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Greatest Hits
Cass Wheeler - a British singer-songwriter, hugely successful since the early 70s, whose sudden disappearance from the music world three decades later has been the subject of intense speculation among her fans - is in the studio that adjoins her home, taking a journey back into her past. Her task is to choose sixteen songs from among the hundreds she has written since her early teens, for a uniquely personal Greatest Hits record, describing the arc of her life through song.
It has been over a decade since Cass last put out an album; ten years since a tragedy catapulted her into a breakdown. In the course of this one day - both ordinary and extraordinary - each song Cass plays sets off a chain of memories, leading us deep into her past, and into the creative impulse that has underpinned her work.
This is the story of a life - the highs and lows, love and separation, success and failure. Of what it is to live a fulfilled life, and how to make peace with our mistakes.
It has been over a decade since Cass last put out an album; ten years since a tragedy catapulted her into a breakdown. In the course of this one day - both ordinary and extraordinary - each song Cass plays sets off a chain of memories, leading us deep into her past, and into the creative impulse that has underpinned her work.
This is the story of a life - the highs and lows, love and separation, success and failure. Of what it is to live a fulfilled life, and how to make peace with our mistakes.
464 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2017
55 people are currently reading
1714 people want to read
About the author
Laura Barnett
6 books309 followersLaura Barnett is a writer, journalist and theatre critic. She has been on staff at the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph, and is now a freelance arts journalist and features writer, working for the Guardian, the Observer and Time Out, as well as several other national newspapers and magazines.
Laura was born in 1982 in south London, where she now lives with her husband. She studied Spanish and Italian at Cambridge University, and newspaper journalism at City University, London. Her first non-fiction book, Advice from the Players - a compendium of advice for actors - is published by Nick Hern Books. Laura has previously published short stories, for which she has won several awards. The Versions of Us is her first novel.
Laura was born in 1982 in south London, where she now lives with her husband. She studied Spanish and Italian at Cambridge University, and newspaper journalism at City University, London. Her first non-fiction book, Advice from the Players - a compendium of advice for actors - is published by Nick Hern Books. Laura has previously published short stories, for which she has won several awards. The Versions of Us is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
February 16, 2017
I found this a brilliant and unusual read. It is a fictional biography of the flawed life and times of the British singer and songwriter Cass Wheeler. It rings so true and authentic that it is hard to credit that it is indeed fictional. Cass had been a wildly successful musician until her sudden and abrupt departure from the music scene when tragedy struck and she suffered a breakdown. This has not prevented a host of rumours and speculation as to what exactly happened to her.
Now in the present, Cass is in the process of selecting sixteen songs from her huge back catalogue which serve to inform us of her life story through the songs and lyrics. Each of the songs is the structure for this book. Nostalgia and memories pour out from Cass, going back and forth in time to illuminate her very full life and the artistic and compulsive drive within her that inspires the songs. What emerges is a poignant journey into the past that provides an opportunity to understand her mistakes and come to terms with all that life has thrown at her and find some measure of peace. She had an uneasy childhood, unsettled teenage years, marriage, separation, and became a mother with all the attendant demands that placed on her and having to come to terms with mental health issues. The mismatch between being a mother and a hungry and devouring music industry is outlined.
There is real emotional power to Cass's story and you really feel it in the narrative. The highs and lows of a life in music that captures an era in British cultural history. It gives an unfiltered personal history, with joy, love, failures, regrets and all that it takes to live delivered beautifully through the frame of the music, songs and lyrics which define Cass Wheeler. Such a wonderful and unusual read which I highly recommend. Thanks to Orion for an ARC.
Now in the present, Cass is in the process of selecting sixteen songs from her huge back catalogue which serve to inform us of her life story through the songs and lyrics. Each of the songs is the structure for this book. Nostalgia and memories pour out from Cass, going back and forth in time to illuminate her very full life and the artistic and compulsive drive within her that inspires the songs. What emerges is a poignant journey into the past that provides an opportunity to understand her mistakes and come to terms with all that life has thrown at her and find some measure of peace. She had an uneasy childhood, unsettled teenage years, marriage, separation, and became a mother with all the attendant demands that placed on her and having to come to terms with mental health issues. The mismatch between being a mother and a hungry and devouring music industry is outlined.
There is real emotional power to Cass's story and you really feel it in the narrative. The highs and lows of a life in music that captures an era in British cultural history. It gives an unfiltered personal history, with joy, love, failures, regrets and all that it takes to live delivered beautifully through the frame of the music, songs and lyrics which define Cass Wheeler. Such a wonderful and unusual read which I highly recommend. Thanks to Orion for an ARC.
April 15, 2020
Two and a half stars.
Cass Wheeler is on a journey, a journey back to her past. After an absence of 16 years this singer songwriter chooses to pick 16 tracks from the very many she has written and recorded to define her life. These are the key moments in a very deeply personal Greatest Hits album. Over the course of these songs, which are given throughout the book, the reader gets to see the story of this woman’s life, from her childhood to her success as an artist, her love life and the losses she suffers.
I had heard a lot about this book and was fully expecting to love it since I love music and singing. And I did like the early stories of Cass and her childhood before it takes the reader to her singing life and the ups and downs of her career and relationships. What it does do is highlight particularly well the selfishness, single mindedness and ambition I suspect is needed to make it to the top in the entertainment industry. It clearly depicts the highs and the hardships of the music industry. The story deals with drug taking of various kinds. It also shows the problems that inevitably arise who egos clash. I enjoyed the references to various recording artists and their songs, many of whom I knew and some I didn’t.
But in the end this wasn’t enough to maintain my interest and love this book. Unfortunately I didn’t find Cass a very likable character. The longer this book went on the less I was able to empathise and relate to Cass. I found myself not wanting to pick the book up again and read further as evidenced by the number of days it took me to read this book. In short interesting but not a gripping read.
Maybe it was me but I found the way it jumped around at times confusing. Maybe just the wrong book at the wrong time? Or perhaps the wrong book for this person as I know others have loved it. One of those books you may need to try and decide for yourself what you think.
Cass Wheeler is on a journey, a journey back to her past. After an absence of 16 years this singer songwriter chooses to pick 16 tracks from the very many she has written and recorded to define her life. These are the key moments in a very deeply personal Greatest Hits album. Over the course of these songs, which are given throughout the book, the reader gets to see the story of this woman’s life, from her childhood to her success as an artist, her love life and the losses she suffers.
I had heard a lot about this book and was fully expecting to love it since I love music and singing. And I did like the early stories of Cass and her childhood before it takes the reader to her singing life and the ups and downs of her career and relationships. What it does do is highlight particularly well the selfishness, single mindedness and ambition I suspect is needed to make it to the top in the entertainment industry. It clearly depicts the highs and the hardships of the music industry. The story deals with drug taking of various kinds. It also shows the problems that inevitably arise who egos clash. I enjoyed the references to various recording artists and their songs, many of whom I knew and some I didn’t.
But in the end this wasn’t enough to maintain my interest and love this book. Unfortunately I didn’t find Cass a very likable character. The longer this book went on the less I was able to empathise and relate to Cass. I found myself not wanting to pick the book up again and read further as evidenced by the number of days it took me to read this book. In short interesting but not a gripping read.
Maybe it was me but I found the way it jumped around at times confusing. Maybe just the wrong book at the wrong time? Or perhaps the wrong book for this person as I know others have loved it. One of those books you may need to try and decide for yourself what you think.
May 26, 2017
This is a fictional biography of the British singer and songwriter Cass Wheeler. Cass was a successful musician and then she had a breakdown. Cass Wheeler is taking a journey back into her past. After a silence of ren years, the singer - songwriter is picking sixteen tracks that have defined her. Sixteen key moments in her life - for a uniquely personal Greatest Hits album. In the course of one day the story of Cass's life emerges. The highs and lows of music, friendship, ambition, love and great loss.
What a unique idea. To write the story of your life through songs. We all have a song that we remember good and bad times. I loved this book. A good read with some good music from the 1960's and 1970's.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing and the author Laura Barnett for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What a unique idea. To write the story of your life through songs. We all have a song that we remember good and bad times. I loved this book. A good read with some good music from the 1960's and 1970's.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing and the author Laura Barnett for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2017
I really wanted to love this character driven novel. From the title, cover and blurb I expected to love this book, but sadly it was not meant to be. I think one reason may be that I recently read such a beautifully emotional book that I struggled to let go of and failed to fully throw myself into this story. I also wasn’t really that keen on Cass, so I’m sure that shaped my enjoyment of the book. My favourite character was actually her dad, so if anything I wanted to read more about him.
The way this book was written was an interesting one. Cass is in the process of putting together a greatest hits album, and she doesn’t want to choose the most obvious famous songs, but the ones that mean the most to her. Each chapter starts with a song title and lyrics, which then leads on to her memories linked to that song. Her memories cover subjects such as her childhood, relationship with her parents, her first love and beyond.
