Being from Liverpool it is hard not to notice the impact of the Fab Four on my hometown. However, The Beatles were never forced on me. My parents both missed the hey day of The Beatles both being babies in the 60s. My love of The Beatles is all my own doing.

In Their Lives looks at just how much people love The Beatles based on one song of their choice. It was fascinating to see how much a little piece of music can resonate so much with a person. What was really great about In Their Lives was that people came to the music from different perspectives such as an evocation of memories another purely from a music perspective. The contributors invited you in to their minds to experience the music the way they did and that is such an intimate thing.

In Their Lives is a great collection and has inspired me to write about my favourite song from The Beatles. For me, it will always be This Boy.

In Their Lives - Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs by Andrew Blauner is available now.

For more information regarding Andrew Blauner (@AndrewBlauner) please visit his Twitter page.

For more information regarding Penguin Group (@PenguinUKBooks) please visit www.penguin.co.uk.

There appears to be no end to the number of ways to get The Beatles on the cover of a book. I've read more than a few in the last few years since I started this book review blog. Since it seems that enough biographies have been written and there have been some well-researched, in-depth looks at the recording sessions, and we've turned now to more and more reflections on The Beatles. If you've ever listened to a Beatles song, it's time to get out your pen and jot down your reactions so that you, too, can put out a Beatles-related book.

The sub-title to this book is "Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs." Both of these subjects ("Great Writers" and "Great Songs") are clearly a bit subjective. As to the songs, just because it's a Beatles song doesn't make it 'great' and even some of these writers refer to the song they write about as <em>not</em> great. "Helter Skelter" may be famous, but is it a great song? "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"? As for the writers ... I may be familiar with the names of a quarter of these writers and I'm not sure I'd refer to any of these authors as "great." But what's really important isn't the title, but the essays themselves.

The writers seemed t have been given a pretty big leeway as to what to write about. Some write about how they first discovered The Beatles and their music. Some write about how the music affected them. Some write what might be better described as an explanation of how a song was written (and less about how it affected the one writing the essay).

As with almost any collection of essays from different writers, some of these were wonderful and extremely engaging for me, while others were flops.

The first essay to really grab me was Gerald Early's "I'm a Loser." Early writes about coming to The Beatles as a black youth. Black boy/white music. This isn't a perspective I'd ever thought about before. In fact it had never occurred to me until I'd read this that The Beatles might be seen as "white music". Early brings about his childhood very clearly and this really made me think.

"Eleanor Rigby" by Rebecca Mead was another reflection that I really enjoyed. Mead weaves the history of the song in and out of how it came about to have such a profound affect on her life. When we think or reflect on The Beatles and the culture of the time, we too often think in a grand scale and the social effects The Beatles had on society, but Mead reminds us that during this time there are simple lives, fracturing, and that sometimes music holds us together.

Alec Wilkinson writes about "She Said She Said" and describes drug use by the listener in such a way as to make us feel as though we might be just a little bit high as well. He does a really nice job of making the association.

Nicholas Dawidoff writes about "A Day in the Life." His essay seems a little less personal and writes about how The Beatles worked together, even through their difficult times. Although it felt a little different in scope from the other works in the collection, I really appreciated this take on the teamwork of the Fab Four.

And finally, "I Am the Walrus" was written by Ben Zimmer. He starts by stating "Inspired nonsense has held me in its spell for as long as I can remember" and I knew that I would be able to relate to Zimmer and his thoughts on the song. And I did.

Most of the rest of these were incredibly average. Pico Iyer's "Yesterday" felt more like a work of fiction and because of that I didn't care for the piece at all.

It's interesting to think that this book isn't really about The Beatles at all, but rather it's about these twenty-eight different writers and one of the few things they all have in common - their listening to The Beatles. Because of this, I'm not sure much I would recommend this book. It's really a series of mini-memoirs, each focused on a Beatles song. But as I mentioned earlier, I don't really know any of these writers so how The Beatles affected them really means nothing to me. Only you can decide if this sounds like something that might interest you.

Also, I found it rather humorous that there's a "Note" from Paul McCartney at the beginning of the book, surely to help lend some authenticity to the work. But I couldn't help but laugh at McCartney's last lines "Enjoy read it. I know I will." Will? He's written a Note for the book but he hasn't read it yet? Yup.

This book contains the following:

A Note From Paul McCartney
Introduction
"She Loves You" - Roz Chast
"I Saw Her Standing There" - Alan Light
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" - Jane Smiley
"I'll Be Back" - Shawn Colvin
"No Reply" - Rosanne Cash
"I'm a Loser" Gerald Early
"Yesterday" - Pico Iyer
"Norwegian Wood" - Amy Bloom
"Eleanor Rigby" - Rebecca Mead
"Yellow Submarine" - Maria Popova
"And Your Bird Can Sing" - Peter Blauner
"Tomorrow Never Knows" - Jon Pareles
"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" - Thomas Beller
"She's Leaving Home" - Mona Simpson
"Good Day Sunshine" - Joseph O'Neill
"She Said She Said" - Alec Wilkinson
"Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane" - Adam Gopnik
"A Day in the Life" - Nicholas Dawidoff
"I Am the Walrus" - Ben Zimmer
"Dear Prudence" - David Duchovny
"Helter Skelter" - Chuck Klosterman
"The Ballad of John and Yoko" - Touré
"Octopus's Garden" - Elissa Schappell
"The End" - Rick Moody
"You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" - David Hajdu
"Here Comes the Sun/There's a Place" - Francine Prose and Emilia Ruiz-Michels
"Let It Be" - John Hockenberry
"Two of Us" - Bill Flanagan

Looking for a good book? The collection of essays, <em>In Their Lives</em>, edited by Andrew Blauner, reflects on how The Beatles and their music personally affected each writer. Some of these essays are most definitely worth reading.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone has a favorite Beatles song. I'd be hard pressed to pick just one. Is there a more perfect song than Yesterday? Sure, the lyrics on their own are trite. But pair them with the melody and arrangement and it becomes something transcendent. Or maybe I'd choose Blackbird, a song I've loved since my high school ensemble sang an arrangement my senior year. The story of Eleanor Rigby has always touched me. And nothing beats When I'm Sixty-Four for sheer fun.

Editor Andrew Blauner has collected essays from well-known writers reflecting on their favorite Beatles song. As is typical with any collection, some contributions are stronger than others. Some are centered around memories associated with a particular song. Others focus on an analysis of the music. What is most striking about the collection is the diversity of the authors, with representation from multiple cultures, ethnicities, and generations. The Beatles wrote and recorded so many different styles of music that their discography holds something for everybody.

Although this isn't an illustrated, coffee table-sized book, it's the kind of book you'd want to display for guests to browse. It would be a great conversation starter. Is your favorite Beatles song represented in the book? If it is, did the author do it justice? If it's not, why not? Recommended for music lovers of all ages.

This review is based on an electronic advance reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

I was given an advanced copy of "In Their Lives: Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs." by Netgalley and Blue Rider Press in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!

I was interested in reading this book as I myself am a huge Beatles fan. I have many books about The Beatles and all their records, and was interested to know what other Beatle fans thought of the Fab Four. I have to admit that all but one (David Duchovny) of the writers in this book were unknown to me. The essays themselves are of different interest to me. Some writers deconstruct their chosen song, chord by chord, and give their opinion on what this means to them, others tell of their lives at the time of hearing their chosen song for the first time. And others tell of their memories of the time the song was released. The stories themselves are interesting to read, but some were less interesting to read than others, also mistaken facts about the Beatles pop up every so often which I was surprised weren't caught. Overall its an interesting read. But it needed more identifable people to be involved.

3.5 stars

I generally really enjoy compilations of this sort where songs or art work are written about by a variety of authors, and In Their Lives was no exception. In Their Lives includes a series of essays written about Beatles songs chosen by each author in chronological order from She Loves You to Two of Us. In addition, Paul McCartney has written a brief note at the beginning. I knew some of the songs and had never heard of others. I had fun listening to each song before I started the essay about that particular song and felt that enhanced my reading of each composition. Some of the essays are fabulous; Jane Smiley’s tale about “I Want to Hold Your Hand’ was highly entertaining. Others focus more on the intricacies of the chords or certain sections of the song or even some random topic unrelated it seemed to the song about which the individual was supposed to be writing. Those selections I did not like as much. Beatles fans and most music lovers will find much to like in this compilation and may find themselves skimming through an essay or two. Thanks to Blue Rider Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A worthy addition to the Beatles' extensive literary canon.

I have more to say about this, but this is what I have so far:
Going back to the biography Hunter Davies wrote in 1968, when I was 16 years old, I have at least 20 books about the Beatles.
Do I really need another one? Yes, I do.
I thought this would be a book of essays. It's really a book of stories that are deep, meaningful and emotional.
A Beatles obsessive will go in with a lot of knowledge and will learn even more.
The stories are personal, familial, analytical and opinionated.
They offer fresh takes. There are twists and turns.
All of this makes me happy, just like a Beatles record makes me happy.

As a huge fan of The Beatles, I really enjoyed reading about the songs favored by some of today's greatest authors. Such a treat to read.

As varied in style as the titles in the Beatles' song catalog, the essays in this collection run the emotional gamut as well. Nostalgic and celebratory, pining and grateful, the authors write with eyes to the past and hope for the future. It struck me that, after years of listening to a wide variety of music not focused on the Beatles, I was instantly familiar with most, if not all, of the songs referenced in this volume. It is a welcome addition to the library of any Beatles fan.

I missed the heyday of the Beatles, that’s to say I was born to late. By the time I’d reached my teenage years the band had broken up. In fact, I bought my first single in 1971, a year after the band’s demise. I was certainly aware of the band – I think it was impossible for anyone who lived in the UK not to be – but the new songs hitting the charts were the ones that got me interested in buying records. But then the former band members started to release albums independent of the Beatles, I recall George Harrison’s Living in the Material World and Paul McCartney’s Red Rose Speedway, in particular. I loved these, and suddenly I wanted to ‘discover’ the Beatles music too. In 1973 two compilation albums were released: The Red Album (1962 – 1966) and The Blue Album (1967 -1970). My favourite was the former, the early stuff. I listened to it over and over.

In this book a number of writers (song writers, novelists etc) provide their own recollections of how the music of the Beatles impacted them. Each picks a song and explains why this one in particular is significant, but there’s a wider scope to most accounts and it’s possible to see that this group of young men from Liverpool talked to each in a way that was different to other influences in their lives.

Some of the songs I knew and some of them I didn’t. I recognised the names of a few of the writers, but most were new to me. But none of that mattered because I became wrapped up in accounts of specific moments and periods in the life of individuals skilled at putting their personal thoughts into words. What a rich mix it is too. And another quirk of this book is that as just about all of the writers are American or have spent significant time in America, the landscapes of the stories are different from those I’ve previously come across. These are people who fell for a culture, a look and a set of vocal harmonies that were in some senses alien to everything else they’d been previously exposed to. It’s very similar to the impact I’ve heard people in this country talk about when they first heard rock and roll music from America in the 1950’s. A light bulb went on; music seemed to be speaking their language for the very first time.

The whole collection is great fun and it’s already got me searching out old favourite songs and a few I’m hearing for the very first time.

I really liked the idea of this book and was eager to read it. I have been a Beatle's fan for a long time and was looking forward to an in depth look at some of their songs. Some of the essays did focus on the songs, they looked at detail into the lyrics and the musical arrangements and they were very interesting. Some of the essays focused on the author of the essay and how the song they picked was important to them. I really enjoyed quite a few of the essays, but others I found to be boring. If you are a Beatle's fan I think you will like this book, the songs picked are fun to look at more closely and some of the essays are very entertaining. Unfortunately I found myself skimming through quite a few of the essays which is why I only give this book three stars.