Taylor Jenkins Reid has written a stylish and propulsive if sometimes sentimental novel ... a fairly earnest portrait of the ’70s, though, a mockumentary without the mocking ... It’s a pleasure, then, to see Reid tweaking her own formula in Daisy Jones & The Six while also leaning on her strength, the love story. Narratively speaking, this is easily her most sophisticated and ambitious novel. Which is not to say that all of its risks pay off ... Presented almost entirely as an oral history, the novel reads like the transcript of a particularly juicy episode of VH1’s 'Behind the Music' ... the script format inherently limits our access to the characters’ innermost selves ... Moments like these are a little cheesy, but maybe that’s the point? I felt the same way reading Daisy and Billy’s lyrics, which perfectly channel the cringey, soulful, not-quite-brilliant but damn-catchy lines of every pop song written in the 1970s ... In the end, that’s the most surprising gift of Daisy Jones & The Six — it’s a way to love the rock ’n’ roll of the 1970s, without apology.
Reid’s twist is constructing her sixth novel as an oral history, complete with lyrics, album photo shoots and atmospheric period details. The structure serves her well — except when it doesn’t ... Introducing six band members simultaneously might not have been the wisest move. The reader can’t keep them straight ... Is the book riddled with cliches? Check. Twists the reader can spot chapters in advance? You betcha ... Yet, here’s the thing: Daisy Jones & The Six works. It’s big dumb fun ... Given the music industry’s notorious sexism, she deserves credit for creating female characters who are more self-aware and determined than the foolish men around them.
Framed as a tell-all biography compiled through interviews and articles, Reid’s novel so resembles a memoir of a real band and conjures such true-to-life images of the seventies music scene that readers will think they’re listening to Fleetwood Mac or Led Zeppelin. Reid is unsurpassed in her ability to create complex characters working through emotions that will make your toes curl.
His integrity and lack of cynicism keep the reader from resenting him the way his bandmates sometimes do. At the same time, Reid is adroit enough to make us understand why his white-knuckled virtue gets on people’s nerves ... [a] humane, delectable, rollicking novel.
Like a poignant song with lyrics that speak to your soul, Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid will transport you to another place and time ... Each character is compelling but Daisy Jones is the star ... In this era with so much content and stimuli, where we’re on the internet while watching TV, what’s great about this book is it draws you in, drowns out the noise and you’re just focusing on Daisy, Billy and their story ... Daisy Jones & The Six really [cements Jenkins Reid's] status as an author with a gift for storytelling who is worth following.
...the oral tradition/interview style storytelling really grabbed my attention ... Jenkins Reid is masterful in balancing every single point of view and giving them time to grow ... a solid A- ... a great novel, absorbing,with interesting, flawed and complicated characters.
...an unusual approach to dissecting the breakup of the fictional rock band ... There is great buildup around answering the big question of what happened at their final concert together, though the revelation is a letdown. Further, the documentary-style writing detracts from the storytelling; it often feels gimmicky ... Despite some drawbacks, an insightful story that will appeal to readers nostalgic for the 1970s.
...a stunning story of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll in the 1960s and ’70s in this expertly wrought novel ... Reid creates both story line and character gold. The book’s prose is propulsive, original, and often raw ... Reid’s gift for creating imperfect characters and taut plots courses throughout this addictive novel.
