Taylor Swift: De biografie

by Caroline Sullivan

‘Taylor Swift’ is de sprankelende biografie over de populairste artiest ter wereld. Muziekjournalist Caroline Sullivan schildert een boeiend en compleet portret. Voor alle fans!

Swifties opgelet! Dit boek is een must-read voor jou.

Taylor Swift breekt record na record met haar muziek, sleept ieder jaar de zoveelste prijs binnen en heeft een van de succesvolste wereldtournees ooit. Met meer dan 200 miljoen verkochte platen, uitverkochte arena’s en box office-records met haar The Eras Tour-film, is ze een van de invloedrijke artiesten van haar generatie en de grootste popster van het moment.

In deze onthullende en sprankelende biografie volgt muziekjournalist Caroline Sullivan Taylors carrière van opkomende countryartiest tot popfenomeen. Haar invloeden, haar medewerkers, de verhalen achter haar liedjes en haar spraakmakende relaties – je vindt het allemaal in dit boek. Samen met de prachtige foto’s van uiteenlopende jaren en momenten. Tijdperk na tijdperk, era naar era, dit is het verhaal van Taylor Swift.

Een ideaal cadeau voor elke Swiftie!

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Music

272 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2024

About the author

I'm not the Caroline Sullivan who writes poetry - I'm the other one, who's published six books: Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers; Madonna: Ambition. Music. Style.; Ed Sheeran: Writing Out Loud; Adele: The Other Side; Dua Lipa: The Unauthorized Biography (bit of a dull title, apologies) and the Sunday Times bestseller Taylor: Era by Era.

Hmm. Goodreads apparently thinks that I haven't set up an account, and it's commanding me to do so.

I've been trying to write a little plug recommending the book I'm currently reading, Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, but it keeps saying that I haven't got an account. Sigh.

Reviews

[Grace Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I wish I could rate this higher because I truly adore Taylor Swift. However, While this book is clearly well researched and informative I felt it was slightly unfocused. The chapters are titled as the separate eras but internally they jump about a lot which can make the time line quite confusing. That’s coming from a massive swiftie who knows most of the lore already. I also found some details to be quite random like the excessive information about the origin stories of various record labels and Travis Kelce’s football career.

In saying that, there was a lot of interesting information in here and gives a great overview of Swift’s career and her transition through genres. I would have enjoyed more coverage of the Reputation era and the Taylor’s Version projects as for me they are the most interesting and mysterious aspects of her career. In saying that, I was fascinated by the insight into her early life and songwriting.

If you’re at all interested in Taylor Swift I think this is worth a read but there was just something a bit off about it for me.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Swift: Era by Era was pretty informative. For someone who has listened to her music but not really followed her day-to-day life, I found this interesting enough. This probably went deeper into her actual life than I was expecting it to, though. Still, she's an interesting person, and I liked getting to know why she created the albums she did. Especially how she created them.

And yet, I wanted more. Perhaps it is because she did not write this herself? The audiobook was pretty good, and I learned something new along the way. This didn't even feel like a 6-hour audiobook, and the narrator did an excellent job.

Real rating: 3.5

[Dragana]

Prvi put da ne znam kako da ocenim neku knjigu. Bilo je jako zabavno i pročitala sam u jednom sedenju. Saznala dosta informacija ali....
Ovo je jedna papazjanija. Skače s godine na godinu, bez reda. Seti se nečeg i samo ubaci. Nema kritike ni kritičkog razmišljanja. Jako je bolno njeno dupeuvlačenje Tejlor. I davanje joj statusa presvete kao da nije od krvi i mesa.
Ima još dosta toga...
Ali eto, bilo je zabavno i namenjeno je fanovima.

[Read-with-Indra · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Taylor Swift: De Biografie’ door Caroline Sullivan is een informatieve en toegankelijke biografie die een blik werpt op het leven en de carrière van Taylor Swift.

Sullivan beschrijft Taylor's weg naar succes. Er wordt stilgestaan bij haar countrymuziek, maar ook de Eras tour komt aan bod. Je krijgt als lezer dus een inkijk op de groei van Taylor Swift als artiest en songwriter. In het boek wordt er ook gefocust op de teksten die zij heeft geschreven. Thema’s die vaak aan bod komen zijn liefde, liefdesverdriet en vriendschap. Verder worden de verhalen achter haar bekende nummers toegelicht. Hiervoor krijg je een inkijk op haar persoonlijke leven en de relaties die zij heeft gehad.

Het boek is overzichtelijk opgebouwd. Ieder hoofdstuk heeft een duidelijke titel, en albumtitels worden slim gebruikt om structuur aan te brengen. Hierdoor kun je gemakkelijk door de verschillende fases van haar carrière navigeren.

De schrijfstijl van het boek is eenvoudig en daardoor leest het vlot. Sullivan beschrijft Taylor’s prestaties en de belangrijkste gebeurtenissen in haar leven, maar biedt weinig nieuwe, inzichten of onbekende details. Voor fans die op zoek zijn naar een uitgebreide, intieme blik op Taylor's innerlijke leven of creatieve proces, kan dit als een gemis aanvoelen.

Daarnaast bevat het boek prachtige foto’s van Taylor, haar moeder en haar fans, elk voorzien van een korte toelichting. Deze beelden maken de biografie levendiger en geven het iets extra’s voor de Swifties.

Toch is ‘Taylor Swift: De biografie’ een mooie aanwinst voor zowel nieuwe als trouwe fans. Het boek biedt een beknopt, maar volledig beeld van haar carrière en is een leuke aanvulling op de collectie van iedere Swiftie. Het boek krijgt dan ook vier sterren van mij.

[Антония Сарафова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Това е втората биография на Тейлър, която чета, и ми хареса доста повече от другата. Стори ми се, че засяга повече теми, свързани с бизнеса, стратегиите и дори активизма и, което за мен на този етап е по-интересно от музиката. Беше разделена на ери, но те не бяха така ясно открояващи се, както при предната биография, която четох, а по-скоро се преплитаха приятно, създавайки усещане за една плавно преливаща се история. Доста ми допадна!

Кой трябва да я прочете?
Новите фенове на Тейлър. Мисля, че могат да научат много. Аз самата съм фен от 2021, знам много за нея и все пак научих доста.

[Ingibjörg Iða Auðunardóttir]

sem Taylor Swift superfan kom mér á óvart hvað ég lærði mikið

[Mireya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about the Taylor phenomenon and this book reveals the hard working, strong willing person behind this iconic artist. She deserves all the credits received.

[Veronique Pietjouw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik vond het leuk om nog weer wat meer nieuwe informatie te lezen. Echter vond ik de schrijfstijl niet fijn. Er is geprobeerd om het op te delen in verschillende tijdfases en er een chronologische volgorde in aan te brengen. Helaas werd er toch in ieder hoofdstuk heen en weer gegaan in de tijdlijn. Waardoor het soms lastig te volgen was..
Overigens vond ik het lettertype niet fijn. ik raakte iedere keer kwijt waar ik gebleven was op de bladzijde als ik even afgeleid werd.

[Eline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

[Leen Reynaerts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Net geslaagd en dat vooral omdat het onderwerp Taylor Swift was. Sullivan slaagt er niet in om een coherente en objectieve tekst neer te schrijven. Zeker naar het einde toe springt ze van de hak op de tak. Hoofdpunten laat ze weg om triviale details wel uitvoerig te bespreken. Erg jammer.

[Lizzy Brannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest. I've never been a mega fan of Taylor Swift. I know that is almost like blasphemy. However, I DO genuinely respect her as a songwriter, artist, and entrepreneur. Let's face it. Worldwide, she has conquered the music industry, breaking Ticketmaster when tickets went on sale for the Eras tour. She's a songwriting genius, all but singing her diary. She is a master with words, shaping lyrics and concepts in new compelling ways. To top it all off, every bit of her songs connects to people, places, relationships, and things in her life, leaving the listener with easter eggs and hints of who or what might be the real life subject of each song. Her life, tour, and albums have cause more starstruck fans than the Beatles or Elvis. Her versatility alone has allowed her life and music to be catalogued in "eras", granting her audience individual artistic, aesthetic theatrics for each one. And it all came together in her 3 hour non-stop Eras tour. GENIUS.

This unauthorized biography reads somewhat like a magazine article, taking the reader chronologically through the different eras of Taylor's life, beginning when she was 11. The book sheds light on her rise to fame, beginning with her writing her own songs with a guitar in her room and being bullied at school to her most recent studio album hitting no. 1 in 25 countries. Author and music journalist, Caroline Sullivan, charts Taylor's journey from country starlet to pop music phenomenon, including her high profile relationships and the stories behind her songs.

I bet if you are already a Swiftie, you probably know all of the facts disclosed in this biography. But you should check it out anyway and I know you will!
I listened to the audio version of this upcoming book and enjoyed discovering new facts I did not know about T.S. It was an easy 6 hour listen and I found it to be engaging and extremely interesting. Katelyn Levering does a beautiful job in this reading.

A very special thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Caroline Sullivan for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bedankt uitgeverij Kosmos voor dit recensie exemplaar! Altijd fijn om weer in een Swift boek te kunnen duiken.

Na 18 jaar fan-zijn en het hebben gelezen van meerdere Swift boeken, bevatte dit boek toch nog feitjes die ik niet eerder was tegengekomen. Dat was leuk. Het is een boek dat heel uitvoerig en gedetailleerd is. Echt een dik pluspunt. Niet alleen de feiten en cijfers komen aan bod, ook alles eromheen. Tot het “ze heeft Celine Dion geen hug gegeven bij de Grammy’s” gedoe en de Eras live streams van Tess Bohne aan toe.

Het boek is goed vertaald vanuit het Engels. Dat zeg ik (als vertaler) niet gauw, maar het was echt het geval. Het boek viel me qua stijl en indeling wel een klein beetje tegen. Het voelde soms een beetje hak-op-de-tak, vloog van het ene naar het andere onderwerp en springt erg heen en weer op de tijdlijn. Als Swiftie volg je elke switch wel, omdat je de context kent, maar ik denk dat het voor nieuwe fans of mensen die geen fan zijn als een warrige soep aan informatie kan aanvoelen. Meer een boek voor echte Swifties dus.

Daarnaast staan er ook wat foutjes in. Zo wordt de documentaire over Taylor “Miss America” genoemd, terwijl het toch echt “Miss Americana” is. Dat is jammer. Ik ga dan als lezer een beetje twijfelen aan de rest van de inhoud. Is die dan wel accuraat? Maar voor zover ik heb kunnen ontdekken was dat wel het geval.

Ik heb ook een stukje van het audioboek geluisterd, maar daar werden veel namen verkeerd in uitgesproken. In het papieren boek heb je daar uiteraard geen last van :) Mocht je dus nog twijfelen tussen de twee vormen, dan zou ik voor het gedrukte boek gaan. Dan krijg je er meteen 16 pagina’s met prachtige kleurenfoto’s bij.

Lang verhaal kort: Swift’s carrière blijft gewoon bijster interessant. Dit boek zet alle details van die carrière uiteen en is dus boeiend om te lezen! 3.5 ster van mij, naar boven afgerond.

[Levi Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think I’m ever going to love a book about Taylor until she writes one herself, if she ever will. The book started out well with some general consensus of the story of Taylor Swift and giving a brief overview of her career.

However, as the book went on, and the deeper into the Eras we get… the writing just becomes very, unconsidered? It’s almost as if Sullivan forgot this was an era by era book and began throwing in out-of-timeline information into the body of each era and then having to say “returning back to *said era*”. Sullivan would have written a much better reading book if she was to stick to the content of information to the particular era. Why was I reading about Travis Kelce in the Reputation section? And speaking of Travis, Sullivan states that on social media fans reference his relationship with Taylor as ‘Traylor’ which is far from incorrect, us swifties call them ‘Tayvis’.

