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John Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,358 listener ratings
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The Extraordinary Story of a Man, a Legend and a Marriage When she was eighteen years old, a girl named Cynthia Powell met a boy named John Lennon and they fell in love. Their ten-year relationship coincided with the start of the Beatles phenomenon—from Liverpool’s dockside clubs to the dizzying worldwide fame that followed. And Cynthia Lennon, John’s first wife, was an integral part of the swirl of events that are now an indelible part of the history of rock and roll. In John, Cynthia recalls those times with the loving honesty of an insider, offering new and fascinating insights into the life of John Lennon and the early days of the Beatles. And with the perspective only years can provide she also tells the compelling story of her marriage to a man who was to become a music legend, a cultural hero and a defining figure of the twentieth century. Cynthia has seldom talked in any detail about her marriage and the painful events that followed John’s tragic assassination in 1980. Now she candidly reveals the good and the bad, the loving and the cruel sides of John. She tells of the breakdown of their marriage and the beginning of his relationship with Yoko Ono in more detail than has ever been disclosed before and documents the difficulties estrangement from John—and his subsequent death—brought for herself and their son, Julian. In John, Cynthia Lennon has created a vivid portrait of the 1960s, the Beatles and the man she never stopped loving. The time has come when I feel ready to tell the truth about John and me, our years together and the years since his death. There is so much that I have never said, so many incidents I have never spoken of and so many feelings I have never expressed: great love on one hand; pain, torment and humiliation on the other. Only I know what really happened between us, why we stayed together, why we parted and the price I have paid for being John’s wife. I want to tell the real story of the real John—the infuriating, lovable, sometimes cruel, funny, talented and needy man who made such an impact on the world. —From the Introduction
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"Cynthia's story presented a different view of John Lennon and it is definitely a bittersweet view. Julian Lennon wrote the forward which sets up the tone of the book. I recommend this book. It is written with love and great pain. A good book to balance the artist with the flawed man and the legend."
— Katherine (4 out of 5 stars)
John Listener Reviews
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" A new look at the life of Lennon from the perspective of his first wife, Cynthia. Good stuff "
— Meg, 2/19/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book. I admit I teared up a bit when Cynthia was putting Julian to bed and saying that she wouldn't let John take him from her or something to that effect. "
— Monique, 2/18/2014 -
" Yoko vilified; John escapes, barely. "
— Brendan, 2/10/2014 -
" Written by first wife Cynthia, this is interesting, if understandably biased. I met Cynthia Lennon at a Beatle convention years ago; she seemed like a very gracious and somewhat vulnerable woman. "
— Rob, 1/23/2014 -
" Very interesting look at the life of John Lennon through the eyes of his ex-wife. "
— Betsy, 1/23/2014 -
" totally awesomely cool! "
— Dr., 1/20/2014 -
" Biography of Lennon by his ex-wife. I was struck by his shockingly cold and cruel behaviour towards her. "
— Ginni, 1/15/2014 -
" A different version of what happened before during and after the Beatle years. Well worth the time.... "
— Dawn, 1/14/2014 -
" Brilliant. Somehow alot of this book has remained relatively exclusive to the pages and not easy to find on the internet and for that reason alone it is worth a read if you are a fan. "
— Cain, 12/27/2013 -
" She seems pretty bitter, but I really can't blame her. "
— Sue, 12/22/2013 -
" Great book. A good companion to Patti Boyd's memoir. There was necessarily much new or surprising in "John", but it is always interesting to hear the stories from the source. "
— Seth, 9/21/2013 -
" Brilliant book. Honestly I cannot tell you how much I've learned from it. If you are a John Lennon fan you must read it, it gives you a different insight of his life and how he affected his family. "
— Jade, 6/14/2013 -
" This book by Cynthia Lennon is by far my most favorite book written about John Lennon. I own it and I can't tell you how many times I've read it. This book is a must read! "
— Christina, 4/18/2013 -
" The truth is what we all agree on. John was a shit, that much is true, but I sure do miss him. "
— Deb, 4/13/2013 -
" An interesting look at the life of John Lennon. Definitely worth the read, especially if you're a Beatles fan. "
— Mel, 1/13/2013 -
" When I was young he was always my fave beatle but now not so sure. Interesting book, nice to hear the wifes perpective. "
— Alohatiki, 11/9/2012 -
" i don't think she did john justice. "
— Jenn, 4/10/2012 -
" Poor misunderstood much maligned John Lennon....we'll never know what the man could have been. "
— Carol, 3/2/2012 -
" I loved this book. It was a very interesting look at Lennon. "
— Corri, 12/6/2011 -
" A must read for any John Lennon fan. Cynthia writes a different heartfelt side of John that only a wife could know. "
— Kristin, 6/16/2011 -
" God awful. Creative people should never torture normal people. Mating with other creatives is the only way.<br/><br/> "
— Maria, 5/12/2011 -
" Interesting story, but it left MANY ???s... "
— Pl, 4/11/2011 -
" This book should have been called Cynthia Lennon. Some interesting facts definitely. Gives you some insight on how John was in his early 20's. After that, she loses track of him and the story becomes hers and Julian's. A little too long in my opinion. "
— Javier, 4/6/2011 -
" Makes me rethink the people I thought John Lennon and Yoko Ono were. "
— Rebecca, 3/31/2011 -
" Absolutely brilliant. What a fantastically written book and a wonderful insight into John Lennon by someone who knew him right at the beginning. Couldn't recommend this book more. "
— Susan, 2/13/2011 -
" Poor misunderstood much maligned John Lennon....we'll never know what the man could have been. "
— Carol, 1/24/2011 -
" Great book. A good companion to Patti Boyd's memoir. There was necessarily much new or surprising in "John", but it is always interesting to hear the stories from the source. "
— Seth, 1/6/2011 -
" Excellent book. You have to really take everything with a grain of salt because it's a one sided retelling of Lennon's life. But it's easy to get caught up in this book and it's nice to see John from the other side. "
— Bee, 12/20/2010 -
" I loved this book and finally getting to hear Cyn's side of the story!!! I felt like I learned so much about everyone involved in The Beatles. "
— Amanda, 10/29/2010 -
" I cried, I felt her pain about losing someone you love, about feeling cast out of a tightly-knit group of people. Deeply appreciated her perspective. "
— Kristy, 10/16/2010
About Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lennon was born in Blackpool, England, in 1939. While attending the Liverpool College of Art she met John Lennon. John and Cynthia married in 1962 and their son, Julian, was born in 1963. The Lennons were divorced in 1969. Cynthia retained custody of Julian, who saw his father sporadically until John was killed in 1980. In the years since, Cynthia has been a restaurateur, a designer, and a television personality. She now lives in Spain with her husband, Noel Charles.
About Cynthia Lennon
Rosalyn Landor is an English-born television, theater, and multiple-award-winning audiobook narrator. Her television credits include Love in a Cold Climate, Rumpole of the Bailey, Sherlock Holmes, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has won numerous Audie awards and AudioFile magazine Earphones awards.