One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time
One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time is a non-fiction book written by satirist
Reception
Critical reception
Anthony Quinn of The Guardian called the book "not a biography so much as a group portrait in vignettes, a rearrangement of stories and legends whose trick is to make them gleam anew", and noted that it "does an intriguing sideline in characters who were tangential to the Beatles' story", such as Richard and Margaret Asher (whose daughter Jane was a girlfriend of Beatle Paul McCartney), drummer Jimmie Nicol, and former police constable Eric Clague.[1]
Nuala McCann of The Irish News wrote: "Craig Brown's rollicking roll back in time is worth a listen just to wonder at the things people do in the name of fandom and to feed that little twinge of nostalgia sweet and tender as the first bite of the madeleine."[3]
More than just a nostalgic hagiography, Brown succeeds in "putting the Beatles in their place as well as their time," Dominic Green wrote in Literary Review, as the book reveals how "the exceptional strangeness of The Beatles reflects the ordinary oddity of real life."[4] Green called it "by far the best book anyone has written about them and the closest we can get to the truth."
Honours
The book won the 2020
References
- ^ a b Quinn, Anthony (13 April 2020). "One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Bilmes, Alex (7 April 2020). "'One Two Three Four: The Beatles In Time': As Dark And Sunny As A Lennon/McCartney Song". Esquire. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ McCann, Nuala (10 April 2020). "Radio review: Hard to beat Beatles nostalgia". The Irish News. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ Green, Dominic (31 March 2020). "Here, There & Everywhere". Literary Review. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b Flood, Alison (24 November 2020). "Beatles biography One Two Three Four wins Baillie Gifford prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2021.