If you are an avid reader like me, you have probably heard of the infamous book “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing either captivates you or makes you so bored that you never want to pick up a book again. You either love it, or you hate it. And to be honest, I thought I would identify with the latter. However, when I read her book “One True Loves” and fell in love with the story and characters, I wanted to explore more of her books but was hesitant about which to choose for my next read.
The hype that encapsulates “Daisy Jones and the Six” makes it hard not to get sucked into the wave of excitement that surrounds it. Especially when the new series based on the book came out on Amazon Prime, it was all anyone could talk about on social media. Before the series came out, when I saw the book in Barnes and Noble and read the blurb, I immediately put it down without an extra thought to it. I planned on never, ever reading it. Books based in the 60s-70s with rock-n-roll as the plot never appealed to me, and I wasn’t going to try to change that anytime soon.
But after reading everyone’s thoughts on the book, I couldn’t help but want to form my own opinion. I wanted to know if “Daisy Jones and the Six” is really as good as everyone says it is.
My Thoughts
As soon as I started the book, I was immediately intrigued. The way that TJR wrote this book was unlike anything I have ever seen. To give some background to better understand, the book follows the story of the 1970s rock-n-roll band Daisy Jones and the Six and how they rose to fame, as well as their abrupt split while on tour in 1979. Some might think the story in and of itself is compelling enough, but I think the way Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote it made me gravitate toward it even more.
The book was set up in an interview style of all the band members as well as family, friends, and the industry elite who worked with them during their rise to fame. With the way the band members were portrayed as talking to the interviewer, it felt as if I was the one sitting there conducting the research for the interviews. I felt a part of the story.
The best way I can describe the way TJR made this book feel is real. From something as small as the characters recalling conflicting ways on how certain events played out, to something much more serious like the effects drug and alcohol abuse can have on you and your family, the entirety of the book just felt so authentic. Just like it’s so much more than a story about a rock-n-roll band, this book is more than just a book. It’s the work of a genius.
I have never experienced the feeling I got from this book, and I don’t know if I ever will again. Not only could I clearly picture what was taking place, but I felt actively present in the story. I felt like I was in the recording studio with everyone, hearing the music and smelling the smoke from their cigarettes. I felt like I was on stage performing with the rest of the band, feeling the rush of adrenaline and waves of emotion in tandem with them. I felt the pain of their loneliness, mistrust, and abandonment like I was experiencing it firsthand. Taylor Jenkins Reid opened my eyes to a whole new world of reading and writing that I never knew existed.
Is it worth the read?
If you couldn’t tell already, YES. “Daisy Jones and the Six” is 100% worth the read. This is probably now tied for my favorite book of all time, but it is most definitely the best writing I have ever read. When you read it for the first time, enjoy it. Because I promise you will wish you could go back in time and experience it for the first time over and over again.