I loved reading this book and as a very long time fan of Fleetwood Mac, I was surprised to learn some things I hadn't been aware of. However, having said that, this isn't a Christine McVie biography, but is in fact more of a book about the entire band.

While it was a good read, several things really bothered me. One is that the author inserted herself and her opinions into the story. I don't need to read how she felt about Stevie Nicks' supposed abortions. These are sprinkled generously throughout the book. Also not needed, and a bit unethical in my mind, were the observations of a psychologist who had not met with or treated McVie. All of those comments were not useful and inappropriate. I didn't need to hear his opinion on what Christine may have gone through or what she may have felt. This felt like evidence that there was not enough content to write an entire book on McVie. The third thing that was completely preventable is that some of the facts in the book were incorrect. For instance, it was not Stevie Nicks who added the ooohing and aahing vocals on Big Love. This was Lindsey Buckingham. And the stadium that Mac played is in Landover, Maryland. There is no "Landover, Washington, DC". There were a few other things in there that made me stop and wonder if the author had done any fact checking - easy enough to do these days. And it made me wonder how factual other parts of the book may have been.

So overall, I enjoyed reading about my favorite band, but the last word is - do better. Do better research, don't use useless filler, and keep your opinions to yourself.

This book had so much rock history. It wasn’t just about Christine McVie. It was a lot more in-depth than I anticipated. I enjoyed the history of the time. I as hoping for a more personal narrative of her life. This will be a must read for Fleetwood Mac fans. Thank you to NetGalley for opportunity to read this book.

It is no secret that I love Fleetwood Mac and especially my witchy goddess Stevie Nicks.

Christine McVie is just as integral a part of the legendary band, even if her songs weren’t my cup of tea. Since her death a few years ago, I’ve been learning more about her career and impact on the group, so I excitedly requested this bio from NetGalley when it popped up.

I’ve enjoyed some parts of it, and some parts, meh.

The author had a peripheral friendship with McVie, and on one hand, that leads to some really poignant conversations being recollected. On the other hand, though, the author injects too much of herself into the book for me.

I am glad I’m learning more about McVie and her legacy. If only for this quote:

‘A life becomes a story only in hindsight. A start becomes a legend only in death.’

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books, and author Lesley-Ann Jones for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

When you have a situation where the subject of your book was a fairly private person and is now deceased, and her friends, relatives, and coworkers all refuse to talk to you, perhaps it's time to rethink whether or not you should really be writing about them in the first place. Christine McVie was just such a person, and this is a book that probably shouldn't have been written.

Christine McVie (born Christine Anne Perfect) was the keyboardist, vocalist, and one of the songwriters behind many of Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits. However, she was fine standing behind her keyboards while Stevie Nicks took center stage. She gave some interviews, but not many, and rarely talked badly about anyone, which means a lot of what went on in her life was not discussed in those interviews.

With Christie's death in 2022, the only testimonies straight out of her mouth are those scant interviews left behind. The author also had a bit of a personal relationship with her, but even that seems to be one where Christie kept her at a distance, as she seemed to do with most people. There are many things about her the author doesn't know, and many situations are described with words like "suggested" or "likely". In other words, the author has no clue what actually happened and is taking an (educated?) guess.

To make matters worse, throughout a good part of the book, Jones uses feedback from a clinical psychologist who never worked with McVie to describe what things "must have been like" for her or how she "must have felt." I found myself disgusted at these parts for two reasons. One is that he never talked with McVie so he is analyzing her without her consent or permission (nor that of her family) based on videos and interviews. I thought psychologists were prohibited from doing this. The other is that he assigns feelings to her that she may or may not have had based on statements she makes. For instance, her mother was thought to have been a medium and was also a ghost hunter in Christie's younger days, at a time when that was not the subject of numerous television shows. Based on one line in an interview, the psychologist has decided that Christie resented her mother's absence and just wanted a "normal" childhood. There's no way to ask her what she meant by that line, but his interpretation is presented as the truth throughout the book.

Without conversations with McVie herself or any of the members of Fleetwood Mac or any of her family, what is left to write about? The author manages to fill 353 pages with a whole lot of filler. Pages and pages are filled with tangents that have nothing to do with McVie's life, except having occurred while she was alive. I learned more about the British Blues scene in the 1960s and 1970s than I ever thought I wanted to know. However, seeing how the author came to conclusions about a lot of things in this book, I have to wonder how accurate it all is. Many of the people who did talk to her seemed to be self-serving, as in they think that the mention in this book might help their credibility in the music business, or what's left of it.

