RaveThe Independent (UK)Elton John is not an artist known for being shy about his personal life. Even so, the candour with which he speaks in his first – and apparently only – autobiography, is astounding ... [John] never appeals to the reader for sympathy. His voice, assisted by music critic Alexis Petridis is warm and genial ... There are moments that are by turn hilarious, touching and surprising ... By the time you reach the moment he lost his virginity (although the actual moment is glossed over, suggesting even John has his moments of prudishness), aged 23 and already a bona fide star, you’re practically cheering him on ... He’s remarkably self-effacing about his temper, addictive personality, and the admitted \'dreadful behaviour\' with boyfriends whom he’d expect to drop everything to come with him on tour. His reflection on how, regardless of the success or adulation he was enjoying at the time, underneath the glittering costumes he was still Reg Dwight from Middlesex – body-conscious, insecure, full of self-doubt and self-loathing – is deeply moving. In between the countless anecdotes with stars from across the decades, John’s enthusiasm for music continues to shine through ... It’s wonderful to read about an artist who really has succeeded at both stardom and stability – who wasn’t lost like so many others to the dark side of fame.
George R.R. Martin
PanThe IndependentSomehow Martin manages to make these warring kings and queens and exiled princes, with their dragons and purple eyes and white-blond hair… dull. Martin appears to have made the assumption that historical writing should be dry and clinical, and that the excitement of the events themselves should be left to do the talking. Yet the prose is so dry that even descriptions of a battle in the sky between two brothers manages to fall as flat as the losing Targaryen and his dragon ... Asides from the writing style, the main problem with Fire and Blood lies not in its length (an eye-watering 706 pages) but in its complexity. The first 100 pages are OK, but as the history continues, the reader struggles to keep up ... ideal for fans of the stories who love to obsess over the most minute of details ... the sheer scale and exhaustive detail in Fire and Blood makes reading it feel more like you\'ve been assigned a mildly interesting, but often tedious, piece of homework.
