John

Having read "A Twist of Lennon" I was surprised at how much more there was to know about John's family, Mimi, their friends and how Mrs. Lennon (Cynthia) is, as expected, still the same, steady, gentle soul she was and always will be. If you're at all interested in wanting to get the feel of how surreal, fast and unexpected the rocket ride of Beatlemania was, this is probably the strongest view you'll get. This is one down to earth woman who manages to remain the same when she was treated, in the end, so badly. She really loved this guy. And that would become rare in every member of the group's life. Maureen and Cynthia were there before the money and the glory, so it was the real deal. As an aside, I really liked Jane Asher better than Linda. Ok, moving on. One of the remarkable things about the whole Beatle experience is that there aren't any players who stood out as divas. They all pretty much stayed somehow grateful but not lofty with their fame and talent. However, John went off the tracks at such a high rate of speed that I can see why Cynthia was caught off guard. Anyone who is not inherently manipulative cannot imagine anyone else being as shrewd as Ono was and still is. I'm never going to accept any sense of generosity, integrity or depth in that woman. Even if the media had never said a word about her, she just emits such a negative vibe that I am repelled each time I even hear her name or see it in print. The black and white of these two women is another fascinating part about this book. There is no guise in Cynthia's telling of the way things were and it was simply fabulous to read the stories of their early years together before Fame arrived. It's painful to watch John fall down the rabbit hole and leaving behind such destruction in his wake. But, the strong link in the whole story was Cynthia. And she's not martyring herself or patting herself on the back, she just tells it like it is and it's a story of a naive, sweet woman who fell in love with a very strong personality who was capable of enormous everything, including pain. I couldn't put it down.

Cynthia Lennon offers us her first-person account of the dizzying time of Beatlemania through John, her book about her life with John Lennon, both before and after the Beatles. She doesn't try to include every little event of the times but she does do a credible job of showing an insider's view of a wild, wild ride. John fairly honestly portrays Lennon and his excesses, showing his background in detail and giving Cynthia's views on what she believes happened during and after their time together. Being what it is, it is obvious that Cynthia has chosen to put her spin on events, though she can hardly be blamed for doing so. Her devotion to John and their son Julian is evident. She is honest about her feelings for his family, which is a refreshing viewpoint. However at times it seems as though she is trying too hard to be fair, especially when it comes to her feelings over Yoko's miscarriages and the birth of Sean. While this is a noble attempt, it doesn't necessarily ring true, especially in light of the way Cynthia was treated by both John and Yoko. The early events depicted in this book do not shed any new light on the Beatles' experience; most of them feel as though they've been lifted straight from other books (in particular, from Peter Brown's excellent account, The Love You Make). I am hard-pressed to think of an account in John that hasn't already been told in many other places. Still, Cynthia manages to give us a touching view of the man at his home and if she wants to dwell on the loving relationship she felt they had, it is not my intention to take away from her expressions in this book. If she's chosen not to overly analyze her own shortcomings during this time, that's not a sin and just the fact that she came through it all is a triumph. Overall this book is well-written and it is always good to read an insider's account of the surreal experience of belonging to the Beatles' entourage. This book is enjoyable overall and Cynthia writes in an honest way that will capture your attention and keep you reading. If you're looking for an in-depth account, this may not be it, but it certainly does add to any Beatles' fan's enjoyment and knowledge. Recommended.

Just finished this riveting account of Cynthia Lennon’s life, and love with John Lennon; couldn’t put it down, was sorry when it ended. I was a little young during Beatlemania, and kind of just missed their whole era. Their music speaks for itself and I’ve always appreciated the brilliance there. But the story of the times and history, I really never was up on. I remember the John/Yoko days much more. I was so glad to have been given the rest of the story and perspective on his beginnings, and truly what was his first love and first family, which had always been a footnote to me previously. Not so. I now see and believe John was steered away and changed - by drugs, his own demons to work out, the need of whatever ‘spell’ that other woman cast at that time, whatever he was searching for. At any rate, what an eye opener to his whole other life before that era, with his first family. Well-written, from the heart. Cynthia Lennon seemed to write this in a more than fair way to all involved, while being honest and telling her true story. I’ve since looked into more about Julian too, and she raised a well-grounded son. Sad he never got what he was due from his father, financially and emotionally. Perhaps if John had not been killed so young they would have come ‘round to making amends there, as it’s been reported they were beginning to. He has been successful, creative and philanthropic in his own right and is his own man. Cynthia carried herself with grace amid it all, and raised up a good son. Highly recommend this book to anyone, Beatle fan or not. RIP Cynthia Lennon. Shine on Julian.

