Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

In the past, I've read two books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, One True Loves and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I find myself thinking about those books way more than their chick lit stereotype would lead anyone, least of all myself, to believe I should.  So everyone started talking about Daisy Jones & The Six and I resisted and resisted, but I've read a series of VERY SERIOUS books and I was starting to feel a bit like a poser because you all know I'm really the kind of woman who wants to read romance novels and fluffy beach reads and I finally caved. 

This is a novel told as a series of interviews that the "author" has put together in an oral history of a late-70s band.  We follow the group from their founding, as members get added, and finally as Daisy Jones joins them on vocals.  I'm generally the kind of person who says things like "I stopped listening to the podcast because the casual talk of drug use made me uncomfortable," so it was with reservation that I started reading a book with casual drug use from basically the first page. 

But, boy oh boy, Reid just sucks you right in. I was surprised that this format of "interview" storytelling worked so much for me, but I just adored it. I loved how it was clear that the interviewer was interviewing folks at different times and would have one character retell an event and then immediately follow it with another retelling from another perspective. It was clear that Reid wanted to take advantage of the idea that one person's truth is another person's lie.

Another strong aspect of this book was, surprisingly, the relationships among women. Daisy and her best friend Simone have an enviable relationship and I also enjoyed all the interactions with The Six's keyboardist, Karen, and the wife of one of the band member's, Camila. The scene ink which Camila goes to a doctor appointment with Karen is how life should be - friends being with friends when friends are having a hard time, friends being friends without judgment even when judgment might actually be easy, friends being friends for the sole reason that friends are friends. Reid writing about female friendship this way made me so happy.

Like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this book is all about a time and a mood.  Reid description of the fashion makes you feel like you are there and just like in Evelyn Hugo, I really want to talk about how would be cast in these roles in the Hollywood movie and, more importantly, what would they wear.  The clothes sounded marvelous - the hardcore drug use less so.

Anyway, solid thumbs up from me if you want an emotionally fraught lighter read. But stay away if sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll aren't your jam.