Overall, Songbird was too much speculation and too much filler. Two stars almost seem too generous, but there was good information about the music business and the many incarnations of Fleetwood Mac. I still maintain that it was a book that probably shouldn't have been written. If I weren't reading it for a review, I probably would not have finished it.

I was so excited to get an early copy of this book, because I wanted to learn more about Christine McVie and how she became the legend that she is. Unfortunately, this book was clearly not going to give me that. It felt like so much of the information about McVie came from articles the author had read, not interviews with McVie or her friends and family, and the constant “she probably felt/thought/would have done” made the whole thing feel very inauthentic. It’s also clear that the author has a lot of knowledge about a number of subjects, causing these long info-dumps about things that didn’t really seem to connect back to McVie. There was lots of name-dropping of people and places and while it’s clear the author knows many things, she didn’t do a good job, in my opinion, of imparting that information to the reader in a way that connected to the actual subject of the book, or was very engaging as a narrative. I’m bummed, but I just couldn’t force myself to read anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the review copy.

Thank you to Lesley-Ann Jones, Hachette Books and NetGalley for the ARC. My review is voluntary and all opinions expressed are my own.

Being a fan of Fleetwood Mac I looked forward to reading this book. I will say I enjoyed parts of it, but felt a lot of the information initially was more a history of most of British musicians of the time. That portion was quite dry to read. There was information about Christine that was a joy to find out. I just wished there was more of that!

I'm a big fan of Fleetwood Mac. This book mostly relied on previously published accounts and interviews with people far removed from the band. I learned a few new things, but doubt them due to the questionable sources. Lastly, the amount of padding was maddening! So much unnecessary verbiage while other areas were glossed over. A big disappointment for a book I looked forward to for such a long time. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There's people that will always be guarded, no matter what. Christine McVie was one of those people. I feel like, on her own, she could have been a star, but when you are in a band with Stevie Nicks, you are bound to be stuck being on a piano. Lesley-Ann Jones has taken Christine's story and tried to shine a spotlight on the woman with a powerful voice and the open heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

“Because rock fans are the most nostalgic people on this planet. They always crave what they had before.”

I have loved Fleetwood Mac music since I was a kid in the 70’s, and yes—I felt nostalgic throughout the book. I knew relatively little about the band or their members, other than the fact that Stevie Nicks was usually the center of attention. In the book “Songbird”, Lesley-Ann Jones introduced Christine McVie and her life with Fleetwood Mac. I found the first five chapters extremely dull, filled with a lot of miscellaneous information that loosely revolved around Christine. In Chapter 6, the story of Fleetwood Mac really began, and I was hooked.

I liked how each of the songs from the Rumours album (and from later albums too) were explained….who wrote them and what were the stories behind them. Their romances, breakups, wild partying and drug addictions made me sad. I was happy to learn Stevie and Christine were good friends. And by the end, the extent of talent and magic the “RumoursFive” made together blew me away.

I searched online for pictures of the group after I finished the book. Christine was the only one smiling in most photos—which sort of sums up the role she played in their “family”, and her hope for better tomorrows.

I thought this was one of the most poignant lines in the whole book:
“As for “Songbird,” the side one closer and the all-time favorite of millions of Mac fans, has there ever been a piano ballad more sublime? How are we supposed to listen to it now that she’s gone?”

Thank you to the publishers at NetGalley for the advanced reader copy to review.

Christine McVie, musician, singer, songwriter and artist is the subject of Lesley-Ann Jones’ new book ‘Songbird’. It is not what some biographies of the famous tend to be; scandalous and pardon the pun, rumor driven. The author gives the reader a well researched and well researched read.
To this reviewer, Christine McVie was the earth mother of Fleetwood Mac. The quietly powerful alchemist who could soothe with her voice, melodies and lyrics.
A part of the British blues scene before joining Fleetwood Mac, she forged a path through great success as a band member and solo artist, difficult romantic relationships, divorce, alcoholism and a decision to leave the band in 1998 returning to her English manor. A decision to rejoin Fleetwood Mac in 2014 led to an extremely successful world tour and a studio album in 2017 with Lindsay Buckingham.
Her death in 2022 at the age of 79 shocked many yet her presence, contributions and talent lives on.
Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating and well-written look into Christine McVie's life and music. Learning more about Fleetwood Mac was fun, and learning about her life beyond Fleetwood Mac was even better.

