She Loves You: A Novel on the Life of John Winston Lennon: Vol. 3

John Lennon Series #3

by Jude Southerland Kessler, Larry Kane (Foreword), Bill Harry (Introduction)

Vol. 3 in The John Lennon Series for sale by author, Jude Southerland Kessler. Author will sign, date, and inscribe this 950 page First Edition work which in the Lennon biography. Vol. 3 traces John's life from his Spanish holiday with Brian Epstein in May 1963 to The Beatles' conquest of America in Feb. 1964. Documented with end notes and over 4,000 annotated footnotes. Also include Scouse glossary and rare photos. Prologue by Bill Harry. Foreword by Larry Kane.

Genres: Biography

950 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2012

About the author

I was reared in Alexandria, LA and spent my teen years in the town where "Steel Magnolias" actually took place, Natchitoches, Louisiana. Louisiana was a great place to grow up in the 60's...and Beatlemania was everywhere! I grew up knowing that I wanted to be an author and that I loved The Beatles, and God has blessed me with a career that has encompassed both.

I have spent the last 38 years traveling to do interviews, researching, and writing The John Lennon Series, which will be a 9-book series on John's life (and of course, The Beatles' lives as well). The first 5 volumes are in print, taking the reader along with John up to mid-1965. In March of 2025, Some Forever will be released which will extend John's trek into 1966. The books are written as narratives (like novels) but each sentence is documented. I take great pains to tell only what The Beatles said, wore, ate, sang, and did. There are over 4,000 footnotes in each book as you walk with them, almost daily, through the rise to Beatlemania and its apex.

I am a proud mother to two...Cliff and Paige. (Paige is really my daughter-in-law, but she's my daughter.) They have two amazing sons, Maverick and Tucker, whom I adore. And I work side by side with my husband of 47 years, Rande. He does the cover art for each book and the entire business end of The John Lennon Series. Without him, The John Lennon Series wouldn't exist...he does the heavy lifting while I write.

I am blessed to be the official blogger for The Fest for Beatles Fans, and I'd love to see you there in New York and/or Chicago each year. I also write for Culture Sonar and host the podcast, "Tell Me Why." For the last 10 years, I've shared the "She Said She Said" podcast with my friend Lanea Stagg. And you're also invited to my free webinar "Focal Points."

For updates on articles, tours, webinars, and podcasts, join me at https://www.johnlennonseries.com

My passions are Christ, my family, John Lennon, The Beatles, Ireland, running, and reading. I welcome new friends on this site. Can't wait to meet and chat with you all!

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in a proposed nine volume fictional biography of John Lennon. The two earlier volumes in the series are, “Shoulda’ Been There,” and “Shivering Inside.” “She Loves You,” takes Lennon’s life from April 1963 up to March 1964. The bulk of this volume takes place during 1963, the year when Beatlemania spread across the UK and the Beatles began to make inroads abroad – doing shows in Sweden and Paris. The Beatles are now headliners, on the concert tours which crossed the country, as well as performing on many radio and television shows. This book follows them as they work relentlessly – and they really did work constantly. However, although obviously the Beatles are very much a unit during this book, the author never loses focus of the fact that it is John’s story she is telling and we read of everything from his point of view.

As well as Beatlemania, there are two major events which happen during this book during 1963 which are still constantly discussed by fans. The first occurs in the very beginning of this book and it is John’s much speculated on holiday to Spain with Brian Epstein. The second is Paul’s 21st birthday party, during which John was really at his worst – where, envious of Paul’s family throwing him a party and his new relationship with Jane Asher, his discontent and feeling of entrapment with Cyn and baby Julian, pressure from newfound fame and constant work, added to large amounts of alcohol, led to violence. The author is writing from John’s perspective, but she does not excuse his behaviour at times, nor pretend he was better than the reality. So, in the case of Paul’s party, we see him return to the constant touring – without apology – and nothing is said. John really did see the Beatles as his family at this time and he needed their acceptance and forgiveness in order to function. The author has completed a really mammoth work here and there are extensive notes after every chapter, explaining why she has taken this particular event, but possibly outlining other scenarios. This is not a book for the casual fan, although if you read it you will know just about everything that happened to John Lennon during this time period. It is a book to be pored over and enjoyed by fans as obsessive as myself.

