
I'm a big fan of Linda and enjoyed reading this book.
November 25, 2014
very insightful
Read
May 10, 2016I had hoped for more !
April 3, 2017
Really liked this book about Linda McCartney. I felt that I could relate to it as a vegetarian myself and the love of animals. Linda was a photographer and did much for the welfare of animals. I liked it as well because I like Paul McCartney and most music from the sixties. A brilliant read
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews