Paul McCartney: The Life

I bought this book for an avid Beatles' fan for Christmas. I know he will love it.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have been a tremendous Beatles fan since the age of 3 when I watched them on Ed Sullivan and then Dad bought me Meet the Beatles (which I still have with my childish crayon markings on it). This bio gave me such a new perspective on my fave Beatle, a new admiration for first wife, Linda and an increased desire to have Paul show up at my door someday for a chat and a veggie dinner. I've also read Norman's John Lennon bio and I must commend him for capturing the essence-- the good and the bad --of these rock idols and making them human as well as creating a better understanding of how they became the world's greatest songwriting team (no, I'm not biased in the least!) More than anything, I have always wanted to jump up on the stage and sing "Yesterday" with my longtime crush. After reading this, I am fangirling more than ever.

As a biography, this book is amazingly well-researched and provides more detail into one man’s life stretching back decades than one could ever imagine being comfortable. It is by nature informative and provides as much information as one could ever hope to read on McCartney.Unfortunately for the book, Norman regularly feels it necessary to include the occasional “kids these days” complaint about upcoming generations and short-form political tirades about various politicians which have no place in this book. It cheapens what would otherwise be one of the best and most detailed biographies I’ve read.Be prepared to read plenty of asides— written between hyphens in every other sentence— and burn constant resurgence of the word “pastiche” into your mind for the foreseeable future.

Well balanced biography about an extremely well balanced superstar. I read Geoff Emerick's autobiography first and would suggest that one read that as a preface to this book to gain further insight into how Geoff, George Martin, Paul and the Beatles created their truly groundbreaking "second half" body of work. No doubt Paul really drove the bus for much of that new style of studio music that re-invented rock. Paul isn't perfect, none of us are, but compared to so many other rock stars and legends, he was and is a good and level headed man. When others snorted millions worth of cocaine or heroin, Paul pretty much stuck to pot and alcohol and always seemed focused on music above all else. I believe he truly realizes that he was born with talent, luck and timing, and worked hard to educate himself and achieve what he did. Sir Paul truly changed the face of music in the 20th century and beyond. I think Paul chose Norman partly because Norman had that anti-Paul feeling that most young men did; all the girls wanted Paul so he was the competition. Who better to write your bio than someone who wasn't always nice to you but was cut from the same cloth as you. The chapters about his solo work and Wings was very informative, as was the details of the relationship he had with the Asher family in London, and the part they played in his musical education. The Heather Mills years painted an accurate picture without really slamming her, just it is what it is. Seems like he found another final mate in Nancy as they had a very long friendship on Long Island and NYC for decades. Very good insight into THE LEGEND of our times.

Philip Norman describe Paul McCartney’s life and his personality in a manner I find realistic. The Paul McCartney of this book is not larger than life. He’s human, and presented as being a good sort, but no less fallible than any other person. The book is certainly sympathetic to Paul, but doesn’t seek to paint a false picture. Instead of being mired in Beatles trivia, it covers the important events and keeps up a very pleasant pace.It leaves me liking McCartney no more, nor any less, than I already did, but it gives me a much better picture of the man behind the image and behind the music. Perhaps that is the greatest success of this book; it shows McCartney in relatable terms. At the end of the day, after such massive success, he’s still as human as the rest of us.

Bought it for my wife to take on holuday.She had a quick look at it and hasnt put it down sinceVery well written

I recently attended a concert Paul McCartney held in Canada. (It was awesome!) Wanting to hold onto the magic a little while longer, I went in search of his biographies to learn more about the man himself and his impact on our world. I chose Philip Norman's book over others because of the great reviews. I myself give it five stars.The blurb on the inside front cover says it perfectly: "Superbly evoking half a century of popular music and culture, Paul McCartney is the definitive life of a long-misunderstood genius." Over 800 pages, it's not a quick read but it's a pleasant, easy one especially with a cup of tea. Includes a nice set of B/W photos.

This bio is well-written, well researched and fact filled. Norman is a great writer, a good storyteller and although he is known to be more Lennon than McCartney, Paul is given more than a fair shake here. The Beatle days take minimal but adequate space in this almost 800 page book, quite fine although the author could have updated his facts about the Love Me Do recording as much has been learned since Norman wrote 'Shout! - The True Story of the Beatles' in the early 80's. To be honest, this is more than balanced by a good number of other small but interesting facts most Beatles followers didn't know about.Up to now, my Paul McCartney 'must have' library included Ray Coleman's 'Yesterday & Today' and Barry Miles' 'Many Years From Now', I've now added Philip Norman's 'Paul McCartney: The Life' and I'd suggest anyone interested start with this book.

Well written, with an above average amount of typos, which i find inexcusable and annoying considering the subject matter. You would think the editing would be better. That said, this is a very well researched book. I think much of it is 'massaged and edited' by the McCartney team, regardless of the author's comments to the contrary. That said, McCartney still let's some unflattering statements through. Mr. PR man knows it makes things a little more credible. Not much to say post Mills era. Nothing much about life on the road, with Macca's endless touring over the last 10 years, but still a good read if you like Sir Paul.

I have read all books about Paul McCartney's life to date and did not expect to find much new material here. I was pleasantly surprised. This a well-written, thorough, and mostly objective look into the life of the most famous musician on the planet. Previous books have ended with the Beatles break-up with sometimes an added section on Linda's death and his second marriage.(Man On The Run covers the 70s) .This was a long -after all, there is a lot of material to cover- read, but an enjoyable one. For Paul and Beatles fans I guess there can never be TMI (Too much Information) An interesting sociological study would be why the Beatles and Sir Paul still are such a subject of fascination and devotion after all these years. Three generations of fans now. I am guilty(?) of propagating this by introducing my great-grandchildren to Beatles music and "Yellow Submarine" DVDS. Oh well... Loved the book.