What do you think?
Rate this book
FREDDIE MERCURY - What He Left Behind: The Story of What Happened after the death of Freddie Mercury
The final part of the Story of Freddie Mercury, one of rock 'n' roll's most unforgettable and most talented creative forces. Peter Freestone and David Evans tie up many loose ends and recall Freddie's last days in 1991 and recount details of the events which followed Queen's lead singer's death involving the people and places Freddie loved and favoured.
197 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2015
76 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 4, 2018
Generous 3 Stars.
Kept my attention. Only because I love my Freddie so.
Peter Freestone writes an unconventional combo of biography and memior. Both a memoir of Peter Freestone's life after Freddy Mercury's death and a biography of Freddie as a strong spiritual force still affecting this world. Maybe Freddie is actually affecting this world or maybe Freddie was such a force while he was here that the ramifications of his decisions and indecision remain with those close to him. Undoubtedly the money and apartment and house left behind to various people affected their lives. Due to his publicized-by-reporters personal relationship with Fredd Mercury, Peter Freestone found that the patients he worked with as a mental ward worker were leery of being in physical contact woth Freestone. The management had no problem with Freestone working there, but the patients did. So Freestone resigned. Is this Freddie mercury continuing to touch his life? Seems so. In general Freestone argues that Freddie affects his loved one still. No doubt. They represent him in various ways. They play his music in theatrical and concert venues. And More. Freestone does make an argument. I am more in agreement with Freestone than not.
Kept my attention. Only because I love my Freddie so.
Peter Freestone writes an unconventional combo of biography and memior. Both a memoir of Peter Freestone's life after Freddy Mercury's death and a biography of Freddie as a strong spiritual force still affecting this world. Maybe Freddie is actually affecting this world or maybe Freddie was such a force while he was here that the ramifications of his decisions and indecision remain with those close to him. Undoubtedly the money and apartment and house left behind to various people affected their lives. Due to his publicized-by-reporters personal relationship with Fredd Mercury, Peter Freestone found that the patients he worked with as a mental ward worker were leery of being in physical contact woth Freestone. The management had no problem with Freestone working there, but the patients did. So Freestone resigned. Is this Freddie mercury continuing to touch his life? Seems so. In general Freestone argues that Freddie affects his loved one still. No doubt. They represent him in various ways. They play his music in theatrical and concert venues. And More. Freestone does make an argument. I am more in agreement with Freestone than not.
March 8, 2016
I previously owned the physical, hard copy of this book. I was disappointed to find that there were some omissions to the electronic version. I was looking forward to the recipes, to trying Freddie's favourite tuna casserole again, or his mum's cheese biscuits. Alas, not to be found in this volume. It was good, but very dry.
November 28, 2016
VERY INTERESTING UNTIL THE FINAL COUPLE OF CHAPTERS.
I am a massive Queen fan and so decided to read this book. At the beginning it was really interesting but towards the end, I have to admit I found it slightly boring. Towards the end of the book, the author just speaks about himself and what's happening to him and I found it all very tedious. I wanted to read more about the Great Freddie Mercury. Having said that, it was interesting and the author did give a good insight into Freddie and his background etc. It was just the end of the book that spoilt it.
I am a massive Queen fan and so decided to read this book. At the beginning it was really interesting but towards the end, I have to admit I found it slightly boring. Towards the end of the book, the author just speaks about himself and what's happening to him and I found it all very tedious. I wanted to read more about the Great Freddie Mercury. Having said that, it was interesting and the author did give a good insight into Freddie and his background etc. It was just the end of the book that spoilt it.
January 29, 2019
Mixed Salad
The book is all over the place like mixed salad. Bits and pieces of Freddie 's impact realized after his death, the tributes, etc. I didn't read the first book about the 14 years Peter Freestone worked for Freddie. Peter probably knew Freddie better than anyone except Mary Austin and Jim Hutton, then again no one really knew him. He did discuss Freddie 's love for Mary Austin and Barbara Valentin and I suspect his conclusions on that was spot on.
The book is all over the place like mixed salad. Bits and pieces of Freddie 's impact realized after his death, the tributes, etc. I didn't read the first book about the 14 years Peter Freestone worked for Freddie. Peter probably knew Freddie better than anyone except Mary Austin and Jim Hutton, then again no one really knew him. He did discuss Freddie 's love for Mary Austin and Barbara Valentin and I suspect his conclusions on that was spot on.
March 24, 2019
This book should be titled :The David Evans Story. He writes more about himself then Freddie.
This book should of been titled: The David Evans Story. He spends more time writing about himself then Freddie Mercury. Very little is mentioned about Freddie Mercury and when he does mention Freddie, it's just enough to get your hopes up. There are some pictures at the end, but mostly of other people.
