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Jude Southerland Kessler: Lennon Biography Series
7 February 2010
12.20pm
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mjb
Carnegie Hall
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I think it gets less with age. By that I mean that when I was 20 I thought that a 30 year old was MUCH OLDER; now I'm 51 I find a 60 year old just a bit older!

And you mention George was 23 doing Pepper yet that made him only 20 when Beatlemania kicked in Surprised I know Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) was only 16 when he hit the big time, but being a Beatle was breaking new ground. It's also when you think that Paul was a Beatle for around 8 years (if you don't include pre-fame) its astonishing to remember that he's been an ex-Beatle (as the press love to call him) for FORTY years now.

"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"

7 February 2010
12.45pm
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mjb
Carnegie Hall
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Can anyone explain why this book is on Amazon.com for SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS Surprised

See below:

$700.00
+ $3.99shipping
New
  • Rating:
    95% positive over the past 12 months (9246 ratings.) 30545 lifetime ratings.
  • Shipping: In Stock. Ships from United States. See Shipping Rates. See return policy.
  • Comments:   ***NEW UNREAD/UNUSED*** Bookstore overstock. Multiple copies available. May have small overstock mark along edge. BUY WITH CONFIDENCE. Immediate processing. Prompt shipping. Excellent service. Thank you for your purchase! 

        

"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"

7 February 2010
3.59pm
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skye
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But it's only $3.99 for shipping. Yeah, I really don't understand that. I spent $23 on my copy, and it is a signed copy!

I understand what you're saying. I'm 26 and just wonder what I could have accomplished if I had half the drive that they had.

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

8 February 2010
10.42am
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Joe
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John Lennon wrote and recorded A Day In The Life , Strawberry Fields Forever and I Am The Walrus when he was 26. There's a thought for you… Smile

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8 February 2010
1.11pm
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skye
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Well if that's all I have to do, read the newspaper and remember parts of my last acid trip, then this genius thing should be a snap! Seriously though, they did make it look easy.

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

11 February 2010
5.07pm
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mjb
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You finished the book yet Skye?

"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"

11 February 2010
6.49pm
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skye
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Almost. I had to slow down a bit since I had a huge test on tax to study for, but I should have it finished by next week. They've just finished their stint at the Indra. I'm starting to see why they dumped Allan Williams.

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

11 February 2010
8.36pm
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mjb
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skye said:Almost. I had to slow down a bit since I had a huge test on tax to study for, but I should have it finished by next week. They've just finished their stint at the Indra. I'm starting to see why they dumped Allan Williams.


A test on tax. Your poor thing Yell

"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"

11 February 2010
10.35pm
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skye
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Three and a half hours. It was pretty brutal, but I think I did ok. I certainly don't want to pay to take it again!

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

15 February 2010
5.31pm
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skye
AZ
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I finished it! All in all I would say it is good book. Not the best book I have every read, but enough that I'm impatient for the second book. This review is based solely on what I read in the book.

What I liked:

John: Why would I read this book if I didn't like him? A sympathetic character without getting too mushy, John wants so badly to become famous but is shocked when anyone actually gives a damn.

Ringo the Badass: He likes verbally spare with John and those rings aren't there for looks, sonny.

Beatle banter: It took a long time to get to this, but it does illustrate why the three (and sometimes four) fit together.

George Smith: The only adult present in John's life that remembered he was a child. The man deserves a medal.

Mona Best: She didn't get a lot of time in this book, but what she did was pretty cool.

Paul & George: They joined, but didn't seem to play a role until Hamburg. But once they did, it made for enjoyable reading.

What I was 'meh' about:

Stu: His mind and body slowly deteriorating (as shown by the 'letters' sent to John) is horribly sad, but I guess I didn't see the chemistry between him and John.

Astrid: Again, showed up because the script said so.

Cynthia: Sweet and determined to please John. That's all you need to know.

What I didn't like:

Allan Williams: I got tired of the bitching. That Lennon wouldn't be nagging you so much if you did your job, manager. I started skimming his parts.

