Żony Beatlesów. Kobiety, które pokochali Lennon, McCartney, Harrison i Starr

by Marc Shapiro, Aleksandra Kamińska (Translator)

Czy bycie żoną Lennona, McCartneya, Harrisona albo Starra było szczęśliwym zrządzeniem losu czy raczej przekleństwem?

W swojej muzycznej twórczości Beatlesi odmieniali słowo „miłość” przez wszystkie przypadki. Byli autorami największych hitów : All My Loving, If I Fell czy All You Need is Love. Pisali je dla kobiet – swoich żon, muz i towarzyszek. Kochanych przez muzyków i nienawidzonych przez groupies.

Poznaj słynną czwórkę z Liverpoolu z zupełnie innej strony. Bo nikt nie wiedział o Beatlesach tyle, co ich kobiety.

Jak Cynthia radziła sobie z napadami złości Lennona?
Dlaczego Yoko Ono nie chciała mieć dzieci i czy to ona rzeczywiście odpowiada za rozpad słynnej czwórki z Liverpoolu?
Czy Harrison naprawdę wyznał miłość Maureen w obecności jej męża i jednocześnie swojego przyjaciela z zespołu oraz własnej żony?
Jak doszło do tego, że Pattie rzuciła George’a dla jego najlepszego przyjaciela, Erica Claptona?

Żony Beatlesów żyły w cieniu swoich sławnych mężów, na co dzień stawiając czoła ich nałogom i słabościom. Każdy zna ich jako wielkich muzyków. One poznały wszystkie strony ich osobowości – również te najmroczniejsze.

Jacy naprawdę byli Beatlesi, gdy gasły światła jupiterów?

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2021

About the author

Marc Shapiro is the author of the New York Times bestselling biography, J.K. Rowling: The Wizard behind Harry Potter, and more than a dozen other celebrity biographies. He has been a freelance entertainment journalist for more than twenty-five years, covering film, television, and music for a number of national and international newspapers and magazines.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/marcsh...

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I've never been a huge Beatles fan, but my hubby loves their music. For me, I've like some of their music, other songs not so much. If I had to pick the Beatles I liked the most, I would choose George Harrison. I didn't decide to read this specifically because it is about the Beatles, but because I was curious about what is was like to be married to one and the kind of women who would chance marriage to men so often in the spotlight.

Interesting, these men and marriage were far from easy. Adultery, drugs, alcohol, loss of confidence, often these women played the idols of mother until they succumbed to the lifestyle or escaped. I'll say Paul, in my reaction to this book, was the most tand up guy. They definitely had clay feet but there is no doubt, fan or not, that they had a huge impact on music.

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the title of this book I pounced on it immediately. After a deluge of books on The Beatles over many decades, this is the first time I saw a biography dedicated specifically to the wives of The Beatles. Clocking in at 237 pages, it's a fairly quick and very interesting read. This author's niche is writing celebrity biographies. I read a great one on Mary Tyler Moore from this same author, so I trusted this would be at least as good. He referenced many books which I already own and have read to cull his information, but was intrigued by how he employed and cited various websites for quotes of interview material. I was particularly keen on learning more about the Beatles wives the media hasn't elaborated much on: Ringo's 1st and 2nd wives Liverpool hairdresser Maureen Cox and actress/model Barbara Bach, Paul's 2nd and 3rd wives Heather Mills and Nancy Shevell, and George's 2nd wife Olivia Arias. I've already read a ton in the past on Paul's first wife photographer Linda McCartney and George's first wife actress/model Pattie Boyd who have their own biographies which I've read...and of course the notorious avant garde artist Yoko Ono Lennon who wooed John away from first Liverpudlian artist wife Cynthia Powell.

My only qualm with this book was a few errors like the date of John Lennon's death (it was December 8, 1980, not the 9th) and the year Stella McCartney was born (it was 1971, not 1977). As an avid Beatles fan, these mistakes hit me immediately.

On a personal note, I was lucky enough to meet Cynthia Lennon around 1981 at a NYC Beatlefest. I had entered a portrait of John Lennon into the art contest, and she smiled at me as we shook hands and encouraged me to keep painting. In 2008 I brought my 8 year old son (future Beatles fan, musician and band leader) to his first Beatlefest where we met Pattie Boyd. We were getting her autobiography "Wonderful Tonight" autographed. As we walked away with the book she kittenishly gave my son a special wave and smile he never forgot!

Thank you to the publisher Riverdale Avenue Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Thanks to Tudor Queen for not really recommending this to me, reading this before me and letting me know this book exists. Lol she’s done that a few times! I like my Beatles reads in physical form but I needed this book asap. It really touched my heart as my as my brain. And it discusses every wife-even that one McCartney had named Heather. God wth was he thinking? Freaking psychopath
Anyway I came to terms with Yoko Ono ages ago. SHE DID NOT BREAK UP THE BEATLES! She loved John with all of herself. It was strange times. But I firmly believe there was no one else for those two regardless of what happened. And what to think of Patti Boyd? I bought her book too. Not the abridged. The whole sordid, slut detailed copy. She’s cute, but I have to learn what magic P@$#y powers she has to trap George and Eric Clapton. She reminds me a teensy tinesy bit of des Barre except Patti reeked havoc on hearts and minds . I recommend this book for any Beatles fan. It’s a refreshing and new view into the guys’ psyche.

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to Marc Shapiro, River Avondale books and Netgalley.
I'll be honest, I'm not a huge Beatles fan. They came before me, "slightly!" I have songs that I listen to. I was mostly a Paul McCartney and Wings fan, and George Harrison.
Still, I've never read anything about any of these men. Truth is, I don't care.
But, this book had me wondering. Why in the world would anyone marry someone famous? If course some didn't know what they were getting into.
For me? First time someone shoved a camera in my face, I'd have been invisible.
It was nice reading about these women. No judgement from me. They had it rough. I've always liked Linda McCartney. Heather Mills was just exactly how I remembered her! Ugh! I found a soft spot for Yoko. But, I will never like John Lennon. Harrison found a great woman. Ringo and Barbara? I just don't care.

[Chantal Côté · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book read like 9 short distinct biographies. Although, I sometimes wondered if the numerous quotes were factual, I did learn a few things about the Beatle wives. I was looking for a short book and it felt like reading a rock n’ roll magazine so it met my needs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the producers for granting me an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Nathan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thank you to Riverdale Books, Marc Shapiro and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I am not super well versed in the history and personal relationships of the Beatles, however I found the hook of this book to be intriguing as it gave insight into the lives of the women who loved the Beatles, rather than orienting the Beatles themselves as the primary interests as is usually done in pop culture lore.

However, as I was not really that invested and had no personal attachment to the figures explored in the book, I found my mind wandering in parts.

If you are a diehard Beatles fan, or grew up with them being prominent pop cultural figures, then I would definitely recommend this insightful and interesting book. You will come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of not only the Beatles, but their significant others and the impact that they each had.

[June Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Color me impressed. Having just come off watching "Get Back", I jumped on the chance to read this. Quite frankly, although never an avid enough fan to know all the trivia and details of Beatles lives and happenings, I was a fan and figured it would be a light, fun, largely repeat of info I already knew.

I was wrong. I came away from "Beatle Wives" knowing not just more about the women in the Beatles' lives but the Beatles themselves. If you've ever envied these women, think again. Being the spouse of a Beatle seems to be anything but easy. If it wasn't just having to largely live in the shadow of someone everyone thinks they knew and wanted a piece of or fans breaking and entering, you were dealing with complicated, often drug addled men. The book doesn't delve into it but one has to imagine that after Lennon's murder there was a sense of paranoia, too, the sense that outsiders couldn't just not be trusted but might be people to fear. Life in the seemingly ideal bubble was anything but ideal. These were real people, with real backgrounds, which Shapiro details, aspirations, and experiences. I came away from "Beatle Wives" with not just a new understanding of their lives but a fierce respect for it, too. Hugs to those often overlooked, derided, or simply ignored spouses.

All Beatle fans should read this book. You'll see your idols with new eyes and understanding. It's a must read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RiverdaleAvenueBooks for allowing me this glimpse into their lives. I've been a Beatles fan for ages but learned a great deal.

[Joanna Fonfara-Gręziak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jestem fanką zespołu The Beatles,więc każdą nową książkę o nich witam z radością. O żonach nie wiedziałam wszystkiego,dlatego miała dla mnie wartość poznawczą. Na minus- brak zdjęć. Musiałam szukać wizerunków w internecie.Malo kreatywności u autora- po prostu zebral fragmenty wywiadów i innych biografii.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll give the author, Marc Shapiro, kudos for this good idea and title for a book. And granted, it had some interesting facts. For example, did you know that John was Yoko’s 4th marriage and that Linda McCartney had no connection to the Eastman-Kodak company?

If you’re a big Beatles fan, then you probably did.

But overall, I think it read mostly like an assortment of cursory biographies each compiled entirely from other sources. Pretty much like Wikipedia, tbh.

Each wife got her own chapter, so there were nine in all. Some bio-chapters seemed entirely culled from one single source - often the Beatle and/or woman’s own official biography, so you’d probably be more satisfied with just reading that instead. Except for when Shapiro liberally cites his own book he wrote on Harrison, Behind Sad Eyes. And I cannot tell you what year he wrote that one because his entire source list is improperly cited. (This is why they teach you APA or Chicago citation styles!)

I will credit the Olivia Arias chapter as being more seamlessly woven than the others though. Other frequently cited sources were random fan websites, which can be less vetted or reliable. The Heather Mills chapter was especially scathing! . Lots to follow up on there!

So overall, my thought is that if you’re a Beatles scholar, then there’s nothing new here for you. If you’re not a super fan, then this would be a good introduction as it provides a pithy compendiary of their spouses including the elusive Nancy Shevell.

Also could have benefited greatly from photography. Beatle wives photos are fascinating and there are plenty of photos out there. I was google-imaging, but why not include some in the book for reference?! Even Wikipedia has pictures.

So it seemed a little self-published, a little term-papery. But I read every word. It was fun companion while watching the Get Back documentary.

[CaraDico · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to Riverdale books, Marc Shapiro and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Beatles have always fascinated me, but after watching all 8 hours of the documentary "Get Back", I am obsessed. This book came at a perfect time, as I was mesmerized by the wives portrayal in the documentary, specifically Yoko, Maureen, and Linda. I wanted to know more about them and their marriages to these four famous men. This book was informative, raw, and so interesting. None of the wives had it easy, some worse than others. I loved the glimpse of the 60s and 70s that Shapiro gave us. We also learn more about John, George, Ringo and Paul and who they were. All of it is unbiased and backed up with references. Some of the marriages were sad (Patti Boyd and Maureen Starkey) and some were happy that had sad endings (Linda Eastman).

I finished this book quickly as it kept my interest. Beatles Wives is a book that I learned so much from!

[BibliofiendLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great topic. Well organized chapter and prose. The downfall lies in just how the sources were incorporated. This downgrades the readability of the book for me. Blame it on my English degrees and being a Librarian to boot!

[Clare Moseley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by the wives of the Beatles, so I was very interested in reading this book.

I was pretty disappointed. It has the cadence of an eighth-grade book report. It is made up entirely of quotes from other sources, none of which are integrated particularly well into the text. It didn't have anything particularly interesting to say about any of the wives, aside from "here's what other books have said about them." It was recitation rather than true writing.

There were also quite a few grammatical and spelling errors. It's clear to me that the writer has no real passion for the subject matter and did it solely because unauthorized biographies are what he does.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marc Shapiro, Beatle Wives The Women the Men We Loved Fell in Love With, Riverdale Avenue Books 2021

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for a review.

Marc Shapiro has been effective in providing more of the stories of the women who became part of the Beatles’ lives, as wives, lovers and supporters. Although the Beatles’ contribution is quite an important part of the material, they do not take over. Shapiro has been effective in giving the women a voice. Their voices are heard through others’ interviews with the women and reports, rather than first-hand through Shapiro. However, despite the shortcomings of this method – personal interviews (where possible) would surely provide a livelier text based on Shapiro’s own questions, responses and follow up research – this is a useful collection of information about women whose lives were impacted by their relationships with the famous men whose music and lyrics were such an important part of the music world.