But then again for $2.99, you get what you pay for.
This book should of been titled: The David Evans Story. He spends more time writing about himself then Freddie Mercury. Very little is mentioned about Freddie Mercury and when he does mention Freddie, it's just enough to get your hopes up. There are some pictures at the end, but mostly of other people.
But then again for $2.99, you get what you pay for.
November 28, 2020
A Good Book
I've read some bad reviews of this book that were very critical of Peter. I'm not sure what book they read but I found this to be interesting . it provided new insights and gave information on Joe Fanelli I had not seen before. Some interesting discussion of Mary and Barbara. Peter is thoughtful and fair.
I've read some bad reviews of this book that were very critical of Peter. I'm not sure what book they read but I found this to be interesting . it provided new insights and gave information on Joe Fanelli I had not seen before. Some interesting discussion of Mary and Barbara. Peter is thoughtful and fair.
February 18, 2019
Great read
Great read for a die-hard fan looking for tidbits of unknown info & pictures. Jumps around a lot but if you've read some of the other books, watched documentaries,etc it is easy to follow!
Great read for a die-hard fan looking for tidbits of unknown info & pictures. Jumps around a lot but if you've read some of the other books, watched documentaries,etc it is easy to follow!
April 18, 2019
Really informative and lays to rest some of the misconceptions about what happened after the funeral, Garden Lodge, his estate and how his legacy would be handled. This is a must read if you believe ANY of the garbage rumors that are out there!
Read
July 5, 2020I read this book in two days. I have watched about every video and movie I can find on Freddie Mercury and this book was full of correct information. Anyone interested in Freddie should read this book.
June 22, 2019
Very interesting, not a lot
not very much about Freddie, that I didn't already know more of the heartache and trouble he caused.
A good read all the same
not very much about Freddie, that I didn't already know more of the heartache and trouble he caused.
A good read all the same
June 26, 2019
pretty good book
Has few photos, a few bits of info that I had not read in other books. I thouht it was an ok book.
Has few photos, a few bits of info that I had not read in other books. I thouht it was an ok book.
November 29, 2019
AKA “What Phoebe Did Next”, my main problem with this it’s that it’s way too short- any chance of an updated version showing what he’s up to nowadays?
Read
February 20, 2020Tied up loose ends and explained details of what happened after Freddie’s death. Easy read.
August 26, 2020
Excellent
A great read for the consummate freddie fan , excellently written by a man with with an eternal love for Freddie mercury
A great read for the consummate freddie fan , excellently written by a man with with an eternal love for Freddie mercury
October 19, 2021
Good read
The poor reviews must have just read the free sample and jumped to conclusions. The author is very greatful and respectful to Freddie Mercury in both his books.
The poor reviews must have just read the free sample and jumped to conclusions. The author is very greatful and respectful to Freddie Mercury in both his books.
June 1, 2022
If you're looking for a prologue to Peter Freestone's first book, then you've found it.
Keep in mind, this novella isn't a super in depth look into life in its entirety after Freddie Mercury. However, it tells us what happened to Peter as well as Joe Fanelli, Jim Hutton, and Mary Austin after Freddie's passing. I bought this eBook last night and read it in an hour and have a lot of thoughts, so forgive the lengthy review (or maybe you'll enjoy it. Who knows).
There are mild details and not much that fans didn't already know, but it's enough that makes you feel for Peter's situation and question a lot of people who were involved in Freddie's life. You find out that Mary asked Peter to stay on as staff at the house, only to retract the statement days before Peter was supposed to go on holiday. You also find out Peter wasn't allowed to take his two packed bags home since security weren't able to confirm which items were his and which were Freddie's, this of course being implemented by Mary. You find out that Peter wrote the forward to Jim Hutton's book before actually reading it and while he attests that Jim is a very straight forward man who doesn't lie and understands why he wrote his side of the story, Peter felt the many intimate details of Jim's book were perhaps a bit too much to reveal (but still gives Jim praise and respect nevertheless). You hear about Peter's final lunch with both Joe Fanelli and Jim Hutton and the sudden shock of many of Peter's close friends and family passing all at once, while also dealing with the press taking Lesley Ann Jones' words from her biography on Freddie and publishing in print that Peter was one of Freddie's ex-boyfriends (he wasn't). Of course, this affected Peter's work at the hospital where he cared for patients with neurological disorders because while the staff all knew the statement was false, it was clear many patients assumed that if he was close to Freddie that he must have HIV.