At 43 years old I am a casual fan of Fleetwood Mac. Usually associating the band with Stevie and her solo work and celebrity status. This was a very interesting read. I got a sense of who Christine was and her important role in the band. I learned a lot about Fleetwood Mac that I didn't know, llots of ups and downs in their personal lives. This was a solid biography. Factual and personal. It would be interesting to read a biography on the whole band or other members to get a different.or perhaps more balanced view. This was well written and edited. If the subject matter interests you i recommend reading.

I am a big Fleetwood Mac fan and thought this would be an interesting read. Well...I was disappointed. The beginning is history based. Which is not what I like to read about or thought would be the beginning of this book. I was so disappointed that I did not finish the book. What I read was well-written, just not what I am interested in reading.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Songbird is a biography of Christine McVie. 

I am a big Fleetwood Mac fan, so I knew I had to read this. It was so good! If you are a Fleetwood Mac fan I would highly suggest this one. 

Thank you so much Hachette Books for the ARC of this book.

"In this revealing portrait of keyboardist, lyricist, and vocalist Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, readers will get an exclusive glimpse of the band's "mother figure"."

I love Fleetwood Mac and Christine McVie has one of my favorite voices ever. This book is packed with information about her life but it was a bit boring. I struggled to get into it. It covers so much but it is not very engaging. That said, it is very well-researched, with every detail carefully sourced. The author does a great job of connecting historical context and adding interesting facts from Christine's life.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Songbird by Lesley-Ann Jones is a beautifully detailed and richly researched biography that truly does justice to the incredible life and legacy of Christine McVie. As a huge fan of Christine and Fleetwood Mac, I was thrilled to dive into this book, and it did not disappoint. Jones captures Christine’s career and personal journey with great depth, giving readers a fresh perspective on one of the most iconic figures in music. While it might feel a bit niche for the general population, I’d recommend it in a heartbeat to any Fleetwood Mac fan. It’s a must-read for those who admire Christine’s contributions to music history!

I have been a Fleetwood Mac fan since I was in high school (the Rumours album was the soundtrack to my graduation summer), so I was eager to read an ARC copy of Lesley-Anne Jones’ Songbird: An Intimate Biography of Christine McVie, to be released in mid-November 2024.

This book is well-researched and quite detailed. Although the book blurb indicates that the author was a friend of Christine McVie, it sounds like their relationship was actually a more loose acquaintance-ship rather than a friendship, so the book reads less like a tell-all biography of a well-known friend and more like a research-based, interview-heavy biography of a subject your admired (a plus in my mind).

It’s also much more than the story of Christine McVie, as it maps out the complex history of Fleetwood Mac in detail, along with a timeline of “Mac-history” and “Mac-music.”

I found the book to be a bit stodgy in parts (especially the early sections, which seemed very research-heavy and rather dry), although things do pick up significantly when the book shifts to the Fleetwood Mac part of Christine’s story. I found that many of the detailed side stories (the one about Dennis Wilson, for example) pulled the focus away from Christine a bit too much.

Overall, an interesting read. Compelling in spots; a bit of a slog in others. I recommend having Spotify (or your album collection) nearby as you read . . . because you'll definitely want to hear these songs again.

Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 19, 2024.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I’m a huge Christine McVie fan so I was excited to read this book! It shows a side of her that is missed in the hubbub about Stevie. I appreciated the author’s familiarity with her subject. Sometimes, she tended to ramble so it wasn’t the best in terms of writing skill. Still, any Christine is better than none.

I loved this book about a rock icon.
I loved learning about her life and her journey and how her creative talents made Fleetwood Mac the iconic endurin group group they are .
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

My thanks to Net Galley and Hatchette for allowing me this arc.

3.5 stars. I DID enjoy this book but it did not pick up for me till the making of the first album with the Rumours 5. Very well researched, but heavy with too many details. I didn't need to read about what the buildings in her town looked like or the background of Dennis Wilson and the rest of the Mac members. I was reading this for the focus on Christine. Do recommend though for any MAC fan.