The book is chronological, so the young Beatles and their young wives personalise the extraordinary world into which four young men from Liverpool and Cynthia Lennon, Maureen Sharkey and Patti Boyd/Harrison/Clapton were swept into lives they could only have imagined. Although Linda Eastman/McCartney is part of this early period, her role was somewhat different from the other three wives. They were young, with little formal education and few career aspirations of their own.

Linda Eastman was an older early wife, had a career, and the marriage lasted until her death. Her experiences provide another aspect of the impact of marriage within this group impacted on a wife. Second wives, Barbara Bach/ Starkey, Yoko ono and Olivia Arias/Harrison, and later, Heather Mills/McCartney then Nancy Shevell/McCartney also had careers, were older, and, in some cases were dealing with the drug and alcohol problems of their husbands as the Beatles as a group disintegrated and the men began their independent lives.

Whether experienced, older, focussed on lives other than those that were the focus of the young wives’ lives, all the women had to deal with fans, and the requirement that they put themselves second to their roles in their husband’s careers. The impact of this on even their marriage ceremonies makes instructive reading. The women’s lives under public scrutiny, and the attendant criticisms and cruelty to some through the press comes to life through their stories.

The wives’ and Beatles’ shortcomings that are raised in graphic detail in the book are not necessarily peculiar to them, but the publicity attendant on being a Beatle or the wife of a Beatle make them even more prominent. At the same time, the dedication and support provided by some of the wives is also described – possibly receiving less publicity than Shapiro has provided. Shapiro has dealt with the material he has accumulated with a sensitive short chapter at the end of the book, where he is keen to give the wives their due.

The sources used in discussing each wife are listed and are noted where relevant throughout the text.
I would prefer the more engaging material that I believe would be obtainable through more personal observations and analysis by Shapiro where possible, rather than complete reliance on other interviewees’ source material. However, this is just an observation and Shapiro has certainly produced and informative book with a commendable purpose.

[Laura Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beatles Wives: The Women the Men We Loved Fell in Love With
By Marc Shapiro
Published by Riverdale Avenue Books

…”.And in the end, The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

What would the Beatle's wives say about this phrase? Some of the Beatle's wives seemed to make more love and get less. But that was the price you paid for being married to a Beatle. This book delves into the background and love lives of the 9 Beatles' wives, starting with Cynthia, one of John Lennon’s wives.

It’s a very interesting easy read—filled with fascinating facts and stories about the world-famous 4 boys from England and their torrid love affairs. I enjoyed the way the book was written giving each wife their own chapter, some longer than others, no specific alignment of the facts between each of the chapters. Some had more historical family facts, while others just spoke to when the wife met the Beatle and how their marriage unfolded. “There was a lot in the psychological and emotional makeup of John, Paul, George and Ringo that had always made the Beatles attractive to women and young girls”. I would imagine that still stands true today, even as only 2 Beatles remain and they are inching closer to their “twilight years”.

Cynthia was credited with helping John emotionally from going off the rails. He had a rebellious nature which made him a prime target for all the excesses that come with stardom. This wife recognized early on that he was “very raw inside and full of pain, emotional pain”. Reading the chapter on Cynthia, really made me dislike Lennon for how he treated her, especially when Yoko came into his life. It appears that Cynthia was very grounded and able to get through the tumulous times she had with Lennon, which enable her to move forward.

Maureen Starkey, who was Ringo’s wife, was known as “a girl with no drive, no discernable ambition and no real goals. George also admitted to being in love with Maureen. Her life ended too soon at the age of 48.

Pattie Boyd, probably the most well know of the wives, had a very starry love life. Married to both George and Eric Clapton, she was also involved with Ronnie Wood and all three wrote at least one song about her.

Linda Eastman, Paul’s first wife also had a very starry love life before marrying Paul. Tragically, her life also ended too soon at the age of 57.

