Bonnie Raitt: Just in the Nick of Time

by Mark Bego

A revealing look at the life of Bonnie Raitt chronicles the ups and downs of her career, showing how she broke away from her hard-drinking blues singer image, put her life back in order, and recorded her biggest album.

Genres: Music, Biography

248 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1995

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have stopped reading after the first few pages when words describing the author started popping into my head - words like sycophant, obsequious, fawning, and fanatic. Because I like Bonnie Raitt and couldn't find any other biographies of her, I continued reading, all the while disliking the author.

I had two chapters remaining when the following sentence forced me to come to a dead stop: "It is shattering to hear her bury her unhealed hurt in the statement 'you did the best you could.'" I realized I had just overdosed on the author's unceasing purple prose. I had suffered enough and it was time to stop the pain.

If you are interested in an objective biography about Ms Raitt's life, this is not the book for you. If you're hoping to read page after page of unadulterated praise for each and every song she's ever sung and each and every action she's taken, you have hit paydirt!

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Bonnie Raitt and have been a fan for almost 40 years so I was excited to find this book. Have to say it was dreadful. It's an unauthorized biography and Bego did not have access to Ms. Raitt for any first person interviews. As a result this reads like it was compiled from previous press interviews and album liner notes. Bego goes through each album, song by song, and critiques each tune. He's obviously a big fan but being a fan does not mean one should attempt to write a biography.

[theredsister · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is nothing more than a clumsy compilation of liner notes, wiki facts and celebrity gossip. Like many others have stated, I should have stopped reading immediately.

[Russell R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I know how boring my Queen essays would likely be to someone else. I picked up this book hoping it would tell me about the woman and in some brief, very sketchy passages it does, but most of the book goes over song by song of her work. Not that I don’t like her work, I obviously do or I wouldn’t have four of her recordings , it’s just that this writer was so fawning in his writing that I think he underestimated the real spark of Bonnie Raitt. Or maybe it’s just that a man can’t get to the heart of what women admire about Bonnie Raitt. She has a stellar genuine earthy, centered quality and something both mystic and mysterious. Her life and how she turned it all around are such an inspiration. I could only wish that my life should turn so much for the better after forty, professionally & personally.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book. Mr. Bego has written a book about Raitt that is jam-packed full of information. It reads much like a text book and less like a biography. I think part the problem stems from the fact that Mr. Bego did not have Raitt's authorization.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I'm giving this two stars is because it is about Bonnie Raitt, who is a four star person. The author should be embarrassed to have published this drivel. I could have written this book and done a better job!

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

In terms of the quality of writing, I would compare reading this book to reading a Wikipedia entry about Bonnie Raitt. But since the subject matter was so near and dear to my heart, I still enjoyed it. And I picked up a great deal of information about Bonnie and some songs I may want to download.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good biography of a legendary American blues-based musician, but many times I felt Bego was hemmed-in by a desire to be more of a cheerleader than a biographer. Still, a great read for a fan of Bonnie's.

[Tommye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography done with good research and good taste

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-so