Constant reminders that conversation is conjecture: It should have be saved for the appendix along with her reasoning for setting the scenes as she did.

What I didn't like but had nothing to do with her writing:

She killed his dog: Yes, the world is cruel, but it's not your job to prove it, Mimi.

His parents: If Alf had given Julia a divorce, John could have at least been able to have his mother. If Julia was so free spirited and determined, always getting what she wanted, why couldn't she figure out how to keep him? Stay home for once. Honestly, “He's so happy, he sings himself asleep!”. Really?

Would I recommend this book? Yes, for new Beatles fans like me. I'm not sure about more experienced fans.

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

4 August 2011
12.05am
Sharynk49
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skye said:

I ordered Shoulda Been There by Jude Southerland Kessler on Monday. It is apparently a biography of John Lennon (what, did you expect someone else?) and is written as a third person novel. It's the first of a five part series. You can read an excerpt here. It received rave reviews on Amazon and she spent 15+ years doing research, so it should be good. I hope. At worst, I'm stuck with $23 kindling.

Has any else read this book or even heard about it?

 

4 August 2011
12.10am
Sharynk49
A Beginning
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I have read both books out by Jude Southland Kessler-“Shoulda Been There” and “Shivering Inside”  both are awesome about John Lennon , written like a novel but with facts.  I have read many books about John Lennon /The Beatles.  I support her as a author, telling what really happened, making you feel you are right there.  I can't wait for her 3rd book in a 9 book series about John Lennon 's life, “She loves You” comes out in 2013..  I think any Beatle fan should give these books a chance for they are really great and enjoyable.

4 August 2011
4.17am
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skye
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I like them. I need to re-read the second one, because I remember feeling a little underwhelmed by it, maybe because I wanted more? Thanks for your review. a-hard-days-night-john-6

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

9 September 2011
2.04pm
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PeterWeatherby
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I’ve just posted an interview with Jude Southerland Kessler, author of Shoulda Been There and Shivering Inside (and the upcoming She Loves You ), part of a series of historical/biographical novels on the life of John Lennon .

 

She Said So: An Interview with Jude Southerland Kessler

 

I think you’ll enjoy Jude’s comments and insights as much as I have, and if you haven’t read any of the volumes in her series, I’d highly recommend that you check them out. They are nothing short of captivating.

 

All the best!

Not a bit like Cagney.

9 September 2011
9.22pm
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mithveaen
Sitarday's room
Rishikesh
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Wow fantastic interview thanks for sharing Peter!!

Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……

Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…

Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.

Beware of Darkness… 

9 September 2011
9.36pm
mr. Sun king coming together
Nowhere Land
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Peter, welcome back to the friendly confines of the BB. I’m not sure if I ever actually on when you were on, but I always love seeing your posts on older threads.

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

11 September 2011
5.58pm
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Joe
Pepperland
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Oh hi Peter. Welcome back! Nice interview too.

Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs

Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!

13 September 2011
3.43pm
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Sitting on a cornflake
as above, in an Italian garden
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Thanks Peter – I'd never come across this author in my Lennon meanderings. Sounds intriguing.

a-hard-days-night-john-2

21 February 2012
5.45pm
casinoman
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21 February 2012
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I read this book by candle light after the earthquake here in Japan last year. It was excellent(the book,not the earthquake). I could really identify with some of the squallid living conditions The Beatles had in Hamburg. I would recommend it to all Beatles fans. More than any other book, it made me feel like I was right there in the story. The only problems were the annoying mini-appendices at the end of each chapter. They totally broke up the rhythm of being “in the story”. THose appendices drop this from favorite status to 4th or 5th among Beatle books. Even so, I am waiting impatiently for each new volume!

22 February 2012
4.39pm
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Joe
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I’m sure Jude would be delighted to read that. She visits this site Now And Then , though I don’t know if she’s been to the forum. AFAIK she puts the appendices in to validate some of the assertions, though I guess (I haven’t seen the books) they might work at the end instead.

Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs

Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!

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