Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison: Amazon.ca: Marc Shapiro: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

Books that capitalize on the grisly interest spawned by the death of a "star" are usually inferior. Not so this biography of Harrison, universally famed as the "quiet" Beatle. Biographer Shapiro (J.K. Rowling, Carlos Santana) creates a complex portrait that shies from melodrama. For instance, Shapiro does not wring heroic sentiment from Harrison's working-class roots, as others have been so inclined. Instead, Shapiro focuses on the unusual level of support Harrison received from his parents, who encouraged their imaginative young son to make a serious go at the seemingly dead-end vocation of rock guitarist. Roughly one-third of the biography is devoted to Harrison's career as a Beatle. Rather than analyze the group (territory covered countless times), Shapiro uses well-chosen anecdotes to describe Harrison's role in the band. The musician's frustrations as an underappreciated writing talent and his disappointment in both work and private life emerge as major contributors to the band's demise. Though Harrison appeared to be passive, Shapiro notes that this humble exterior was often more form than substance. When the Beatles made the unpopular decision to fire drummer Pete Best, Harrison played dumb, though he was the one who pushed to fire Best. Shapiro writes, "In what would become his typical response to uncomfortable situations, he denied any involvement in the firing of [drummer] Pete Best," when he in fact pushed for the unpopular decision. One of the first biographies fully devoted to Harrison, this volume brings keen perspective to both his great contributions and bland failures.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The best-selling biographer of J.K. Rowling and Carlos Santana hits the jackpot with this life of late Beatle George.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
George Harrison returned to the spotlight in 1997. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews

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1.6 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)

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2.0 out of 5 stars MEDIOCRE - ALL THINGS MUST PASS THIS BOOK, April 20 2002

By

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison (Hardcover)

As an inveterate Beatles' fan, I was naturally interested in reading one of, if not the first biography of former Beatle George Harrison shortly after his untimely death in 2001.

Instead of being a comprehensive work that focused on the man's artistic accomplishments, this book fell back on tired cliches such as "The Quiet Beatle," and "The Youngest Beatle." Very little new material is provided in this book. I did not feel it ranked among the better Beatle biographies. The selection of photographs were good and I liked the few tidbits about Olivia Arias, the late artist's widow.

Since this book came out just a scant few months after the late Beatle's demise, one cannot help but wonder if the timing of its publication is yet another way to cash in on the Beatles' fame. Since George Harrison is no longer living in the material world, his input remains unknown. This work is certainly not one I would give a ringing endorsement, but it did hold my interest because of the subject.

At best this is a good starter book for people who want a "quick fix" in learning the basics of George Harrison's life. At worst, it is a mediocre work with little news to offer.

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3.0 out of 5 stars The Eyes are not the only "SAD" thing here!, Feb 5 2004

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M. Best "Zackariah" (Montgomery, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison (Hardcover)

I have always liked Harrison, and his great songs! He was always the Beatle that I prefered in most contexts, though McCartney is certainly the the ranking genuis of the genre. But, Harrison was the one that intrigued my curiosity during those wonderful years when music was created, & rated, by merit, rather than hype.
But this book was not as informative as I had hoped prior to the read. It would be a good starting text for the novice, but for those of us that have followed the fabs since the sixties, this work lacks any surprises.
I did enjoy the photos, and the cover shot is the best of the group of biographical works that have come to the market since November 29, 2001. But, read this only if it is among your first books on the subject of George Harrison.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Good for an airplane ride, Aug 29 2003

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kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison (Paperback)

This cursory Harrison biography was clearly cranked out in something of a hurry so that there would be more books on the shelf about Harrison following his recent, premature death. It contains the numerous factual errors and unsupported assumptions that so often plague books written by professional book-writers and journalists who have done some research but are not intimately familiar with the subject matter. We glide through Harrison's complex life at a brisk pace, stopping occasionally to note his generosity or his personal failures and struggles with fame. To its credit, the book is not especially tawdry, and takes some stabs at insight into Harrison's character, though again it would take a deeper Beatles scholar than this to succeed in any such endeavor.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars George deserves better
This is a mindlessly bad book, I'm only giving it a generous 2 stars because of the chapters on George's solo career. Read more

Published on July 20 2003 by Candace Scott

3.0 out of 5 stars This might bug you.
My favorite part of this book is the word *guitar*, which is closely associated with the name George Harrison in the George Harrison Discography on pages 212-231. Read more

Published on May 5 2003 by Bruce P. Barten