Barbara Bach, Yoko Ono, Olivia Arias Harrison, and Heather Mills are also portrayed in the book. Each one of these wives had some impact on their Beatle husband, whether positive or negative. I learned some interesting facts about these wives that I had not known before and guaranteed you will as well. Whether you are a Beatles fan or not, you will enjoy this book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

Let's see... The Beatles reached their peak as a working band almost 55 years ago and still we can't seem to get enough of them. I wonder how many new Beatles-related books are still published each year. They broke up as a band well over 50 years ago, never had a reunion tour, two of the members have passed away ... what more can we write and publish about them?

Answer: Who cares ... just keep 'em coming!

Author Marc Shapiro digs deep to come up with a new twist on Beatlebilia - let's look at their wives.

Why didn't anyone think of this before? A spouse has considerable influence on an artist (or at least often can), as evidenced by so much hatred by many Beatle fans for Yoko Ono and the sometimes tepid reactions to Linda McCartney.

The book isn't really written so much as it is pieced together. Shapiro has researched old interviews, and visited a good number of Beatles-specialty websites to gather a clear snapshot of the former and current Beatle wives. Because of this, it's little more than window dressing. But for those of us not really willing to put in the time to do even this much research this is a nice, quick look at these women who are generally (not always) famous for whom they were married to, rather than for who they themselves are.

I'm not a super-knowledgeable Beatle fan but having read a lot of the books about them, I feel I have a better than average understanding of the lads so it was nice to learn a few new things through Shapiro's work.

While I know this is specific to the wives, I wish Shapiro had found a way to include more information about Paul McCartney's long-time partner Jane Asher.

Looking for a good book? Beatle Wives by Marc Shapiro is a quick look at the various former and current Beatle wives - a work of piecing together of available information. Consider it a Polaroid™ snapshot of these women, rather than fresh, in-depth essays, but it's still a valuable (for Beatles fans) addition to a Beatles library.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beatle Wives by Marc Shapiro is a light read but one that fills a void. Well-written and mostly even-handed, this will entertain and either fill a few information gaps or bring back things you'd forgotten.

First, I know there is a temptation, especially for those of us who grew up on The Beatles, to run out all of our Beatle credentials. When we first heard them, which of them we may have met, how many of the volumes of books, good and bad, we've read. Fine, yes, I qualify on all counts as a big fan, enough said, who cares.

This book is less about being full of startling new information (did anyone reasonably expect that?) than it is about bringing together all of the little quotes from various sources, almost exclusively as footnotes to the stories about the band, into one (or several) coherent narratives. Shapiro succeeds quite well at this. Many of us have probably heard or read most of the separate pieces of info. But most of us couldn't have given useful biographical sketches of most of the women. Thus the void this book fills, they are front and center even in the sections that highlight what one of the band members did.

I enjoyed learning and/or being reminded of things and looking back at those years from a different perspective. I was particularly interested in learning what some of these women did once they managed to escape the craziness of Beatlemania, well, to the extent an ex-wife of a Beatle can escape it.