The book was good and a big step up from the previous unauthorised autobiography that I read in the summer. The information was in depth, didn’t rely too much on skepticism, and the ability was easier (not the easiest) to follow. I do think the ending of the book could have been so much better. It rounded off talking more about Jon Bon Jovi than Taylor herself.

As a swiftie, I’d say if you’re one too, you don’t need to read this book. If you’re new to the fandom or are curious about Taylor’s career, then sure, pick up a copy!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN ENTERTAINING AND ENLIGHTENING UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY

REVIEW
Taylor Swift is one of the most accomplished musical artists of her time. Taylor: Era by Era covers the evolution of Taylor Swift’s career, her albums, the stories behind the songs, and the behind-the-scenes drama.

As a relatively new fan, I found the book entertaining and enlightening. While long-time Swifties may already know most of this information, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I discovered some new songs and spent a lot of time on Spotify listening to those I had not heard before, and even revisiting some of the ones I had!

Overall, the biography written by author and journalist Caroline Sullivan is positive but does not break any new ground, mainly referencing publicly available information. I would recommend it to anyone who wants an introduction to Taylor Swift and her career.

As a US reader, my only frustration was the use of the European date format (DD.MM.YYYY), and there are naturally many references to dates in the book. My favorite part was hearing about speculations on the subtle and not-so-subtle messages in many of Swift’s songs.

The narrator, Katelyn Levering, did a good job with pacing, tone, and delivery. Her performance kept me engaged throughout the book. I highly recommend listening to this informative book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Dreamscape Media
Published June 6, 2024
Narrated Katelyn Levering
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

[Mandy Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik hou van Taylor haar muziek, haar slimme business plannen en de Eras Tour vond ik geweldig, maar ik wist nog niet zoveel over haar eerdere eras en leven. Dus dit boek was een leuke manier om meer over haar te weten te komen!

In dit boek volg je namelijk haar groei als artiest met zowel hoogte als diepte punten op weg naar succes. Het boek heeft een duidelijke opbouw, doordat het is opgedeeld in eras van haar albums. Zo worden belangrijke gebeurtenissen, vooral op gebied van muziek, uit haar leven besproken. Hierdoor heb ik nog meer respect voor Taylor en haar doorzettingsvermogen!

De foto’s in het boek zijn een leuke toevoeging!

Dit boek heb ik grotendeels geluisterd als audioboek, ook die versie werd fijn voorgelezen.

[Ella Chavernac · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

Despite the fact that Taylor didn't write it herself it's a good biography, for people who don't know her that well this is a very informative and fun book!
I didn't learn much new myself but it was a nice summary of her career and a deeper look behind the songs and their meanings🎀✨

[Jessica Kate Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful, particularly Taylor’s initial journey into cracking into the business. A delightful trip down memory lane, love - a super fan 🤍

[Diana]

I am unabashedly fascinated by her meteoric rise and business acumen

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy in exchange for review.

I've been a Taylor Swift fan ever since Fearless, so it's safe to say I've got a lot of knowledge about her eras. This book was a nice trip down memory lane for me, covering a lot of the main points of each of Taylor's Eras up to Midnights. For a long-time fan there was nothing surprising or shocking in this book, but I did enjoy looking back over all the years of her career.

The book is split into each era, but there's odd moments in some where it becomes unfocussed and Sullivan goes off in tangents about things that happened later in Taylor Swift's life. I have to admit I would have preferred that the Eras stayed about just moments and events that happened in that era rather than jumping forward to later events. It took a little away from what was actually happening at the time.

For a new fan or a casual fan of Taylor Swift this is a good introduction and interesting look at Taylor Swift's Eras. For a long-time fan this is a nice trip down memory lane but won't tell you anything you don't already know.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cool to learn some new stuff about Taylor Swift but it honestly dragged on and seemed to focus on things that seemed very insignificant instead of bigger things that I’d want to know about. My main criticism though is how whenever the book started diving into 1 thing it quickly got distracted and moved to another making the book really messy. If you want to know more about Taylor Swift it’s good but it just wasn’t for me.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really should probably be 2 stars but I rounded up for Taylor. It read like an extremely long magazine article.

[Twainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK you might ask why I’m reviewing this book. I’m not a “Swiftie”. I’m musically diverse but country isn’t in my top 5. I can only admit to being curious, she’s in the limelight a lot.

This unauthorized biography covers her earliest childhood to present day & because it’s unauthorized I imagine that most of this is in the public record. Still. I liked that it’s all in one place and really well organized. The narrator did a fine job sharing the facts.

Taylor is a really interesting soul. Here we learn that LeeAnn Rimes was her inspiration to try her hand at country music and karaoke motivated her to take the leap. She could now be motivating young singers herself and paying it forward!!

I enjoyed the story about how she learned how to play guitar at a young age to advance her career and how she did all the legwork through Nashville to get her face/voice out there. She turned down record companies. She banked on herself.

You get a lot of information regarding her formative years, her parents were in finance and before she decided on a career in music she wanted to be a stock broker like her dad. This made me smile as the book goes on to say that she’s very financially savvy and worth over a billion dollars. Can you say role model for a new generation?!

I was really touched that the author spends time delving into how Taylor didn’t make friends easily in school and how to this day she’s kind to all her fans. The author, being a journalist, has name dropped all kinds of musicians and gone over most of the top media stories, good & bad so you get the scope of the whirlwind that is Taylor’s life.

There was a lot of information covered in this 7 hour audiobook but it flowed so well that it flew by.

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape media for the chance to get to know this country music legend.

4.5 stars

[Kimberly Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for an ARC of "Taylor: Era by Era"

As a huge Taylor Swift fan I was thrilled to get a copy of this book and wanted to see if I would learn anything new from reading it.

This book is chock full of interesting facts, tidbits, and quotes from Taylor herself I hadn't heard before. The author comes across as being a fan of Taylor, but it doesn't shy away from her harder eras and some more difficult topics (that line in "Picture to Burn" anyone?).

But that said, I did find that the book had some superfluous details I didn't think were necessary (I'm not super interested in how many Taylor's first guitar instructor was paid per hour over 20 years ago).

Overall, a great read for fans of Taylor!

[Martinaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

knížka moooc dobra, spousta inside informací a nových věcí, které jsem nevěděla (even as a huge swiftie huh)....autorka rozebírá každou eru step by step and i loved it.

jediná věc, ktera mi vadila byl překlad. knížku jsem dostala jako darek v cestine a...well i mean...u některých věcí jsem chytala nervy bcs jsou věci, které by se prekladat neměly, protoze to proste zni cringe, takže proto nedavam 5 hvězd...

jinak moc hezky a let´s just say that TAYLOR MADE A LEGACY THEY CAN´T UNDO a myslím, že každý, kdo si tohle přečte, si to uvědomí

[Kas Marek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I am a self-proclaimed Swiftie, but even I wanted a more critical look at TS' biography. Rather than stating all the facts and everything Taylor has accomplished, this book worked to turn people into fans. Taylor's accomplishments are remarkable but I found myself rolling my eyes at the author TELLING me how remarkable it was. Overall it's good information but felt too biased.

[Tara Cignarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor Era by Era The Unauthorized Biography by Caroline Sullivan
Information: B
Narration: A-
Details: B
Best Aspect: Well written and narrated, keeps one’s interest.
Worst Aspect: Most information is very common knowledge even if you are not a Swiftie.
Recommend: Yes.

[Marjolein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant, maar tegelijkertijd werd er niks nieuws verteld. Blijft een biografie door iemand anders geschreven zonder de zegen van Taylor zelf. Leest wel boeiender dan een Wikipedia pagina! Ik heb het overigens ook deels geluisterd via Storytel. Werd fijn voorgelezen, al ging ik wel stuk om 'Travis Kels' en 'Traylor' 😂😭

[Ianthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did I already know everything about her? Well, almost. This book goes in depth about many things in Taylor's life. I liked that it went almost until present day (including TTPD), but the timing inside the book was a bit off now and then.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥️♥️♥️♥️

[Raquel Bonelli]

I don't rate biographies or memoirs.

It was excellent, it was a good walk down memory lane.