Much of this book concerns the relationship between John and Cynthia. Although John left Cyn behind to go to Spain with Brian, she did accompany the Beatles to the US in February 1964, but strains in the marriage are already showing. John, feeling stressed and constrained by Beatlemania, feels alienated and confused by fatherhood. The band, and Brian, are also feeling frustrated by the lack of interest from the United States at the beginning of this book. The band may be appearing at the London Palladium and the Royal Variety Performance (which, to be honest, would be the highlight of most British bands careers during that era) but, as always, they were ambitious for far more. It is 1964, when the Beatles are in Paris, that they hear they are number one in America with, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. The British Invasion is about to start and the Beatles are going to kick down the door which has remained shut to virtually all British acts so far. This book covers the first trip to the US in detail – from the highs of the fans reception at the airport to the lows of the disastrous reception at the British Embassy. At the very end of this book they are returning to England at the very top of the entertainment industry on both sides of the Atlantic.

This book is full of delightful details, from transcripts of interviews and the Beatles first Christmas message, to Brian driving them to Paul’s family home at Forthlin Road, so John and Paul can finish “She Loves You,” without either Mimi or Cyn realising John was back in Liverpool. We visit recording studios, concert theatres, the excitement and the exhaustion. Plus, even when you have read the entire book, the author packs even more goodies in at the end – including Appendixes including, “The Composition of She Loves You,” a full 1993 interview with the much missed Bob Wooler (the part where the author endured another slanging match between Bob Wooler and Allan Williams made me laugh out loud!) and even “Who was on First?” a discussion on the Opening Acts on the February 1964 Washington DC concert; just proving that absolutely anything to do with the Beatles causes heated debate! I love this series of books – it is a stunning work so far; absolutely amazing detail, this is a real work of love and obviously great research. Plus, if you need any more reasons to try these books, there is a prologue by Bill Harry and a foreword by Larry Kane. If you are a Beatles or Lennon fan, you will love this series.

[Alex Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This peculiar, fascinating historical novel about the life of John Lennon from 1963-64 is hard to assign a rating.

The “novel” aspect was somewhat disappointing as the dialogue contains a lot of exposition and the characters feel as if they’re being written from the outside in so come off a bit flat. The book is also told largely in chronological order, almost day by day. Whereas many novelists would conflate similar events or create composite characters to streamline the narrative, here authenticity is the byword.
Which brings me to the biggest strength: the author has clearly done her research including over 3,000 endnotes (!) citing sources that include interviews with many of the participants and seemingly every Beatles book ever written. Each chapter also ends with the author explaining her decisions on how she depicted events the way she did and addressing disputed events in the Beatles legend. Fans of Mark Lewishon’s excellent and exhaustive Tune In will appreciate this comparable level of detail.
Essentially the only fictional parts are usually conversations between characters and even these often feature notes citing an interview Lennon did expressing similar thoughts.
One interesting angle of the book is its sympathetic depiction of the relationship between John & Cynthia Lennon. With most Beatles books if Cynthia is mentioned at all it’s as the long-suffering silent dull housewife so it’s refreshing to see the young newlyweds depicted as a more caring couple.
On the other hand, I was disappointed that, surprisingly, the other love of Lennon’s life — Paul McCartney—doesn’t feature much.
TLDR: a great book for fans who want a well-documented depiction of the birth of Beatlemania

[Nancy West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like time traveling back to 1963-64! If you like the Beatles, and want to experience what it would be like to be a fly on the wall during their rise to fame, this entire series is phenomenal! I truly did not want it to end! It's narrative history at its best. Brilliantly researched too! And the audio version (I read the book and listened to the audio) is amazing! The voices of all the Beatles, their mates, Brian Epstein, George Martin, and Cynthia Lennon are simply incredible! I can't wait for Jude Sutherland Kessler's next book!

[Heather Constant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed reading this book and “following along” by looking up the videos and photographs. Watching the Ed Sullivan performances with more context, such as knowing what else they were doing at the time, has been a joy.