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John Lennon: The Life Paperback – September 8, 2009

by Philip Norman (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,780 ratings
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For more than a quarter century, biographer Philip Norman's internationally bestselling Shout! has been unchallenged as the definitive biography of the Beatles. Now, at last, Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom being a Beatle was never enough. Drawing on previously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, Norman presents the comprehensive and most revealing portrait of John Lennon ever published.

This masterly biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at every aspect of Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into a near-secular saint. In three years of research, Norman has turned up an extraordinary amount of new information about even the best-known episodes of Lennon folklore—his upbringing by his strict Aunt Mimi; his allegedly wasted school and student days; the evolution of his peerless creative partnership with Paul McCartney; his Beatle-busting love affair with a Japanese performance artist; his forays into painting and literature; his experiments with Transcendental Meditation, primal scream therapy, and drugs. The book's numerous key informants and interviewees include Sir Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, Sean Lennon—whose moving reminiscence reveals his father as never seen before—and Yoko Ono, who speaks with sometimes shocking candor about the inner workings of her marriage to John.

“[A] haunting, mammoth, terrific piece of work.” -New York Times

Honest and unflinching, as John himself would wish, Norman gives us the whole man in all his endless contradictions—tough and cynical, hilariously funny but also naive, vulnerable and insecure—and reveals how the mother who gave him away as a toddler haunted his mind and his music for the rest of his days.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    864 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ecco
  4. Publication date
    September 8, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.76 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0060754028
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0060754020
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A] haunting, mammoth, terrific piece of work.” — New York Times Book Review

“It’s this level of detail that makes Norman’s 822 pages such compulsive reading.” — Bloomberg News

“[Norman] sharpens what we know about Lennon at just about every turn…devotees will relish the new information, while casual readers will find a familiar story told more truly than ever before.” — Rolling Stone

“[Norman’s] definitive biography draws impressively on exclusive and extensive interviews with Yoko Ono and, for the first time on the record, their son Sean…densely detailed, intricately woven and elegantly told, John Lennon: The Life neither condemns nor condones, nor does it consecrate its subject. — USA Today

“The bad news is that John Lennon: The Life is so rich and enveloping that it demands to be read…it’s a clear-eyed and compassionate study of a man...Grade: A-.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Powerful and heartfelt.” — Washington Post Book World

From the Back Cover

For more than a quarter century, Philip Norman's internationally bestselling Shout! has been unchallenged as the definitive biography of the Beatles. Now, at last, Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom belonging to the world's most beloved pop group was never enough. Drawing on pre-viously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, here is the comprehensive and most revealing portrait of John Lennon that is ever likely to be published.

This masterly biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at every aspect of Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into a near–secular saint. In three years of research, Norman has turned up an extra-ordinary amount of new information about even the best-known episodes of Lennon folklore—his upbringing by his strict Aunt Mimi; his allegedly wasted school and student days; the evolution of his peerless creative partnership with Paul McCartney; his Beatle-busting love affair with a Japanese performance artist; his forays into painting and literature; his experiments with Transcendental Meditation, primal scream therapy, and drugs. The book's numerous key informants and interviewees include Sir Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, Sean Lennon—whose moving reminiscence reveals his father as never before—and Yoko Ono, who speaks with sometimes shocking candor about the inner workings of her marriage to John.

Honest and unflinching, as John himself would wish, Norman gives us the whole man in all his endless contradictions—tough and cynical, hilariously funny but also naive, vulnerable and insecure—and reveals how the mother who gave him away as a toddler haunted his mind and his music for the rest of his days.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco; Reprint edition (September 8, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 864 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060754028
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060754020
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.76 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,780 ratings