Barbara Valentin's relationship goes into great detail and while Peter doesn't know nor care whether or not Freddie and Barbara were intimate, it's obvious that Barbara was an important part in Freddie's life. This makes the tension and jealousy between Barbara and Mary inevitable, as both women wanted control in Freddie's life and both felt that they knew Freddie better than anyone else.
The end of the book gives us insight as to where a lot of these people are (unfortunately, Barbara passed away from a stroke in 2002). One of the surprising moments of this is when Peter mentions visiting London with a friend and for some reason, rang the bell at Garden Lodge and (to his surprise) Mary answered and let him come in and visit. He tells you of their chat, his encounter of a now older, thinner Delilah, and his admiration of Mary and realization of what she went through after Freddie's passing. While many Queen/Freddie Mercury fans dislike Mary, it's clear that none of us know both sides of the story, and Peter makes sure that fans know this.
If Peter's first book gave you both shock and awe, his follow up will give you empathy and sadness. Peter faced a lot of strife and while there are many parts in the novella that I found a bit boring (this history of the Zoroastrian religion, David Evans' trip to Zanzibar, etc.), there are many stories that really show Peter was more than just an assistant. He was a true friend who has done a lot in order to keep the truth about Freddie intact. It really puts a lot of things into perspective and while I would personally love to own 'Mister Mercury' and hear more intimate details of Freddie's life outside of work, I don't feel that I need to anymore after reading this. I've been given enough to understand that Freddie was a kind person who had his flaws like all of us and if there's one person who could make anyone truly understand that, it's Peter.
For $3.00 and change, I don't regret this eBook buy one bit and you shouldn't either.
Keep in mind, this novella isn't a super in depth look into life in its entirety after Freddie Mercury. However, it tells us what happened to Peter as well as Joe Fanelli, Jim Hutton, and Mary Austin after Freddie's passing. I bought this eBook last night and read it in an hour and have a lot of thoughts, so forgive the lengthy review (or maybe you'll enjoy it. Who knows).
There are mild details and not much that fans didn't already know, but it's enough that makes you feel for Peter's situation and question a lot of people who were involved in Freddie's life. You find out that Mary asked Peter to stay on as staff at the house, only to retract the statement days before Peter was supposed to go on holiday. You also find out Peter wasn't allowed to take his two packed bags home since security weren't able to confirm which items were his and which were Freddie's, this of course being implemented by Mary. You find out that Peter wrote the forward to Jim Hutton's book before actually reading it and while he attests that Jim is a very straight forward man who doesn't lie and understands why he wrote his side of the story, Peter felt the many intimate details of Jim's book were perhaps a bit too much to reveal (but still gives Jim praise and respect nevertheless). You hear about Peter's final lunch with both Joe Fanelli and Jim Hutton and the sudden shock of many of Peter's close friends and family passing all at once, while also dealing with the press taking Lesley Ann Jones' words from her biography on Freddie and publishing in print that Peter was one of Freddie's ex-boyfriends (he wasn't). Of course, this affected Peter's work at the hospital where he cared for patients with neurological disorders because while the staff all knew the statement was false, it was clear many patients assumed that if he was close to Freddie that he must have HIV.
Barbara Valentin's relationship goes into great detail and while Peter doesn't know nor care whether or not Freddie and Barbara were intimate, it's obvious that Barbara was an important part in Freddie's life. This makes the tension and jealousy between Barbara and Mary inevitable, as both women wanted control in Freddie's life and both felt that they knew Freddie better than anyone else.
The end of the book gives us insight as to where a lot of these people are (unfortunately, Barbara passed away from a stroke in 2002). One of the surprising moments of this is when Peter mentions visiting London with a friend and for some reason, rang the bell at Garden Lodge and (to his surprise) Mary answered and let him come in and visit. He tells you of their chat, his encounter of a now older, thinner Delilah, and his admiration of Mary and realization of what she went through after Freddie's passing. While many Queen/Freddie Mercury fans dislike Mary, it's clear that none of us know both sides of the story, and Peter makes sure that fans know this.
If Peter's first book gave you both shock and awe, his follow up will give you empathy and sadness. Peter faced a lot of strife and while there are many parts in the novella that I found a bit boring (this history of the Zoroastrian religion, David Evans' trip to Zanzibar, etc.), there are many stories that really show Peter was more than just an assistant. He was a true friend who has done a lot in order to keep the truth about Freddie intact. It really puts a lot of things into perspective and while I would personally love to own 'Mister Mercury' and hear more intimate details of Freddie's life outside of work, I don't feel that I need to anymore after reading this. I've been given enough to understand that Freddie was a kind person who had his flaws like all of us and if there's one person who could make anyone truly understand that, it's Peter.
For $3.00 and change, I don't regret this eBook buy one bit and you shouldn't either.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews