WITH this novel having swept the late teen to new adult market with its style and having been turned into a recent and equally successful Amazon Prime series, many may be wondering what is so charming about Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work.
Reid excels at the writing of fictional celebrities. In using all the most glamorous and remembered elements of an era, the reader is drawn into a romance with a world they likely were not even alive to see the first time around, and most importantly, with scandalous but ultimately human characters.
Loosely inspired by the iconography of 1970s style and personal tension such as Fleetwood Mac comes the fictional rock ‘n’ roll band, Daisy Jones & The Six.
In this particular captivating exploration of the personal and the public, we are introduced to two stories of young people.
The first is Daisy Jones, a wealthy but neglected teenage artist in LA who even while underage begins to go to bars and venues and becomes fascinated with live music and its process and no matter what, is determined to be taken seriously.
She is challenged early by a lack of support and validation from her parents or the world around her, in her striking beauty and uniqueness she is seen early in life by men as someone to write songs about and not one to write songs of her own.
Over in Pittsburgh, the Dunne brothers – lead singer Billy and guitarist Graham – form a band and struggle to get recognised as they move up the ranks from small, local concert venues to larger ones.
Past early troubles and losses along the way they form what they think to be their final group with three other members, Eddie, Warren and Karen, and in honour of the support of Billy’s girlfriend Camila, name themselves The Six.
Both in LA now and further into their whirlwind youths, The Six and Daisy Jones steadily gain success in music separately, but somehow are missing something to skyrocket their work and fame.
READ MORE: Devil's Pulpit called 'Scotland's best trail' – but rescuers hit back
When Daisy Jones features on a song for their newest album, however, the song becomes their biggest hit yet, and before they even know it she is becoming closer to a permanent member of the band.
With her fiery and unapologetic nature, Daisy is overwhelming to the sober Billy, attempting to leave the more damaging aspects of the rock star lifestyle behind him.
When these two striking and endlessly stubborn characters combine, they create in Daisy Jones & The Six what makes both its fictional and real-life audience keep coming back.
Two fronts of one band are constantly in competition, with a real and compelling tension between them on stage – they are both addicts – but Daisy’s recklessness, almost like a mirror to Billy’s past self, is a threat not only to his recovery, but though he would never admit it, to his marriage.
Reminiscent of the draw of a celebrity magazine but with brilliant heart and substance in its empathy, Daisy Jones & The Six explores all art as a self-portrait, and the kinds of love that are good, bad and complicated, even all at once.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here