Great book about the human side of John Lennon, as only one person could tell it, his first wife Cynthia...25 years after his death. They were a couple from before the Beatles formed up till the beginning of breakup of the Beatles. Interestingly, John's marriage was intentionally hidden from the press because their manager thought it would be bad for business, though, as Cynthia shows, John's marriage was always a large part of his life. Additionally, she keeps going with the same intensity to cover the Yoko period as well as the assassination aftermath. So she gives a very full picture of John. I do have to say that reading how John accuses her of having an affair with Roberto as a reason why he wants to divorce her, which she flatly denies, then as soon as John files the papers, Roberto moves in with her, made me think that everything that I was reading may not be 100% accurate or unbiased. Additionally, Cynthia repeatedly says that she never wanted to get back together with John, yet she persists in contacting him after the divorce and repeated says how much she never stopped loving him. Made me think. She blames drugs for their breakup, but I got the feeling there was more to it than just the LSD, etc. It's not that the book wasn't great--it was--and I spent almost all my free time over a long weekend (on-call) reading it--but I wouldn't be surprised if I heard another version of events, especially after the divorce, that either didn't fit with hers, or included important information that she conveniently omitted. Nevertheless, I totally enjoyed reading it and would most highly recommend it to anyone who wanted to know who John Lennon was. Very, very well written, simple, genuine, presumably based on a diary that she only once or twice mentions that she kept. She also mentions that John kept a diary the last 6 years of his life that he intended to give to Julian, but Yoko kept for herself, refusing to give it to him. I'll probably have to wait another few decades till that comes out.... I would also highly recommend reading this book with an iPad next to you in order to listen to the songs that are mentioned and see photo of the various characters and fill in gaps. ****As frequently happens, Jeff Bezos' stupid Kindle version did not include pictures****....but still going to give it 5 stars

This was a very good book but very sad about John. I’m not a fan of his or The Beatles but I learned a lot. Too bad he and Cynthia divorced she really loved him not sure why he let Yoko run his life she didn’t seem to be a very nice person. His tragic death was so senseless.

When I saw that Cynthia Lennon was putting out a new book on her relationship with John, I wondered why, because I'd already read her previous book "A Twist of Lennon" decades ago and I wasn't sure what more there was to add. As it turns out, this book contains many more interesting insights about John's early life and his and Cynthia's early relationship than her previous shorter book. Their relationship appears similar to the old British movie, "Look Back in Anger" where a prim and polite upper-middle-class girl falls for an outspoken, rebellious and angry lower-middle-class boy. Bad boy John and good girl Cyn were an unlikely match and, though they cared for each other at the time, one wonders if the relationship would have really resulted in marriage had not Cynthia gotten pregnant, literally on the eve of John becoming a famous pop star. The portions dealing with the Beatle years and John's leaving Cynthia for Yoko seem to be similar to what I remember. Cynthia is initially kept completely out of the public eye and then, after her existence (and that of baby Julian) is acknowledged, she's more or less parked in a beautiful home and left out of John's life. Poor Cynthia really seems to constantly get the fuzzy end of the lollipop - when all the Beatles and their wives head for India to visit the Maharishi, Cynthia is the one who's left behind on the train platform with the extra luggage. After John has decamped with Yoko, the story really becomes more "Cynthia" than "John" and talks about Cynthia's ensuing relationships and attempts to put her life back together, as well as John's troubled (to say the least) relationship with Julian. John's neglect of his son is the saddest part of the book, especially since he publicly made much of his second son, Sean, that he had with Yoko. Yoko comes off here pretty much as she did in May Pang's "Loving John" - very manipulative and determined to control John and keep him away from anyone who might have a claim on his emotions besides herself, including his own family. Yoko's treatment of Julian in the wake of John's murder is especially cold and cruel - perhaps the ultimate heartbreak in a very sad tale. Cynthia astutely notes that John's Aunt Mimi, who raised him, was controlling and cold, and that Yoko appeared to be Aunt Mimi all over again, which makes sense given that people often repeat the patterns they experienced as children. As for Cynthia's life after John, it certainly seems to have a lot of ups and downs and one gets the sense that Cynthia, while she had other men, never really got over what happened with her and John. In some ways this is a hard book to read, not because we didn't already realize that John had feet of clay and could be a very mean guy to his women (this has come across in virtually every memoir about him) but because some of the anecdotes show that he could also be very kind and that he did seem to really love and need Cynthia during their early relationship. She seems bewildered about what happened to that love, and frankly, so was I.