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Philip Norman

Philip Norman

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4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,780 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BigDrumDaddy
5.0 out of 5 stars HOME RUN!
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015
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In JOHN LENNON: THE LIFE, Author Philip Norman has complied possibly the most complete, concise, honest and forthright biography of the late John Lennon to date. And it saddens me that Yoko couldn't bring herself to endorse it because, as she said, "He was mean to John."
That may be the most telling aspect of the whole ordeal. For, if anything, it was John himself who was most mean to John - and nearly everyone else. Even the most casual Beatles fan knows that. And Yoko was, in many ways, his facilitator. In others, the mother figure he never truly experienced.
Nonetheless, from his early childhood to Quarry Bank, to Beatlemania and well beyond - until the day of his tragic murder - Philip Norman covers it all in exacting detail, straight from the mouths of John Lennon's family, friends, and closest confidants. And all the names and footnotes are laid out for all the whole to see. So, to that end I say, "Bravo Mr. Norman!" You've taken on one of the most beloved and controversial figures of the 20th Century, laid him bare, raised him up, praised him where deserving, and - not really criticized - but shown us all just how complicated, confused and conflicted this self proclaimed "Working Class Hero" could be.
In doing so you've painted a picture of a man with parental & authority issues, who never quite grew up, yet managed to reach heights never before scaled by anyone in his chosen profession. A man full of insecurities and paranoia. A drug addict. Sex addict. And God only knows what else. And yet he managed to author some of the most endearing, inspiring, tender, and meaningful songs of his time. And despite all his flaws, bared to the world for decades now, he remains beloved by untold millions still.
You've taken the story of this complicated man, and told it in a straightforward, unapologetic fashion. Told his story, good, bad and otherwise - warts & glory - in a manner easy for anyone to understand and relate to. And done a fine job of it sir. And John Lennon fans everywhere (this one included) are forever in your debt.
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Brother Punch
4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book about John Lennon with an emphasis on filling in about John's youth and Yoko. Not comprehensive.
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2014
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Lots of details, some of them entirely new to me and likely to be to any regular Beatles fan. Competently written but not as energetic as the author's prior Beatles book. Enfatuation with detail remains, the sometimes envious but always enthralled tone of his prior work is gone. "The Life" is decently paced, interesting, follows chronology but appears to have limited resources (John's 'lost weekend' lasted a year and a half and I think its description covered only 10 pages in this book... getting Nilson to scream himself hoarse and thus ruin his career isn't covered, the many women John slept with while 'on a break' with Yoko aren't detailed any more than to list the one that was assigned as his designated lover (a Ms. May) by Yoko). I was surprised to learn so much more about Yoko, like that she was a classically trained musician and heiress of a famous Japanese art/banking line before meeting John (but which she had broken from prior to meeting him). Her expressing herself in Beatles' recording sessions, onerous as that must have been for the rest of the band, appear to have been informed by more than mere whim. The fact that John had been an aspiring artist, real artist artist with turtleneck and a broad reading list and crazy friends, before his occasional band got good helps to explain partly why he left the Beatles for the actively avant garde Yoko... I think he was well on his way to being an acid casualty too and his plunge into symbiosis with her certainly saved him from the worst of that. Its strange to realize that John was already a married man, already on his way to being a father before he showed up anywhere on TV in chirpy lad mode. This book is heavy with info on his youth, about which I'd only read dribs and drabs here and there before. The last chapter, apparently distilled from an interview with John's son, was surprising and very moving.
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Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Well Balanced Lennon Bio
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2011
Verified Purchase
Norman does it again with "John Lennon: the life". Almost all biographies I've read or seen on musicians contain about 300-350 pages. Lennon the life is a whopping 822 (that's not including the index). The book is extensive, interesting and detailed. It is very fair, showing Lennon's amazing attributes and faults. And who is more qualified to write on John Lennon than Philip Norman, who not only meet John on two separate occasions and covered the Beatles business breakup in 1969/1970, but also wrote the most successful Beatles biography, "Shout". Norman has clearly done his homework and his passion on the subject and attention to detail really shine through. If I have any negative comments on this book it would probably be on John's later years (1975-1980). Don't get me wrong the writing is suburb and the events actuate, but it goes less in depth on what went on during these years. However, this could simply be because these were Lennon's stay-at-home-dad years and he was not making music or seen much in the public eye. My only wish is that Norman would have gone into more detail in John's Double Fantasy Sessions with Yoko. Overall... An amazing, amazing book. Well written, accurate, enthralling, and just a plain great read. I'm so thankful the author decided to do this John Lennon biography the right way and that he went into so much depth on the man's feelings and life events. I've read several Beatle/John Lennon books and I can honestly say this book is a home-run.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Recomendo
Reviewed in Brazil on October 12, 2022
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Ainda não terminei a leitura mas estou gostando bastante. O livro foi entregue antes do prazo previsto. O livro chegou intacto em perfeitas condições. Agradeço.
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J. GERARDO GOMEZ RIOS
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente !!!!
Reviewed in Mexico on June 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Me llegó en perfectas condiciones y a tiempo.
Es una magnífica biografía de John Lennon, la recomiendo ampliamente.
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Angus/malcolmnews.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2024
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Decent read and interesting too.
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Sakshin
5.0 out of 5 stars For all Beatles fans, Norman at his best!
Reviewed in India on November 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
This biography of John Lennon doesn't disappoint. It's fast-paced, covers his entire life and is full of quirky details of Lennon and The Beatles!
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Mary-Ann C
5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality, same author as Paul McCartney book!
Reviewed in Canada on January 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book for my husband for Christmas, he already had the Paul McCartney book by the same author Philip Norman. I was surprised that it took so long to ship. But happy with the paperback book. It is quite thick!
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