I would recommend this to Beatle fans who are more interested in reading about the wives and less concerned with posturing as Beatle know-it-alls. I would think that for those who only know the group from their music as oldies that this would be an interesting glimpse behind the scenes (so to speak) of what superstardom was before the advent of social media. The things that could be kept secret and the news that spread considerably slower.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read a book about The Beatles and found myself during various anecdotes wondering about their wives and what it was like for them, so I was interested to read this when I saw it. It was an interesting read, but the majority of the book is taken from other sources, quoting previous articles and books, rather than fresh material from new interviews. I hadn't read any of the other sources before, so it was new to me regardless, but it's mostly a cobbling together of old interviews and biographies. Still good but worth noting. The women themselves were all interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about them. I think Olivia is my favorite Beatle wife. She beat up an intruder who stabbed George. I read an advance copy of the book, and the version I read could do with some editing for errors. There were A LOT of instances of missing punctuation, missing or incorrect words ("seemingly" in place of "seeming" at least twice; the name "Pattie," one of the actual women featured, spelled "Patti" sometimes; "maybe" instead of "may be" - really obvious stuff), introductory clauses that didn't fit the sentence, phrases that should have been part of the previous sentence, etc. It also seemed clear that the author had no love for Heather Mills, which rubbed me the wrong way as I would prefer an impartial view from a biographer, and some of the women had a lot more detailed biographies than others. Maybe that's just due to lack of available information, but it also kind of underscores the fact that this is not new interviews, new information. Interesting book but not great writing or editing. 3 stars.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written and unbiased account of the wives of the Fab Four. As it is ultimately a compilation of research, it doesn’t feel intrusive to read and the author does a great job of not being judgmental. While we learn about the lives and upbringings of the wives- mostly through past interviews with them or through books they have written-the real focus of the book, as expected, is on their relationships with their famous husbands. The Beatles have always been put on a pedestal, and while this book does not necessarily knock them off that pedestal, it shows them as ordinary men in relationships burdened by public scrutiny.
After finishing this book (which I did in just two sittings due to the interesting content and great writing), I think what I will remember most is that there is a high price to fame and stardom and everyone near has to pay that price.
I am a second generation Beatles fan- love the music but have a hard time understanding the hysteria. I do find it fascinating, though, and have read a lot on the topic of the Beatles- to figure out how and why the Beatlemania phenomenon happened. Honestly, I think this book solves that puzzle for me. These were ordinary men caught up in something they couldn’t control and their relationships brought others into that storm. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn a bit of history, including what life was like in the 60s and 70s, and to those who want to get a glance into the complicated lives of the women who were involved with these men.

Thank you, Netgalley, for an ARC.

[MBenzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested this book from NetGalley, but I never received a response, so I went ahead and purchased it on Amazon. I paid $10.62 for the Kindle version, and it is RIDDLED with punctuation and grammatical errors. If this were an ARC, I wouldn't comment on such errors because I would assume they would be taken care of before publishing, but that is not the case. I paid ACTUAL MONEY for a book that reads like it was written by an 8th grader, and that pisses me off.

Crappy editing aside, the book itself is just ok. There's nothing new here about the nine wives of the Beatles. The majority of this book is made up of quotes taken from various websites, magazines, and television interviews. The author simply compiled quotes and interviews in the order they happened for each wife, then padded the rest of their chapters with their background and some speculative information.

If you don't know anything at all about the Beatles or their wives, then this may be interesting for you. I'm certainly no Beatle expert, but even I found this to be lacking any substance, and I really am disgusted that this has been published with so many errors. Words missing in a sentence...the wrong word used in a sentence...missing commas, periods, and quotation marks. It's bad. If this book DID have an editor, they should be fired because they're terrible at their job.

My recommendation? If you really want to read this, do NOT purchase it. Request it from the library or borrow it from a friend, because this is not worth your money.

[Lommie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beatle Wives by Marc Shapiro is a biography book dedicated to the wives of The Beatles. It’s informative, reliable and unbiased. He gives special importance on what’s like to be the wife of a Beatle. At the same time, there are also glimpse of The Beatles Men on how their life had been with these women. He points factual information based on the interviews, documentaries and autobiographies. Each chapter of the book has engaged me to learn interesting facts by browsing the internet, listen to a particular song mentioned from the book and taking a quick look of videos like A Hard Day’s Night (1964 musical comedy film).

I’ve always get the impression of this “jealous fan feeling” when a person get involved with a celebrity. The journey has never been easy just as I’ve read in this book. It isn’t about the glitz and glamour. Facing the ugly side of fame and success like the public attention, media exposures, temptations, complicated relationships, balancing career and private life, etc. These factors shall put them into test. The stories of Cynthia Lennon, Maureen Starkey and Nancy Shevell have an impact to me. It has brought me into tears after learning about their stories.

A huge thanks to Riverdale Avenue Books and @netgalley for this opportunity to see the glimpse of the lives of The Beatle Wives.

This book is recommendable to readers who are fans of The Beatles. Also a good reference for research about real people like them.

[Sarah Oakey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was bloody amazing!!!!!!! I literally could not put it down and read it in 7 hours straight!! To use my mother's well loved phrase, I could Wax Lyrical about this fascinating book till the cows come home

🎶I'm a huge Beatles fan and I love a big dollop of celebrity gossip and this was a giant slice of both.

🎶First chapter breezes across a few brief girlfriends then we dive straight into the meaty stuff starting with Cynthia Lennon, Maureen Starkey, Pattie Boyd and Linda McCartney, a chapter per wife... and then continuing on to second wives.
The author plays it wonderfully objectively with no forced opinions, just facts and quotes from noted media sources, #marcshapiro has created an engrossing book, revealing so much I didn't know.
It's nice to read stories with the wives dominating the story rather than their husbands.
I was completely fixated on the book. And would absolutely recommend to anyone whether you're a Beatles fan or not.
Thank you so much #marcshapiro @netgalley @riverdaleavebooks for the arc if this splendid Book

#thebeatles #beatlewives #lindamccartney #yokoono #maureenstarkey #cynthialennon #lennon #paulmccartney #ringostarr #starky #georgeharrison #beatlesbook #musicbook #booksaboutthebeatles #letsread #netgalley #bookreviewer #bookreview #greatbooks #bookstagram

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of biographical information about all of the wives of the Fab Four was well put together. Even though there was much I had previously read, there was plenty of information I had forgotten or wasn't aware of. Most interesting were stories about Ringo's first wife, Maureen, and Paul McCartney's current wife, Nancy, both of whom stayed under the radar. Shapiro also explained some of the misconceptions of the relationships and what really happened, citing various sources (included is a thorough bibliography).

This was a quick and informative read but don't expect much in-depth study about each wife. If more information is wanted, read some of the memoirs/biographies he uses are resources such as Wonderful Tonight and the biography of Paul McCartney, Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney .

[podrozdzial · Rating 1 out of 5]

we wstępie autor szumnie zapowiada feministyczny zamysł tej pozycji, czyli oddanie żonom beatlesów ich podmiotowości, przedstawienie ich historii w oderwaniu od słynnych muzyków i przemontowanie ich postrzegania na autonomiczne. podkreśla jeszcze, że o czwórce mężczyzn tworzących zespół powstały już grube tomiszcza bibliograficzne, natomiast jego rzekomo nowatorsko przekrojowa i herstoryczna książka o 9(!) kobietach liczy niecałe… 300 stron. narracja jest tu dość mierna, mocno nastawiona na sensację i wręcz tabloidowa, a jej podstawę stanowią przedruki z innych źródeł, często dość wątpliwych (m.in. wattpad i fanowskie blogi na tumblrze w 2021 roku to za mało). brak tu odautorskiej analizy osobiści bohaterek, poświęcenia uwagi ich psychice, odczuciom czy doświadczeniom. może poza yoko ono czy lindą eastman, które na tyle mocno zdążyły odcisnąć się na kulturze własnym dorobkiem, że zdawały się przeszkadzać autorowi chcącemu opisywać coś więcej, niż ich życie miłosne i to, kiedy uprawiały pierwszy seks lub przez którego beatlesa zostały zdradzone. nawet dla laików w temacie zespołu jest to książka w stylu wydrukowanej wikipedii.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a Beatles connoisseur for some years now, I knew that I couldn't skip out on this book. Often the wives of famous men are pushed into the background and only brought forward during key moments, such as a controversy. However, this book takes a look at their lives before, during, and sometimes after their days with a Beatle.

While there were many stories I already knew about these women, there was new material in here that I hadn't read about before. The only distraction I found really hard to take in reading this was the constant quoting of sources. While sources are important, this is the kind of book that would do much better with footnotes, as opposed to reciting the source three time in a single paragraph (this was especially distracting when the source was a website rather than a print publication). However, I would still recommend this to any Beatle fan wanting to go deeper.

*Book provided by NetGalley

[3PCats · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surface level look at the Beatles wives which is littered with distracting errors, claiming Cynthia Lennon came from ‘Holylake’ (Hoylake) and the Beatles disbanded in 1968 (1969). The author quotes from an extensive amount of websites, which is off-putting when reading sentences like, “…in Brainyquote.com when she described herself as…” Also, hardly anyone in this book said, stated or claimed anything—they OFFERED. Repetition is one of my biggest bugbears. Consider this sentence in the Maureen Starkey chapter:

“Former Beatles press officer Tony Barrow offered in US News an equally blunt assessment, offering that Maureen was less than glamorous…”

Shockingly bad writing, but I should have known when the author starts off the introduction with: “In a sense, writing this book was relatively easy.”

I’m giving it a generous two stars because I appreciate the fact that the author made the effort to present the stories of the lesser-known wives.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re a diehard Beatle fan like me, you read Everything you get your hands on, from the illuminating to the dreck. This one is not exactly dreck but is a fast read with an interesting viewpoint. It just doesn’t live up to the concept. Unfortunately, all of the info is from secondary sources ( blogposts, magazine’s , newspapers and previous books) so there’s not much new here. If your not a person who MUST read everything Beatles that is in print, you can skip this one. I had especially raised eyebrows on the chapter about Yoko, since it was clearly a whitewash. But I did find the chapters on the ‘second’ wives, Olivia Arias, Heather Mills & Nancy Shevell provided me with a bit of info that I had not kept up with. All in all, I wouldn’t bother to recommend this one

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a book that gives voice to the lives of the women who loved John, Paul, Ringo and George. What I particularly love about this meticulously researched book is it centers the stories of the women who were an important part of each of the Fab Four's lives but until now have only been shown as one-dimensional figures in the background. There was so much more I learned about each of them as well as gaining their insights and experiences into the men they loved and married. Watching Peter Jackson's documentary "Get Back" recently had me look at Yoko Ono in a new light which is what brought me to this book. I highly recommend this book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

I really enjoyed this! Of course, growing up in the 60's I was well aware of the wives, but really didn't know much about them. The author writes about them in order that they were married. Worth reading!! And I was very happy to see that Mr. Shapiro will be writing a book about Beatle Kids!! Looking forward to that one!

A few minor errors or typos. One about Cynthia & John getting married when she was 5 months pregnant....if so, the baby was born VERY late! I think the author meant weeks, not months. Would have loved some photos!!

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Marc Shapiro notes, there are plentiful books about the 4 members of the Beatles and their lives (including a couple authored by Shapiro himself), but very few talk about the women that married these four men. In this short but well put together book, Shapiro focuses on each wife in chronological order and devotes each section to who the woman was as a person as well as how they cope/coped with the insane lives lead by the band. Shapiro lets us into the lives of these women, often using their own words culled from autobiographies, articles and interviews and gives them a voice to explain their love of these men, the difficulties of their relationships and how they handled being thrust into the spotlight. I really enjoyed this book and is a great supplement to all of the other books written about the Beatles, both for fans of the group and those casually interested in the group. Thanks to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for the free ebook.

[Jacquie Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beatle Wives
by Marc Shapiro

Synopsis:
"They’ve had songs written about them. They’ve been the subject of legend and lore. Yoko allegedly broke up The Beatles. Pattie dropped George for George’s best friend, Eric Clapton. Olivia beat an intruder senseless and bloody with a lamp stand. The stories are endless.

“Being a Beatle wife was difficult in the best of times,” relates author Shapiro. “The fans hated them. The media hounded them senseless. These women have seen it all. This is their story.”

Review:
I was hoping author Marc Shapiro would breathe new life into his latest book Beatle Wives but I was mistaken. Shapiro is famous for writing unauthorized biographies. What was supposed to be an "in depth look" at the nine women who have been married to the Beatles (at one time or another), has turned out to be a regurgitation of old information (websites, newspaper & magazine articles). There was no effort to dig deeper into these women's lives.

Don't get me wrong! They are an interesting group of women who have had to endure unbelievable craziness because of their famous spouses. Most didn't ask to be in the spotlight but due to our society's love for anything-celebrity, they are. If you're a Beatles fan, you may be interested in this quick read; but then again, if you're really a Beatles fan, you already have heard all of this information!

I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.