The way this book was written was an interesting one. Cass is in the process of putting together a greatest hits album, and she doesn’t want to choose the most obvious famous songs, but the ones that mean the most to her. Each chapter starts with a song title and lyrics, which then leads on to her memories linked to that song. Her memories cover subjects such as her childhood, relationship with her parents, her first love and beyond.
July 30, 2017
“Silence, or something like it. An arpeggio of birdsong. The low rumble of a car. The distant diminuendo of a plane. Such are the sounds that have, over so many years, formed, for Cass, their own kind of music. The only kind that sounded right inside her head; that didn’t thud and clash there, ugly, discordant, deafening.”
Greatest Hits is the second novel by freelance arts journalist, features writer, theatre critic and author, Laura Barnett. It’s 2015, and singer-songwriter, Cass Wheeler is hesitant as she sits in the listening room of her home recording studio, about to spend the day listening to the sixteen tracks that will make up her new album, Greatest Hits: “The songs that tracked the arc of a lifetime.” She’s hesitant because the songs to which she will listen are, all but a few, chosen from her previous work. They are guaranteed to stir up memories of the milestones in her life; some happy, others less so, and some, decidedly traumatic, and she wonders if she will be able to cope.
Despite assurances from those around her, the prospect of re-entering the music scene after a ten-year hiatus also causes some anxiety. How will her choices, and her new works, be received by those attending the launch party this evening? And underlying it all, Cass wonders if her recent harsh words have put an end to a fledgling relationship she now very much wishes to develop.
The format Barnett has used is clever: after the initial introduction in the present day, each chapter is titled as an album track and begins with evocative song lyrics and their recording details, before recounting the events of Cass’s life to which the song relates. This is then followed by Cass’s present day thoughts and activities. In the latter, references are made to certain important incidents, and these are gradually revealed. In this way, Cass’s early years, her first interest in music, her significant relationships, her career, her family, her successes and her tragedies, and her ten-year silence are all described. Cass Wheeler’s Discography at the end is a lovely final touch.
Barnett’s plot is wholly believable. She easily captures her setting and readers of a certain vintage may experience some nostalgia. Her characters are well-formed and realistically flawed: even those who deeply disappoint arouse some empathy. Barnett also treats the reader to some beautiful descriptive prose: “She closes her eyes; she can feel the answer lurking in a distant, shadowed corner of her mind. That’s how it is, so often, now: the clear Technicolor of memory fading to sepia, recollection a deliberate act. An act of deliberation.” and “’Francis is in pieces.’ Cass pictures her father, then, as a china figurine, lying smashed on the carpet in the front room.” are examples.
“And then she had been left alone with that silence, and she had understood, for the first time, that it wasn’t really silence, but its own creeping layered symphony of sound.”
Readers who enjoyed “The Versions of Us” will not be disappointed in this latest offering from Laura Barnett. A tender and thoughtful read.
Greatest Hits is the second novel by freelance arts journalist, features writer, theatre critic and author, Laura Barnett. It’s 2015, and singer-songwriter, Cass Wheeler is hesitant as she sits in the listening room of her home recording studio, about to spend the day listening to the sixteen tracks that will make up her new album, Greatest Hits: “The songs that tracked the arc of a lifetime.” She’s hesitant because the songs to which she will listen are, all but a few, chosen from her previous work. They are guaranteed to stir up memories of the milestones in her life; some happy, others less so, and some, decidedly traumatic, and she wonders if she will be able to cope.
Despite assurances from those around her, the prospect of re-entering the music scene after a ten-year hiatus also causes some anxiety. How will her choices, and her new works, be received by those attending the launch party this evening? And underlying it all, Cass wonders if her recent harsh words have put an end to a fledgling relationship she now very much wishes to develop.
The format Barnett has used is clever: after the initial introduction in the present day, each chapter is titled as an album track and begins with evocative song lyrics and their recording details, before recounting the events of Cass’s life to which the song relates. This is then followed by Cass’s present day thoughts and activities. In the latter, references are made to certain important incidents, and these are gradually revealed. In this way, Cass’s early years, her first interest in music, her significant relationships, her career, her family, her successes and her tragedies, and her ten-year silence are all described. Cass Wheeler’s Discography at the end is a lovely final touch.
Barnett’s plot is wholly believable. She easily captures her setting and readers of a certain vintage may experience some nostalgia. Her characters are well-formed and realistically flawed: even those who deeply disappoint arouse some empathy. Barnett also treats the reader to some beautiful descriptive prose: “She closes her eyes; she can feel the answer lurking in a distant, shadowed corner of her mind. That’s how it is, so often, now: the clear Technicolor of memory fading to sepia, recollection a deliberate act. An act of deliberation.” and “’Francis is in pieces.’ Cass pictures her father, then, as a china figurine, lying smashed on the carpet in the front room.” are examples.
“And then she had been left alone with that silence, and she had understood, for the first time, that it wasn’t really silence, but its own creeping layered symphony of sound.”
Readers who enjoyed “The Versions of Us” will not be disappointed in this latest offering from Laura Barnett. A tender and thoughtful read.
September 5, 2023
czy to jedne z najlepiej wydanych 13 złotych w moim książkowym życiu? probably.
• wokalistka popularna w latach 70. przerywa karierę i po dwudziestu latach postanawia wrócić z kompilacją najważniejszych piosenek oraz kilkoma nowymi - by wytłumaczyć się z przeszłości, poznać siebie na nowo i opowiedzieć swoją prawdziwą historię
• muzyka sama płynie ze stron tej książki, a wszystko dopełnia oryginalny album z nagranymi piosenkami
• nie jestem w stanie powiedzieć ile uczuć towarzyszyło mi podczas poznawania tej historii - wkurzałam się, pragnęłam przytulić główną bohaterkę, wzruszałam się, z zafascynowaniem delektowałam piórem autorki i osób tłumaczących
• Cassandra Wheeler, oh Cass…zakochałam się, co więcej mogę rzec? absolutnie wspaniała postać, która przeszła tak wiele i mimo kłód notorycznie podkładanych jej pod nogi przez los, wytrwała. miała momenty słabsze, cięższe, momenty, w których potrzebowała bliskich - ale udało jej się przezwyciężyć nawet najgorsze myśli.
to bohaterka, która nie czuła się godna miłości i uważała, że jej wolność czy szczęście jest złudne, a jej życiowa historia…po prostu warto samemu ją poznać i przeżyć to, co ja
• miłość, rodzina, przyjaźnie, klimat lat 70., muzyka, kariera
cała ta opowieść, ku mojemu pozytywnemu zaskoczeniu, jest jedną wielką kompilacją Evelyn Hugo i Daisy Jones PRZYSIĘGAM WAM! a więc jeśli lubicie te klimaty, a któraś z kobiet wykreowanych przez TJR skradła wasze serducho, to pozwólcie skraść je również Cass Wheeler<3
• wokalistka popularna w latach 70. przerywa karierę i po dwudziestu latach postanawia wrócić z kompilacją najważniejszych piosenek oraz kilkoma nowymi - by wytłumaczyć się z przeszłości, poznać siebie na nowo i opowiedzieć swoją prawdziwą historię
• muzyka sama płynie ze stron tej książki, a wszystko dopełnia oryginalny album z nagranymi piosenkami
• nie jestem w stanie powiedzieć ile uczuć towarzyszyło mi podczas poznawania tej historii - wkurzałam się, pragnęłam przytulić główną bohaterkę, wzruszałam się, z zafascynowaniem delektowałam piórem autorki i osób tłumaczących
• Cassandra Wheeler, oh Cass…zakochałam się, co więcej mogę rzec? absolutnie wspaniała postać, która przeszła tak wiele i mimo kłód notorycznie podkładanych jej pod nogi przez los, wytrwała. miała momenty słabsze, cięższe, momenty, w których potrzebowała bliskich - ale udało jej się przezwyciężyć nawet najgorsze myśli.
to bohaterka, która nie czuła się godna miłości i uważała, że jej wolność czy szczęście jest złudne, a jej życiowa historia…po prostu warto samemu ją poznać i przeżyć to, co ja
• miłość, rodzina, przyjaźnie, klimat lat 70., muzyka, kariera
cała ta opowieść, ku mojemu pozytywnemu zaskoczeniu, jest jedną wielką kompilacją Evelyn Hugo i Daisy Jones PRZYSIĘGAM WAM! a więc jeśli lubicie te klimaty, a któraś z kobiet wykreowanych przez TJR skradła wasze serducho, to pozwólcie skraść je również Cass Wheeler<3
August 14, 2018
For my full review: https://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/...
Laura Barnett's debut came via The Versions of Us, telling the love story of Eva and Jim through three different possibilities. It is hardly surprising that her follow-up is another high-concept novel. Greatest Hits is set across the course of a single day, with the fictional singer-songwriters Cass Wheeler selecting the songs from her vast career which have been of the greatest significance within her life. Barnett describes the story as being based 'founded on [her] belief that there is no art form more evocative than music'. Reading the book however, it was only when I got to the end that I learned that Barnett had collaborated with Mercury-nominated singer Kathryn Williams to set the lyrics which Barnett had written for Cass' songs to music, creating the album Songs from the Novel Greatest Hits. I have a feeling that Barnett wanted me to have this playing while I was reading but alas, I was unaware. This had the regrettable consequence that when I finally did listen to the album, it was not quite what I had been hearing in my head - Williams' voice is beautiful but I had been imagining someone closer to Laura Marling or Beth Nielson Chapman.
As Cass gets up and potters about her day, she thinks back over her life all the way back to her arrival in the world, born to an indifferent and unhappy mother and absent-minded vicar father. We are granted the perspective of an omniscient narrator, seeing Cass even during the moments which she must surely not remember. In the present, we can see that darkness swirls in Cass' past. She describes herself as 'ex-musician. Ex-mother. Ex-daughter. Ex-wife' and lives as a recluse in a farmhouse in a remote village, having long abandoned her career following a stint in rehab. How did she get there and, now in her sixties, can Cass find a way of moving forward?
The heart of The Versions of Us was Eva; no matter which version she was in, she was both the book's heroine and its most compelling character. Clearly, Barnett felt the same as she pops up again in Version One form as a journalist and early admirer of Cass' work. The problem with Greatest Hits is that Cass Wheeler never quite measures up to Eva. She was quite an inert protagonist and although her struggles should have seemed interesting, somehow I never quite warmed to her. Her mother's early abandonment of the family should have felt traumatic, but yet it never really did. Her toxic marriage should have seemed dramatic, but it felt cliched. I did not feel the connection that I had hoped for. Part of this may be due to how overcrowded the cast list was. I understand that friends and colleagues come and go within the life of a musician but it was really difficult to keep track of who was who. There were so many characters who were clearly intended to be of significance to Cass but tracing back the original connection got a bit much.
That being said, Greatest Hits does raise a lot of interesting questions. As with The Versions of Us, there is the question of how far one can achieve professional success as a couple. Cass meets Ivor and immediately feels a strong sexual and musical chemistry. The two of them form a band and start performing but then it is Cass who is spotted by a record label. Ivor is both attracted to and jealous of Cass' success, their relationship steadily curdling as he attempts to satisfy himself in a role as her backing musician. Over time, he comes to eclipse her. The violence and betrayal that comes to characterise their marriage make for unpleasant reading. Based on her two novels so far, Barnett seems to depict success within both the professional and personal sphere to be akin to managing a see-saw, a rather bleak conclusion.
Another interesting question - not one I felt the novel entirely answered - was how one can keep hold of one's identity when it has passed into the public domain. Cass was born Maria Cassandra Wheeler but abandoned her first name when her mother left. She changed her look when she started performing. She was encouraged to change to suit shifting trends within music. Her words, her lyrics, her songs were all subject to public scrutiny. When it all went wrong, she retreated from the world. Do we see her regaining control? When the name 'Cass Wheeler' has a significance across the world, how can Cass Wheeler herself decide who the real one is? Any kind of public presence, even one as limited as my own as an online blogger and book reviewer, leaves one vulnerable to the opinions of others. People will read your words, form their own judgments and decide for themselves who you are. In choosing her 'greatest hits', surely Cass is trying to reassert control over her own narrative, to decide on her own version of her past.
The idea of choosing songs as marking posts for one's past may not be entirely original but it remains interesting. I liked Barnett's lyrics, or at least as I had imagined them myself - my personal favourite was 'Common Ground'. Interestingly though, I tested out the official album on my musician partner and he felt that the lyrics were unnecessarily descriptive and overly detailed. When I explained that they had been written by a novelist, this apparently explained a lot. I have had a lifelong habit of misremembering the words to songs and then clinging stubbornly to my personal interpretation - does it matter more what the artist meant originally or what I, the listener, choose to take from it? I have always believed that no two readers ever read the same book, do any two people ever hear the same song? Does Cass have the final word on what each song represents?
With a quotation from Mrs Dalloway at its opening and a circadian structure, Barnett appears to be attempting to echo Woolf. As someone who has never connected with Virginia Woolf no matter how much I tried, I wonder if this is another reason why Greatest Hits was for me a disappointment. Cass wanders through her day and everyone tiptoes around her. She is a strange creature set apart from those around her and this sense of disconnect extends to the reader. What makes it more frustrating is that there are still snapshots of Barnett at her best, of love lost and deep friendship, but these are passing moments compared to the warmth of The Versions of Us. Artistically, Greatest Hits is impressive but emotionally there is a void that I was not quite able to overcome.
Laura Barnett's debut came via The Versions of Us, telling the love story of Eva and Jim through three different possibilities. It is hardly surprising that her follow-up is another high-concept novel. Greatest Hits is set across the course of a single day, with the fictional singer-songwriters Cass Wheeler selecting the songs from her vast career which have been of the greatest significance within her life. Barnett describes the story as being based 'founded on [her] belief that there is no art form more evocative than music'. Reading the book however, it was only when I got to the end that I learned that Barnett had collaborated with Mercury-nominated singer Kathryn Williams to set the lyrics which Barnett had written for Cass' songs to music, creating the album Songs from the Novel Greatest Hits. I have a feeling that Barnett wanted me to have this playing while I was reading but alas, I was unaware. This had the regrettable consequence that when I finally did listen to the album, it was not quite what I had been hearing in my head - Williams' voice is beautiful but I had been imagining someone closer to Laura Marling or Beth Nielson Chapman.
As Cass gets up and potters about her day, she thinks back over her life all the way back to her arrival in the world, born to an indifferent and unhappy mother and absent-minded vicar father. We are granted the perspective of an omniscient narrator, seeing Cass even during the moments which she must surely not remember. In the present, we can see that darkness swirls in Cass' past. She describes herself as 'ex-musician. Ex-mother. Ex-daughter. Ex-wife' and lives as a recluse in a farmhouse in a remote village, having long abandoned her career following a stint in rehab. How did she get there and, now in her sixties, can Cass find a way of moving forward?
The heart of The Versions of Us was Eva; no matter which version she was in, she was both the book's heroine and its most compelling character. Clearly, Barnett felt the same as she pops up again in Version One form as a journalist and early admirer of Cass' work. The problem with Greatest Hits is that Cass Wheeler never quite measures up to Eva. She was quite an inert protagonist and although her struggles should have seemed interesting, somehow I never quite warmed to her. Her mother's early abandonment of the family should have felt traumatic, but yet it never really did. Her toxic marriage should have seemed dramatic, but it felt cliched. I did not feel the connection that I had hoped for. Part of this may be due to how overcrowded the cast list was. I understand that friends and colleagues come and go within the life of a musician but it was really difficult to keep track of who was who. There were so many characters who were clearly intended to be of significance to Cass but tracing back the original connection got a bit much.
That being said, Greatest Hits does raise a lot of interesting questions. As with The Versions of Us, there is the question of how far one can achieve professional success as a couple. Cass meets Ivor and immediately feels a strong sexual and musical chemistry. The two of them form a band and start performing but then it is Cass who is spotted by a record label. Ivor is both attracted to and jealous of Cass' success, their relationship steadily curdling as he attempts to satisfy himself in a role as her backing musician. Over time, he comes to eclipse her. The violence and betrayal that comes to characterise their marriage make for unpleasant reading. Based on her two novels so far, Barnett seems to depict success within both the professional and personal sphere to be akin to managing a see-saw, a rather bleak conclusion.
Another interesting question - not one I felt the novel entirely answered - was how one can keep hold of one's identity when it has passed into the public domain. Cass was born Maria Cassandra Wheeler but abandoned her first name when her mother left. She changed her look when she started performing. She was encouraged to change to suit shifting trends within music. Her words, her lyrics, her songs were all subject to public scrutiny. When it all went wrong, she retreated from the world. Do we see her regaining control? When the name 'Cass Wheeler' has a significance across the world, how can Cass Wheeler herself decide who the real one is? Any kind of public presence, even one as limited as my own as an online blogger and book reviewer, leaves one vulnerable to the opinions of others. People will read your words, form their own judgments and decide for themselves who you are. In choosing her 'greatest hits', surely Cass is trying to reassert control over her own narrative, to decide on her own version of her past.
The idea of choosing songs as marking posts for one's past may not be entirely original but it remains interesting. I liked Barnett's lyrics, or at least as I had imagined them myself - my personal favourite was 'Common Ground'. Interestingly though, I tested out the official album on my musician partner and he felt that the lyrics were unnecessarily descriptive and overly detailed. When I explained that they had been written by a novelist, this apparently explained a lot. I have had a lifelong habit of misremembering the words to songs and then clinging stubbornly to my personal interpretation - does it matter more what the artist meant originally or what I, the listener, choose to take from it? I have always believed that no two readers ever read the same book, do any two people ever hear the same song? Does Cass have the final word on what each song represents?
With a quotation from Mrs Dalloway at its opening and a circadian structure, Barnett appears to be attempting to echo Woolf. As someone who has never connected with Virginia Woolf no matter how much I tried, I wonder if this is another reason why Greatest Hits was for me a disappointment. Cass wanders through her day and everyone tiptoes around her. She is a strange creature set apart from those around her and this sense of disconnect extends to the reader. What makes it more frustrating is that there are still snapshots of Barnett at her best, of love lost and deep friendship, but these are passing moments compared to the warmth of The Versions of Us. Artistically, Greatest Hits is impressive but emotionally there is a void that I was not quite able to overcome.
October 1, 2018
Mmm… Not for the first time, I’m torn about how to review a book. This one was beautifully written. Barnett’s style is gorgeous and she’s obviously really talented when it comes to descriptive prose. However, when it comes to the plot…
I know this sounds harsh, but I just didn’t get the point of the plot: a fictional singer coping with fictional situations and life crises. Why? There’s a plethora of books written by or about real life singers coping with their real life situations and crises. Why not read them?
To pull off a plot like this, I think there needed to be more than what Barnett gave us. Cass, our singing heroine, has the typical personal relationships: a horrible mother, an ill father, an alcohol and drug dependent husband. We get to read about her tours and stage appearances, where she suffers from nerves, and how she writes deeply personal songs from her heart. There's also the obligatory mental breakdown.
This might all work on the screen when you have the likes of Bette Midler belting out a song about a rose but in this case I felt there was nothing new or exciting about the plot. I didn't cry. I didn't cheer on any of the characters. I didn't desperately want anyone to hook up romantically. I pretty much skimmed through the last 30% of the book.
Along with Cass’s family members, there’s a lot of supporting characters who flit in and out of the book. I mean, a lot. And I have to admit I didn’t even try to remember who was who and what part they played in Cass’s life after a while.
The lyrics of Cass’s songs feature at the beginning of each chapter. I remember a writing friend telling me once that songs never work in novels. I think she was right.
In a move to make the book stand out, Barnett (and her publishers I assume) enlisted the help of Kathryn Williams to produce a ‘Greatest Hits Soundtrack’ bringing to life the songs featured throughout the book. I did find this 'soundtrack' and listened but it still didn’t increase my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I think the opposite happened. Part of the pleasure of a book is using your imagination and Barnett and Williams even stole that away. The fictional songs become real songs sung by a real person who didn't sound like I wanted the fictional person to sound like. I just… This felt like some sort of trendy meta thing that on the whole annoyed me.
Barnett obviously based Cass on a mixture of singers likes Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. I would recommend finding one of their biographies and/or their published song lyrics.
2 1/2 out of 5
I know this sounds harsh, but I just didn’t get the point of the plot: a fictional singer coping with fictional situations and life crises. Why? There’s a plethora of books written by or about real life singers coping with their real life situations and crises. Why not read them?
To pull off a plot like this, I think there needed to be more than what Barnett gave us. Cass, our singing heroine, has the typical personal relationships: a horrible mother, an ill father, an alcohol and drug dependent husband. We get to read about her tours and stage appearances, where she suffers from nerves, and how she writes deeply personal songs from her heart. There's also the obligatory mental breakdown.
This might all work on the screen when you have the likes of Bette Midler belting out a song about a rose but in this case I felt there was nothing new or exciting about the plot. I didn't cry. I didn't cheer on any of the characters. I didn't desperately want anyone to hook up romantically. I pretty much skimmed through the last 30% of the book.
Along with Cass’s family members, there’s a lot of supporting characters who flit in and out of the book. I mean, a lot. And I have to admit I didn’t even try to remember who was who and what part they played in Cass’s life after a while.
The lyrics of Cass’s songs feature at the beginning of each chapter. I remember a writing friend telling me once that songs never work in novels. I think she was right.
In a move to make the book stand out, Barnett (and her publishers I assume) enlisted the help of Kathryn Williams to produce a ‘Greatest Hits Soundtrack’ bringing to life the songs featured throughout the book. I did find this 'soundtrack' and listened but it still didn’t increase my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I think the opposite happened. Part of the pleasure of a book is using your imagination and Barnett and Williams even stole that away. The fictional songs become real songs sung by a real person who didn't sound like I wanted the fictional person to sound like. I just… This felt like some sort of trendy meta thing that on the whole annoyed me.
Barnett obviously based Cass on a mixture of singers likes Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. I would recommend finding one of their biographies and/or their published song lyrics.
2 1/2 out of 5
February 14, 2017
It's confirmed. Laura Barnett is a storytelling virtuoso, and I feel blessed to have
Greatest Hits
sitting on my bookshelf. This glorious melody of words and lyrics will take you by the heart and walk you through a sublime pilgrimage to heal a soul.
The guests will be arriving soon, a network of cogs in the Cass Wheeler machine. Before she opens the doors of her home to them it is her task to make a selection of her Greatest Hits , an ensemble of the vivid memories fashioned by the years. Their individual association to Cass is explored with an introduction of a song, its poignant verse and chorus presented in a familiar format for you to absorb.
As Cass is a natural conductor of emotions channelling her experiences into music it’s wonderful not only to see the origins of her music but how it evolved. Including the year of release and crediting the supporting artists gave a genuine sense of who had walked into onto the stage at a given time and where they fit into the story. Those she remembers with fondness like her friend and assistant, Kim, who can pluck a solution out of thin air. Then there are those who manufactured the problems, perhaps not always with intent, but still.
During the course of an early morning until the evening falls, the bright spark of talent in a young naive songwriter builds to a crescendo of the icon who stepped back from the bright lights. A veteran of life whose playlist of her past is taking shape: a musician’s spirit, a daughter’s memories, a mother’s anguish. It’s an intensely personal and therapeutic process inviting heart breaking reservations to surface after they’d been long buried. And as Cass Wheeler says:
Greatest Hits is a memoir where the writer allows us to read between the lines. It’s all purely fictional of course, and yet these people are anything but two-dimensional characters on a page. They are expressive and unique, afflicted by passion, envy and sorrow.
It’s truly, truly wonderful in every way imaginable and I can't recommend it highly enough. This book is a keeper, for sure.
(I must say a massive thank you to the author, Rebecca Gray and the publisher for kindly providing an advanced copy of this book. It gives me great pleasure to provide this unbiased review.)
The guests will be arriving soon, a network of cogs in the Cass Wheeler machine. Before she opens the doors of her home to them it is her task to make a selection of her Greatest Hits , an ensemble of the vivid memories fashioned by the years. Their individual association to Cass is explored with an introduction of a song, its poignant verse and chorus presented in a familiar format for you to absorb.
As Cass is a natural conductor of emotions channelling her experiences into music it’s wonderful not only to see the origins of her music but how it evolved. Including the year of release and crediting the supporting artists gave a genuine sense of who had walked into onto the stage at a given time and where they fit into the story. Those she remembers with fondness like her friend and assistant, Kim, who can pluck a solution out of thin air. Then there are those who manufactured the problems, perhaps not always with intent, but still.
During the course of an early morning until the evening falls, the bright spark of talent in a young naive songwriter builds to a crescendo of the icon who stepped back from the bright lights. A veteran of life whose playlist of her past is taking shape: a musician’s spirit, a daughter’s memories, a mother’s anguish. It’s an intensely personal and therapeutic process inviting heart breaking reservations to surface after they’d been long buried. And as Cass Wheeler says:
"…like meeting myself again. Or the person I used to be, anyway."
Greatest Hits is a memoir where the writer allows us to read between the lines. It’s all purely fictional of course, and yet these people are anything but two-dimensional characters on a page. They are expressive and unique, afflicted by passion, envy and sorrow.
It’s truly, truly wonderful in every way imaginable and I can't recommend it highly enough. This book is a keeper, for sure.
(I must say a massive thank you to the author, Rebecca Gray and the publisher for kindly providing an advanced copy of this book. It gives me great pleasure to provide this unbiased review.)
July 22, 2017
2.5 stars
I expected to enjoy this book about the life and songs of a fictional singer-songwriter, but although it began well, ultimately i started to switch off and in the last 30 pages I actually found myself skipping paragraphs to get to the end.
All the creativity (Laura Barnett is building up a track record here) appears to have gone into the structure and presentation of the book..... i really liked the use of song-lyrics to frame each chapter, and the authenticity brought by adding studio recording dates, album titles etc.. I understand there is an accompanying CD to which i say bravo...
But the story itself was rather predictable, Cass Wheeler's reflections on her life not especially insightful, and her own character rather uninteresting. The longer the book went on the more I began to find her passivity both irritating and selfish.
I enjoyed The Versions of Us, and i felt there was a good book trying to get out here. But for me this wasn't it and i've rounded my star-rating down due to a particularly weak final section.
I expected to enjoy this book about the life and songs of a fictional singer-songwriter, but although it began well, ultimately i started to switch off and in the last 30 pages I actually found myself skipping paragraphs to get to the end.
All the creativity (Laura Barnett is building up a track record here) appears to have gone into the structure and presentation of the book..... i really liked the use of song-lyrics to frame each chapter, and the authenticity brought by adding studio recording dates, album titles etc.. I understand there is an accompanying CD to which i say bravo...
But the story itself was rather predictable, Cass Wheeler's reflections on her life not especially insightful, and her own character rather uninteresting. The longer the book went on the more I began to find her passivity both irritating and selfish.
I enjoyed The Versions of Us, and i felt there was a good book trying to get out here. But for me this wasn't it and i've rounded my star-rating down due to a particularly weak final section.
June 21, 2017
Read this with a cuppa and put the record of the book soundtrack on!
Travel to the locations in the novel: Booktrail it to a musical place
What a lovely and unique idea for a novel - the story of your life told through song. A book of memories which conjures up the great singer song writers of their day and the songs you yourself have written. The Greatest Hits is a clever title as well as a clever idea - we all have soundtracks to our lives don't we? Songs we remember as a child - where we were, what we were doing, the smells of that hot day on the beach whilst something was playing on the radio?
Music is so powerful and so evocative - it's very clever to write the story of your life through songs - and the author is working with a real life musician to record them as they appear in the book lyrics too! Of course Cassie in the book is fictional but by the end I was starting to believe she was as famous as Janis Joplin and somehow I'd missed her music.
A homage to British music and the British music scene of the 1960s and 1970s.
Travel to the locations in the novel: Booktrail it to a musical place
What a lovely and unique idea for a novel - the story of your life told through song. A book of memories which conjures up the great singer song writers of their day and the songs you yourself have written. The Greatest Hits is a clever title as well as a clever idea - we all have soundtracks to our lives don't we? Songs we remember as a child - where we were, what we were doing, the smells of that hot day on the beach whilst something was playing on the radio?
Music is so powerful and so evocative - it's very clever to write the story of your life through songs - and the author is working with a real life musician to record them as they appear in the book lyrics too! Of course Cassie in the book is fictional but by the end I was starting to believe she was as famous as Janis Joplin and somehow I'd missed her music.
A homage to British music and the British music scene of the 1960s and 1970s.
January 14, 2017
Ooooohhh!!! Good book!! The intense and multi-dimensional aspects of love and loss are so extraordinarily spun throughout this richly textured, deeply layered story; while, at the same time, bringing life and even like-ability to the deeply flawed characters. Wow!! Loved it!! Thank you Orion Publishing and NetGalley for allowing the privilege of this ARC.
May 24, 2019
2.5 stars. Poor man's Daisy Jones and The Six.
June 12, 2017
Every now and again a book comes along that wows you with its richness; Greatest Hits is one such novel. There can’t be many people who don’t have a soundtrack to their lives, those songs that were the background to early years, the songs we fell in love to and those that we obsessively listened to as we attempt to mend wounded hearts; for many of us there is a tune that can turn back the years to a distant time and place. Laura Barnett has taken this idea and turned it into a densely woven story.
Cass Wheeler is a singer songwriter and Greatest Hits is the story of her life, exploring through her own lyrics the key events in her life from the earliest days with her decidedly less than maternal mother Margaret and her father, the local vicar Francis, who would read to her from adult books to sooth her to the woman she is now, reflecting on her years of silence, having turned her back on music. For Cass there were no songs left to write and no music to fill her days.
Greatest Hits is supported by a wonderful cast of characters who in turn support Cass through her life, most notably Aunt Lily and her assistant Kim. With any book spanning decades the links to the past are most important and in true reflection of real life we also see that some people are in our lives for brief amounts of time, but nonetheless have a huge impact as was the case with her childhood friend, Irene, and perhaps more importantly Irene’s mother who provided the mothering that was bereft from her own life. All of these different yet vivid characters provide the supporting acts to Cass’s story.
Each of the sixteen long chapters are headed up with one of the titles of the songs that Cass is compiling of the music that reflects her life. Below the title we have some lyrics from the songs as well as the fictional release date and other recording details. We therefore dive back to the early days and those memories, whilst in the present we have some clues as to the tragedy that struck Cass and led to her disappearing from her successful music career at its height in the 1970s to the withdrawing from life as well as music in the early 2000s. This layering of a story is exceptionally well done and Laura Barnett weaves the past and the present convincingly with the brightness of the triumphs with the depths of despair not forgetting those more mundane or mixed emotions which all of us experience.
Despite not being a famous singer, and not having spent my life penning songs or living in the lap of luxury and only being born as Cass was releasing her early music, Cass’s life felt like one I could have been part of, so evocative were the descriptions and so rich in both characters and writing style. This is a book to wallow in with a story that transports its reader to a time and place far away. For those who really want to get the full experience a soundtrack is being produced with Kathryn Williams performing the songs contained within the book to be released in conjunction with this novel. But even without the added interactive element Greatest Hits is in my opinion a triumphant second book to follow up to The Versions of Us which I also adored.
Cass Wheeler is a singer songwriter and Greatest Hits is the story of her life, exploring through her own lyrics the key events in her life from the earliest days with her decidedly less than maternal mother Margaret and her father, the local vicar Francis, who would read to her from adult books to sooth her to the woman she is now, reflecting on her years of silence, having turned her back on music. For Cass there were no songs left to write and no music to fill her days.
Greatest Hits is supported by a wonderful cast of characters who in turn support Cass through her life, most notably Aunt Lily and her assistant Kim. With any book spanning decades the links to the past are most important and in true reflection of real life we also see that some people are in our lives for brief amounts of time, but nonetheless have a huge impact as was the case with her childhood friend, Irene, and perhaps more importantly Irene’s mother who provided the mothering that was bereft from her own life. All of these different yet vivid characters provide the supporting acts to Cass’s story.
Each of the sixteen long chapters are headed up with one of the titles of the songs that Cass is compiling of the music that reflects her life. Below the title we have some lyrics from the songs as well as the fictional release date and other recording details. We therefore dive back to the early days and those memories, whilst in the present we have some clues as to the tragedy that struck Cass and led to her disappearing from her successful music career at its height in the 1970s to the withdrawing from life as well as music in the early 2000s. This layering of a story is exceptionally well done and Laura Barnett weaves the past and the present convincingly with the brightness of the triumphs with the depths of despair not forgetting those more mundane or mixed emotions which all of us experience.
Despite not being a famous singer, and not having spent my life penning songs or living in the lap of luxury and only being born as Cass was releasing her early music, Cass’s life felt like one I could have been part of, so evocative were the descriptions and so rich in both characters and writing style. This is a book to wallow in with a story that transports its reader to a time and place far away. For those who really want to get the full experience a soundtrack is being produced with Kathryn Williams performing the songs contained within the book to be released in conjunction with this novel. But even without the added interactive element Greatest Hits is in my opinion a triumphant second book to follow up to The Versions of Us which I also adored.
December 24, 2019
When I get a third of the way through a book and I couldn't care less what happens to any of the characters then I know I'm wasting my one precious life and I have to stop and go on to the next book on my list.
June 12, 2017
“Larry knows what it is to lose oneself for hours – days, even – in the act of creation; and to only understand, when the mind and body are finally calm once more, what it is that has been created. What, in that act, the artist is trying to make sense of, even though no sense can ever truly be made of this dizzying, maddening, impossible, beautiful life; and, of course, of its culmination, its crescendo and its inevitable loss.”
Greatest Hits, by Laura Barnett, tells the story of fictional singer-songwriter, Cass Wheeler, from her childhood growing up the only child of a London vicar and his depressed wife, through her rise to the heady heights of international fame, and then to her retirement from the music scene following personal tragedy. Along the way are exhausting months on the road, abandoned friends, broken marriages, and the apparently requisite over-indulgence in drugs of all kinds.
The structure of the story is wrapped around a series of sixteen songs representing Wheeler’s life. The lyrics – written by the author and real life singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams – have been put to music and will be released as a studio album to coincide with the publication of the book. This is not the first time publishers have collaborated to create associated music – I am aware of singles from Fahrenheit Press and Orenda Books. It is still, however, an interesting idea.
The story is set over the course of a day as Wheeler decides on the tracks to be released from her back catalogue in a new album being planned to enable her to emerge from retirement. As each song is selected the timeline moves to describe the events that provided their inspiration. Hints are dropped in the contemporary setting and then explained in these flashbacks. With a cast of characters spanning more than six decades it took concentration to remember who was who between the time periods.
Although polished and fluid I was not fully engaged until near the end. The contemporary sections felt like interruptions in what was an otherwise compelling tale. I did question why anyone would want fame, something that Wheeler herself noted when she saw the life an old friend was leading. Much is made of how artistic creatives cannot stifle their urges, even those that carry risk of self-destruction.
There is a poignancy to any life story as, over time, family and friends will inevitably be lost to abandonment, disagreement, and death. Words will be spoken that cannot then be forgotten, resentments form that damage all involved. Wheeler makes choices, repeats mistakes, holds grudges and must live with the consequences. The depiction of her as a daughter – to both the women charged with her care – and then as a mother, made for interesting reading. There was little new in this but it was perceptively portrayed.
Wheeler’s life with its hurts and privileges is rendered to demonstrate that success happens moment by moment and can be measured in many ways. Even if not convinced by the construction, this tale is well written. I will listen out for the album when it too is released.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Greatest Hits, by Laura Barnett, tells the story of fictional singer-songwriter, Cass Wheeler, from her childhood growing up the only child of a London vicar and his depressed wife, through her rise to the heady heights of international fame, and then to her retirement from the music scene following personal tragedy. Along the way are exhausting months on the road, abandoned friends, broken marriages, and the apparently requisite over-indulgence in drugs of all kinds.
The structure of the story is wrapped around a series of sixteen songs representing Wheeler’s life. The lyrics – written by the author and real life singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams – have been put to music and will be released as a studio album to coincide with the publication of the book. This is not the first time publishers have collaborated to create associated music – I am aware of singles from Fahrenheit Press and Orenda Books. It is still, however, an interesting idea.
The story is set over the course of a day as Wheeler decides on the tracks to be released from her back catalogue in a new album being planned to enable her to emerge from retirement. As each song is selected the timeline moves to describe the events that provided their inspiration. Hints are dropped in the contemporary setting and then explained in these flashbacks. With a cast of characters spanning more than six decades it took concentration to remember who was who between the time periods.
Although polished and fluid I was not fully engaged until near the end. The contemporary sections felt like interruptions in what was an otherwise compelling tale. I did question why anyone would want fame, something that Wheeler herself noted when she saw the life an old friend was leading. Much is made of how artistic creatives cannot stifle their urges, even those that carry risk of self-destruction.
There is a poignancy to any life story as, over time, family and friends will inevitably be lost to abandonment, disagreement, and death. Words will be spoken that cannot then be forgotten, resentments form that damage all involved. Wheeler makes choices, repeats mistakes, holds grudges and must live with the consequences. The depiction of her as a daughter – to both the women charged with her care – and then as a mother, made for interesting reading. There was little new in this but it was perceptively portrayed.
Wheeler’s life with its hurts and privileges is rendered to demonstrate that success happens moment by moment and can be measured in many ways. Even if not convinced by the construction, this tale is well written. I will listen out for the album when it too is released.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
July 11, 2017
Singer Cass Wheeler is planning a retrospective, an album of 16 songs that she has chosen as representing the most important times of her life. As she prepares for the launch party, she looks back over her life. Her childhood with her depressed mother and much older father, the launch of her career with her lover and musical partner, fame and all the problems it brings, and a family tragedy which leads to her turning her back on not only the music industry, but music itself.
The plot is structured around the lyrics of the 16 songs (a joint project by the author with singer Kathryn Williams). In itself the story is not particularly original and takes a fairly predictable path, though it does have some perceptive points to make about human nature and the selfish driving force of great artists.
For me, the strength of the novel lies with the character of Cass. She makes and repeats her mistakes, sometimes unconsciously and sometimes with a measure of self-awareness, hurts and gets hurt. She inspires loyalty in her friends - her relationships with others, and how they change over time, is one of the most compelling aspects of the book. The mixture of shyness and ambition, and the power of the creative spirit, is really well depicted and feels totally authentic.
As with any book dealing with the passing of time, there is a tone of poignancy and regret overlaying the narrative. This is something I always relate to, and made this book engaging for me personally. There are flashes of humour, but not as many as I would have liked, but it is not by any means a negative or downbeat story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
I won a copy of this book in a publisher's giveaway on social media.
The plot is structured around the lyrics of the 16 songs (a joint project by the author with singer Kathryn Williams). In itself the story is not particularly original and takes a fairly predictable path, though it does have some perceptive points to make about human nature and the selfish driving force of great artists.
For me, the strength of the novel lies with the character of Cass. She makes and repeats her mistakes, sometimes unconsciously and sometimes with a measure of self-awareness, hurts and gets hurt. She inspires loyalty in her friends - her relationships with others, and how they change over time, is one of the most compelling aspects of the book. The mixture of shyness and ambition, and the power of the creative spirit, is really well depicted and feels totally authentic.
As with any book dealing with the passing of time, there is a tone of poignancy and regret overlaying the narrative. This is something I always relate to, and made this book engaging for me personally. There are flashes of humour, but not as many as I would have liked, but it is not by any means a negative or downbeat story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
I won a copy of this book in a publisher's giveaway on social media.
June 15, 2017
An author and a musician collaborate to tell a story. Laura Barnett, the author, embarking on that difficult second novel. Kathryn Williams, a singer songwriter, provides the songs that will unravel the life story of Cassandra Wheeler.
Cassandra Wheeler, singer songwriter, now in her sixties is coming out of retirement, after many years living as a recluse.
Cass will launch her greatest hits album with a number of new songs at a launch party, but before that she is going to sit in her studio and listen to the songs that have shaped her life. No matter how painful the memories Cass is going to confront the past, and relive the events that have led her to this important day.
It is a life that has had many twists and turns, many highs and lows. A childhood marred by an unloving absent mother, a marriage doomed from the start and a career that has led to all the wealth and material possessions that Cass could ever want. But what sacrifices , what has it cost her?
Barnett, is clever and uses the lyrics from Cass's past songs to begin each chapter as well as to signify a different phase in Cass's life.
The lyrics tie in beautifully. I particularly loved the poignant lyrics of 'Common Ground' used to describe her mother leaving without saying goodbye.
As I read I tried to imagine the accompanying melody, the sound of Cass's voice and I cannot wait to hear Kathryn William's interpretation.
The characters portray both the good and bad side of the music industry. From Cass's husband, Ivor Tait, losing himself in drugs, alcohol and abuse as their marriage falls apart to her wonderful personal assistant, Kim, who tries to protect her. Then there is the beautiful fragile daughter, Anna, caught in the middle of her warring parents, struggling to deal with life.
Barnett's writing has the capacity to stir up a myriad of emotions in her reader and once or twice, I had to wipe away the odd stray tear.
It was hard to turn the last page, to leave Cass and all the wonderful characters behind in what is a truly unique and memorable novel.
Definitely one of the best novels so far this year.
Thank you so much to Rebecca Gray for sending a proof copy for me to read and review.
Cassandra Wheeler, singer songwriter, now in her sixties is coming out of retirement, after many years living as a recluse.
Cass will launch her greatest hits album with a number of new songs at a launch party, but before that she is going to sit in her studio and listen to the songs that have shaped her life. No matter how painful the memories Cass is going to confront the past, and relive the events that have led her to this important day.
It is a life that has had many twists and turns, many highs and lows. A childhood marred by an unloving absent mother, a marriage doomed from the start and a career that has led to all the wealth and material possessions that Cass could ever want. But what sacrifices , what has it cost her?
Barnett, is clever and uses the lyrics from Cass's past songs to begin each chapter as well as to signify a different phase in Cass's life.
The lyrics tie in beautifully. I particularly loved the poignant lyrics of 'Common Ground' used to describe her mother leaving without saying goodbye.
As I read I tried to imagine the accompanying melody, the sound of Cass's voice and I cannot wait to hear Kathryn William's interpretation.
The characters portray both the good and bad side of the music industry. From Cass's husband, Ivor Tait, losing himself in drugs, alcohol and abuse as their marriage falls apart to her wonderful personal assistant, Kim, who tries to protect her. Then there is the beautiful fragile daughter, Anna, caught in the middle of her warring parents, struggling to deal with life.
Barnett's writing has the capacity to stir up a myriad of emotions in her reader and once or twice, I had to wipe away the odd stray tear.
It was hard to turn the last page, to leave Cass and all the wonderful characters behind in what is a truly unique and memorable novel.
Definitely one of the best novels so far this year.
Thank you so much to Rebecca Gray for sending a proof copy for me to read and review.
January 17, 2021
Jag visste att Laura Barnett var en författare jag ville läsa mer av efter att jag charmats av The Versions of Us för några år sedan. Men Greatest Hits gjorde mig besviken, även om jag har svårt att sätta fingret på varför den inte lyckas engagera mig till fullo. En fiktiv självbiografi om en fiktiv singer-songwriter med utgångspunkt i hennes låtar – det lät ju så lockande. Men kanske är det något i huvudpersonen Cass som gör att jag aldrig ställer mig helt och fullt på hennes sida utan alltid betraktar henne lite på avstånd. Greatest Hits är inte illa skriven, men den väckte inte den typ av intresse som jag hoppats på.
April 6, 2017
Greatest Hits is clever, intriguing, so original and absolutely beautifully written. I do believe that I have found one of my Top Reads of 2017. This is a wonderful novel that feels so personal, so intimate and so familiar.
The story takes a circular journey, beginning early one morning as Cass Wheeler prepares for a party at her house. Cass has known fame and glory, accompanied by tragedy and sorrow throughout her life. For the past few years she's hidden herself away from the world. She's been vulnerable and scarred by life events, but today is a turning point.
Acclaimed singer and song writer Cass had the world at her feet in the heady days of the late 60s and 1970s. She was Britain's answer to Janis Joplin and Joan Baez, topping the charts with her own songs, accompanied by her partner Ivor. For the past ten years she's been silent, but finally, she has agreed to release a Greatest Hits album, with newly written songs recorded alongside the old favourites.
As Cass listens to each of the sixteen old tracks, her memories are awakened and the reader becomes a passenger on her life journey. Laura Barnett has recaptured the glamour of the music business in the 60s and 70s, but does not shy away from detailing the seedy, darker side that shadow Cass's memories. The research that has gone into Greatest Hits is outstanding, with the fashions, the music and the popular culture of the time described in vivid detail.
The novel's journey ends on the evening of the day that it started, yet it covers fifty years of Cass's life in incredible details, Filled with characters who burst from the page, dealing with almost unbearable sorrows and incredible highs, Greatest Hits is an absolute triumph. I loved every single page, and could quite happily have read another 400 pages.
Elegant and sophisticated, Greatest Hits is another sure-fire winner from this incredibly talented young author. I will be buying copies to thrust into the hands of my friends
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The story takes a circular journey, beginning early one morning as Cass Wheeler prepares for a party at her house. Cass has known fame and glory, accompanied by tragedy and sorrow throughout her life. For the past few years she's hidden herself away from the world. She's been vulnerable and scarred by life events, but today is a turning point.
Acclaimed singer and song writer Cass had the world at her feet in the heady days of the late 60s and 1970s. She was Britain's answer to Janis Joplin and Joan Baez, topping the charts with her own songs, accompanied by her partner Ivor. For the past ten years she's been silent, but finally, she has agreed to release a Greatest Hits album, with newly written songs recorded alongside the old favourites.
As Cass listens to each of the sixteen old tracks, her memories are awakened and the reader becomes a passenger on her life journey. Laura Barnett has recaptured the glamour of the music business in the 60s and 70s, but does not shy away from detailing the seedy, darker side that shadow Cass's memories. The research that has gone into Greatest Hits is outstanding, with the fashions, the music and the popular culture of the time described in vivid detail.
The novel's journey ends on the evening of the day that it started, yet it covers fifty years of Cass's life in incredible details, Filled with characters who burst from the page, dealing with almost unbearable sorrows and incredible highs, Greatest Hits is an absolute triumph. I loved every single page, and could quite happily have read another 400 pages.
Elegant and sophisticated, Greatest Hits is another sure-fire winner from this incredibly talented young author. I will be buying copies to thrust into the hands of my friends
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November 14, 2017
I thought when I requested this book that the "Greatest Hits" were going to be from real life - but it turns out they are the fictional songs that Cass the main character in the book has written. There are some references made to contemporary songs and bands of the various times and so I did like those parts as it enabled me to relate to those periods of time.
Overall this book really didn't do it for me. I felt it was long at over 400 pages, drawn out and protracted. Bearing in mind this is one day - it felt like the longest day to me. Think of the TV series 24 and how that aired over many weeks!
There were parts I did like, such as the early childhood of Cass and her struggles with life. I could really relate to her being a young child and "grown up" things happening around her which she just couldn't understand - that is until many years later when she had a family of her own.
There didn't seem to be a pattern to the book, characters just came out of left field and I was left wondering who they were. I decided to just go with it and get to the end, hoping I would warm more to Cass, but unfortunately the opposite happened for me. Some characters popped up again and I was glad that Cass did reconnect with her past, and again those parts of the book I enjoyed more.
If this is ever made into a film I could see Bill Nighy playing Cass's boyfriend/husband Ivor. I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.
My thanks go to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.
Overall this book really didn't do it for me. I felt it was long at over 400 pages, drawn out and protracted. Bearing in mind this is one day - it felt like the longest day to me. Think of the TV series 24 and how that aired over many weeks!
There were parts I did like, such as the early childhood of Cass and her struggles with life. I could really relate to her being a young child and "grown up" things happening around her which she just couldn't understand - that is until many years later when she had a family of her own.
There didn't seem to be a pattern to the book, characters just came out of left field and I was left wondering who they were. I decided to just go with it and get to the end, hoping I would warm more to Cass, but unfortunately the opposite happened for me. Some characters popped up again and I was glad that Cass did reconnect with her past, and again those parts of the book I enjoyed more.
If this is ever made into a film I could see Bill Nighy playing Cass's boyfriend/husband Ivor. I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.
My thanks go to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.
September 23, 2017
This is my book of the year so far. I was absolutely engrossed in it and all the characters came to life for me. I already liked Versions of Us and I already admired Laura Barnett's writing, but this book is something special.
November 14, 2017
One of the loveliest musical purchases I made last year was the Joan Baez 75th Anniversay Tribute Concert CD. All Joan's mates/admirers came together to pay homage to the great lady by placing their own imprint on her impressive back catalogue. I remember buying her very early recordings on Vanguard when the winds of change were blowing across the US and around the world during the sixties. Soon after, I also picked up on Judy Collins. Between them they put the folk back into Peter, Paul and Mary and the Kingston Trio, as did Cass Wheeler, the folkster/musician at the core of Laura Barnett's 'Greatest Hits'.
Kathy Guest, in her review of this tome for the Guardian, reflects, 'When it comes to listening to music, there are two types of people: those who pay attention to the lyrics and those who don't notice them. The former are drawn to artists such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. The latter end up choosing a song about breaking up as the first dance at their wedding.' I'd like to think, with my love of Cohen, Dylan, Australia's Paul Kelly and that Idaho troubadour Josh Ritter, that I'm in the former category. I was certainly in the category of those who thought the Barnett book was a pretty cool read.
Cass Wheeler's a UK singer/songwriter in the mold of all the aforementioned with her life span roughly paralleling my own. She had great musical success; beloved by millions back in the day when she was in her pomp. Since then, though, her life had not been so shiny as a result of a dysfunctional marriage. This was a causal factor for the battles with life of her only offspring, all resulting in Cass' own mental issues. As the novel opens we discover Ms Wheeler leading a semi-reclusive life, in an isolated farmhouse, struggling valiantly, with a small circle of friends/employees, to give her existence back some meaning. As a goal she wants to recapture some of her glory years – to mount a comeback to savour even a small portion of that earlier success. From that point we receive a tour of her backstory, from her fractured upbringing, then paying her dues until she is spotted by talent scouts and given a recording contract. The rest, as they say is history, in this case, fictional. On her coattails rides her to-be-hubby, an excellent muso himself, but one who saw a much better future for himself than playing second fiddle to his superstar missus. Later he goes solo, has some success too and he feels a whole lot better about himself – enough for him to break away and indulge even more heavily in sex, drugs and alcohol. The wheels eventually fall off for both parties with a devastating effect on their only child, a sensitive daughter.
An interesting feature of the book is that each section opens with lyrics from a Cass Wheeler classic, composed by the author herself. Another of my favourites in the folk tradition, Kathryn Williams, has put out a CD album of these tracks as a companion piece.
The novel name-checks many famous identities from these times, but it only takes liberties with the imaginary ones. 'Greatest Hits' is a worthy read, maintaining interest throughout. I know fellow music lovers will greatly enjoy it. It mirrors what befell many who were on top and who managed to avoid Club27. In short, good stuff.
Kathy Guest, in her review of this tome for the Guardian, reflects, 'When it comes to listening to music, there are two types of people: those who pay attention to the lyrics and those who don't notice them. The former are drawn to artists such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. The latter end up choosing a song about breaking up as the first dance at their wedding.' I'd like to think, with my love of Cohen, Dylan, Australia's Paul Kelly and that Idaho troubadour Josh Ritter, that I'm in the former category. I was certainly in the category of those who thought the Barnett book was a pretty cool read.
Cass Wheeler's a UK singer/songwriter in the mold of all the aforementioned with her life span roughly paralleling my own. She had great musical success; beloved by millions back in the day when she was in her pomp. Since then, though, her life had not been so shiny as a result of a dysfunctional marriage. This was a causal factor for the battles with life of her only offspring, all resulting in Cass' own mental issues. As the novel opens we discover Ms Wheeler leading a semi-reclusive life, in an isolated farmhouse, struggling valiantly, with a small circle of friends/employees, to give her existence back some meaning. As a goal she wants to recapture some of her glory years – to mount a comeback to savour even a small portion of that earlier success. From that point we receive a tour of her backstory, from her fractured upbringing, then paying her dues until she is spotted by talent scouts and given a recording contract. The rest, as they say is history, in this case, fictional. On her coattails rides her to-be-hubby, an excellent muso himself, but one who saw a much better future for himself than playing second fiddle to his superstar missus. Later he goes solo, has some success too and he feels a whole lot better about himself – enough for him to break away and indulge even more heavily in sex, drugs and alcohol. The wheels eventually fall off for both parties with a devastating effect on their only child, a sensitive daughter.
An interesting feature of the book is that each section opens with lyrics from a Cass Wheeler classic, composed by the author herself. Another of my favourites in the folk tradition, Kathryn Williams, has put out a CD album of these tracks as a companion piece.
The novel name-checks many famous identities from these times, but it only takes liberties with the imaginary ones. 'Greatest Hits' is a worthy read, maintaining interest throughout. I know fellow music lovers will greatly enjoy it. It mirrors what befell many who were on top and who managed to avoid Club27. In short, good stuff.
July 25, 2017
Cass Wheeler is taking a journey back into her past. After a ten year silence the singer-songwriter is making a comeback with the sixteen tracks that have defined her life. In the course of just one day, Cass's life emerges and it is a story of friendship, love, betrayal and hope. But what made Cass retreat all those years ago and can she make peace with the past?
I loved 'The Versions of Us' and it is probably one of my top five novels. Therefore this was a hard act to follow but follow it did and I am relieved to say this is another beautiful read that I was enticed by.
I did not, sadly, have the time to listen to Kathryn Williams' songs that accompany this novel therefore can only comment on the lyrics - which I thought complement the novel perfectly. I am sure that listening to the songs would improve the experience of reading this novel ten-fold.
Back to the novel and Barnett really knows how to write people and about their lives and it makes for wonderful reading. Technically this novel happens on one day but it reads more like a biography of Cass' life and I admit to forgetting that we were on one day and not being told Cass' biography. One aspect I did love about 'Greatest Hits' were the song lyrics. I read them and thought they were beautiful but then I read the memory that it evokes for Cass and we see how well Barnett has captured that life moment in lyrics, it really is something special.
The plot for 'Greatest Hits' is endearing and beautifully written. I adored getting to know Cass and exploring her life, a rather wondrous life but one that is not always full of happiness. This novel definitely kept me hooked throughout and left me wanting more at the end.
'Greatest Hits' had a lot to live up to and I thought it did. Yet again, we have a beautifully written plot with life and people at the heart of it. A superb read.
I loved 'The Versions of Us' and it is probably one of my top five novels. Therefore this was a hard act to follow but follow it did and I am relieved to say this is another beautiful read that I was enticed by.
I did not, sadly, have the time to listen to Kathryn Williams' songs that accompany this novel therefore can only comment on the lyrics - which I thought complement the novel perfectly. I am sure that listening to the songs would improve the experience of reading this novel ten-fold.
Back to the novel and Barnett really knows how to write people and about their lives and it makes for wonderful reading. Technically this novel happens on one day but it reads more like a biography of Cass' life and I admit to forgetting that we were on one day and not being told Cass' biography. One aspect I did love about 'Greatest Hits' were the song lyrics. I read them and thought they were beautiful but then I read the memory that it evokes for Cass and we see how well Barnett has captured that life moment in lyrics, it really is something special.
The plot for 'Greatest Hits' is endearing and beautifully written. I adored getting to know Cass and exploring her life, a rather wondrous life but one that is not always full of happiness. This novel definitely kept me hooked throughout and left me wanting more at the end.
'Greatest Hits' had a lot to live up to and I thought it did. Yet again, we have a beautifully written plot with life and people at the heart of it. A superb read.
March 10, 2024
This sat, unread within my books for a very long time. I'm unsure why - perhaps that I felt it couldn't live up to the love I had for The Versions of Us and also for another, similar book released later by a young American author which has subsequently been turned into a TV show. But.. What joy this book brought me from the author's prose, her talent and skill of weaving together alternating timelines while the character lives in one day, working beautifully and the concept of an album is something I don't think many authors would attempt. It does not shy away from the fact it's main character is complex, dealing with her own trauma and abandonment, the life she leads we aren't meant to fantasise over (unlike the other book I mentioned above which I do live but more because, I think now on reflection when I read it and my love for Fleetwood Mac). Where this falls down for me is the middle section: a concoction of characters that don't need to be there and who I had to rack my brains to remember who they were. But Cass herself is unapologetic, sometimes horrendous but still someone I wanted to find love and peace. This book grows into something I didn't quite expect at the start, and I'm very glad I finally read it.
September 4, 2023
Really enjoyed this despite the main hook being centred around one of my most hated literary devices - song lyrics in books. I don't know what it is but I just can't stand it - something about reading song lyrics without the melody grates on me hard.
Barnett is an exceptionally good storyteller (I also really enjoyed Versions of Us). In Greatest Hits she expertly drip feeds the narrative of the life and career of fictional musician Cass Wheeler, using the songs she selects to tell the story of her life, and show how each one connects to her personally. Interspersed with sections from a single day in the present, as she prepares for the first music event she has done for several years, this is a tale of reflection on the triumphs and losses she has experienced throughout her journey.
A lovely book, full of poignant moments and engaging stories. Definitely one I would recommend.
Barnett is an exceptionally good storyteller (I also really enjoyed Versions of Us). In Greatest Hits she expertly drip feeds the narrative of the life and career of fictional musician Cass Wheeler, using the songs she selects to tell the story of her life, and show how each one connects to her personally. Interspersed with sections from a single day in the present, as she prepares for the first music event she has done for several years, this is a tale of reflection on the triumphs and losses she has experienced throughout her journey.
A lovely book, full of poignant moments and engaging stories. Definitely one I would recommend.
April 9, 2019
Definitely good.
Equally beautiful and sad, it lays out a life with its own unique trail of meaning. This particular life feels very heavy, making you unsure which way to turn. Do you offer advice? Do you disapprove? Is there anything you would have done differently? No, you can't do any of that. You can only listen and absorb. Which is why reading this book feels like sitting under a large winter duvet. It sinks down on you, wraps you up and, if you allow it, lets you savour and enjoy its warmth. Soft or harsh, you learn each of its folds (some faint, some deafening) until you get to the ending and you feel strange. Full and empty at the same time. Sitting still and going at crazy speed. Warm.
I recommend it, but it's a very emotional ride.
Equally beautiful and sad, it lays out a life with its own unique trail of meaning. This particular life feels very heavy, making you unsure which way to turn. Do you offer advice? Do you disapprove? Is there anything you would have done differently? No, you can't do any of that. You can only listen and absorb. Which is why reading this book feels like sitting under a large winter duvet. It sinks down on you, wraps you up and, if you allow it, lets you savour and enjoy its warmth. Soft or harsh, you learn each of its folds (some faint, some deafening) until you get to the ending and you feel strange. Full and empty at the same time. Sitting still and going at crazy speed. Warm.
I recommend it, but it's a very emotional ride.
August 3, 2025
Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett
Genre: coming-of-age
Never have I been pulled out of a reading slump so fast! I felt literally every emotion throughout this read - highest highs, lowest lows.
The way Cass' life is explored in so much depth, but yet the book moves so quickly, is simply amazing. Just quick enough to preserve engagement, but not so quick as to disrespect any of the hardcore emotions felt throughout this novel.
As a songwriter myself, I found this story particularly relatable, as Cass writes songs for the same reason as me: as therapy, to heal.
I just love this book, and to think it has an accompanying album ?! Come on, that's got to be five stars. Pure perfection.
"Writing cos I'm healing, never writing songs to hurt you" - This is how it Went, Beabadobee ♡
5☆
Genre: coming-of-age
Never have I been pulled out of a reading slump so fast! I felt literally every emotion throughout this read - highest highs, lowest lows.
The way Cass' life is explored in so much depth, but yet the book moves so quickly, is simply amazing. Just quick enough to preserve engagement, but not so quick as to disrespect any of the hardcore emotions felt throughout this novel.
As a songwriter myself, I found this story particularly relatable, as Cass writes songs for the same reason as me: as therapy, to heal.
I just love this book, and to think it has an accompanying album ?! Come on, that's got to be five stars. Pure perfection.
"Writing cos I'm healing, never writing songs to hurt you" - This is how it Went, Beabadobee ♡
5☆
February 24, 2020
A lovely read, it's a day when Cass prepares to put on a retrospective/revival function for her life as a successful musician. The music suddenly stopped for a reason that it will take a long time to find out. A wonderful portrayal of the world of modern music, the bands and relationships and romances that go with it, of marriage, motherhood and partners. The novel as a biography of a fictional life was interesting, reminders of William Boyd and one early Pat Barker. I found the end a bit disappointing and it raised the issue of endings, bad for everyone like the Wicker Man, a rarity and a shock, the left hanging in mid air, more like real life, perhaps with some kind of psychological resolution and the happy ending. Too many of the latter is a very bad idea because life doesn't meet it. So all those happily ever after fairy stories that we had in my childhood were a hopeless preparation for real partners.
September 8, 2017
I really enjoyed this! I loved the fictional biography aspect of it, and that Laura Barnett actually wrote Cass' songs - I'm really keen to hear the actual tracks that were written for it. I thought all the characters felt real and authentic - like we were getting a look into the life of someone who was genuinely famous.
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