"The first time I saw him I thought, 'ugh, not my type!'" And yet, Cynthia (Powell) Lennon became a vital and longstanding part of John Lennon's life. His first true love and wife, they shared the birth of The Beatles, a son and his entrance into the drug culture that ultimately ripped them apart. Her longstanding love for him shines yet, through other marriages and many hardships, John will forever be the love of her life. I must first commend "Cyn" for opening up her old wounds again to let those of us who love and mourn John Lennon to see him for the truth of his humanity and reveal all - good and ultimately bad. I don't think anyone can fully comprehend her long suffering in the public eye; from their public breakup, the knowledge of John's infidelity, her bravery in raising Julian on her own and seeing him long for his father, to all the speculation still occuring more than 25 years after his murder. This book really didn't change my feelings towards John, and I feared it would. I was afraid she would reveal too many awful things about his character, possibly a meanness or uncaring that would destroy the loving, insightful and encouraging messages in his songs. In short, I was afraid what she had to say would make him into a hypocrite. To my infinite relief this was not so. Some scenes are so painful, so hard to understand why he behaved the way he did and yet was able to write and sing such powerful messages they still reverberate today and into the future. Still, we have an inkling. Cynthia delves deep into her own past and John's, right into their childhoods. I was relieved to have the true story of why John was raised by Aunt Mimi. For a long time, I couldn't understand why he loved his mom, Julia, so much if she had abandoned him. Now I see Mimi took him almost by force, as a small child ripped from his mother and her one day commonlaw husband who could have been a new father to him. The revelation of Mimi's seemingly often and outrageous, controlling behavior definitely gives insight into John's rebeliousness, his temper and his tendency to run from a problem. Rebelliousness and unwillingness to face problems is often symptomatic of an ultra controlled childhood. Cynthia's continuing love for John is evident throughout the book. Through all the descriptions of their pains, struggles and disconnects she does her best to understand why things were the way they were. She finds reasons for his behavior and in an amazingly fair analysis, she puts blame on her own behavior. Saying that if she'd just stood up to him sometimes instead of always giving in to his every whim, he might have responded. As John was accustomed to a strong woman raising him, a little steadfastness in Cynthia may have been good. There is also the inevitable price of fame. Too much too soon became overwhelming. Cynthia describes fans haunting their homes, and John himself once spoke of how he was always tired after being on tour and coming home, Julian would want to play and all he wanted to do was sleep. Everyone wanted a piece of John, so sad that touring and fans took him away from his own family. His insecurity played into this as well, his own lack of self esteem hidden behind a brash exterior - this became a secret belief that he could not and did not know how to take care of the tiny human who was his son. John once referred to Sean as his second chance, to start over and do all the things right he didn't do for Julian. Older and wiser, unfortunately cut off from the son he always felt he had let down. We read this in his own words in the copy of a letter her wrote to Cyn and which she includes in this book. Not all was bad times though, John's careless attitude freed Cyn from her shy, reserved manner and in the early years of their relationship, she describes the happiness and love they felt, even making sure we knew that her and John always intended to marry, the pending birth of Julian just make it sooner rather than later. Keep in mind also that they were together for several years before the birth of Julian. For those who would like to relegate Cyn and Jules to a brief point in history, remember that she was there with John for 10 years, a fourth of his life! They were together from the birth of The Beatles right up until the final phase. Then, came drugs. John's experimentation with LSD was the first major fissure in their lives. Cynthia speaks of his increasing fascination with the drugs and its visions, her fear and the withdrawal into drugs which Cyn was unwilling to follow. Then, the fateful meeting with "the woman with hair like a dark cloud" and her introduction of heroin to John. The painful moment when Cynthia finds her in their house, wearing her own bathrobe. Cyn expresses her views on the effect of Yoko Ono on John's relationship with Julian, the control she took of his life and the doubt and mistrust she planted in his mind. Yoko had what Cynthia lacked, a strong will and commanding attitude, something John clung to as his own life felt spun out of control. I'll leave it up to the reader to form their own opinion, but I will just say that I stand on the side of Cyn in this issue. I believe she has been fair and insightful, doing her best to explain, not dramaticize or sensationalize their life together. She does not set out to vent her anger, monstracize John or set the blame on him now that he is unable to defend himself. She loved him, she still does and she wishes only to dispell the ugly rumors and let the people who love him know the love of her life for who he was. Altogether, this has been a revealing but kind look into the mythic life of John Lennon. Letting us see the man through the legend. Even through all the pain, Cyn never attempts to turn him into a monster, she shows us his soft side and vulnerabilities; the humanity of a celebrity we sometimes forget was a mortal man.

I only give three stars as the other editions, and previous released versions had a different cover. I thought this was more updated because of the date, but very, very disappointed that there were no photographs in the KINDLE edition. It seemed as if the other versions did have pictures. I may be wrong, however. John and Cynthia each had their issues, but I was pretty surprised to read how cruel John and Yoko were to his first wife Cynthia and their son Julian. I will have to keep John Lennon's memory in my love of his music only, as this was a real eye-opener as to how he treated his family and other people in general. While it could have been slanted with a bitter break-up, it doesn't read that way. I am surprised at how much Cynthia moved, changed careers and married so easily. She seemed to be constantly running to anything that would change her life. It never felt like she ever was comfortable with who she was and had great difficultly in establishing a really stable life for Julian. She seemed lost too, but in a very different way than John. I do admit to being a Beatles fan, and was not a fan of Yoko Ono. I'm still not, after reading this book. The other Beatles had "long and winding roads" too, but I was pretty stunned at John's extensive drug abuse in New York (geez he beat the drug deportation by the U.S., take much for granted???), his abuse of people and the constant alienation with Julian. You do wish Cynthia had more ability to stand up for what she believed in, but it always seemed to be about pleasing John, not upsetting John and trying to create a calm atmosphere for him outside of Beatlemania. In the end, those things clearly didn't matter to John - he just went off and did what he wanted. It is still painful to walk by the Dakota and Strawberry Fields, but now I will appreciate the man's talent, the sorrow of a life lost too soon, but with perspective of how he lived his life. I appreciate Cynthia's candor of her misjudgements as well as tell us what it was really like with John. It was also interesting to read her thoughts on the other Beatles, their partners and how their lives changed post-Beatles. You can only wish Julian the best for the rest of his life after reading this book, and now losing his mother who loved him dearly.

Appears to be a very honest depiction from the woman , I think , knew him best. Brutally honest, but not nasty . I would like to think that Cynthia was able to fine true happiness in the end .

Amo da sempre i Beatles e John e questo libro (che non ho ancora finito di leggere) mi riporta indietro nel tempo, quando iniziò la più grande storia della musica, che non si limitò solo alle canzoni, ma portò cambiamenti nella società, portò i giovani ad avere un ruolo mai avuto prima. Cynthia, per quanto ho letto finora, è riuscita ad essere imparziale descrivendo John con i suoi difetti ed i suoi pregi. L'amore per lui è andato oltre il dolore di essere stata lasciata. Avrei voluto leggere anni fa questo libro, che ho sempre evitato di comprare finora perché pensavo fosse 'di parte', pieno di rancore. Ma Cynthia dimostra anche qui di essere una bella persona. La vita può portare a percorsi diversi, anche se le persone si amano. (Per John Cynthia è stato l'amore giovanile, Yoko quello della maturità, della nuova consapevolezza di sé). Per ora non ho letto niente che già non sapessi (a parte dal punto di vista di Cynthia) ma mi commuove ripercorrere la storia personale di John, così fondamentale nella storia del più grande gruppo della musica ed oltre.

Just couldn't put this book down. Reading the memoirs from someone who actually was there is priceless. Cynthia put it very kindly and raw at the same time what the man was really like. All the good, the bad and the ugly. It's definitely worth the read.

Ich habe mir das Buch gekauft, da ich mehr über die Persönlichkeit von John Lennon erfahren wollte. Mein Fazit ist: wenn man ihn bisher sehr verehrt hat, dann kann man das nach der Lektüre der Lebensgeschichte von Cynthia Lennon nicht mehr. Vor allem sein Verhalten bei der Trennung hat mich wirklich schockiert, ich hätte das nicht für möglich gehalten. Nicht von einem Mann und Musiker, dessen Credo auch war :"All I want is the truth". "The truth" kann man in Cynthias Buch nachlesen. Sie schreibt sehr prägnant, macht keine grossen Schwafelausflüge, sachlich und einfach nur das, was sie mit ihm erlebt hat. Am schönsten war die Beschreibung ihrer Erlebnisse mit John Lennon am Anfang ihrer Beziehung und am Anfang der Beatles Karriere. Das Buch beschreibt auch sehr gut Lebensumstände für Männer und Frauen in den späten 50er und in den 60er Jahren, das Swinging London, das Aufkommen der Beliebtheit von Drogen samt den Auswirkungen.

A great read. Very well balanced. Cynthia gets the chance to reveal some long overdue truths. Thought Yoko was a witch? Wait till you read this..