loved it

Very Rock and Roll such an interesting story Chrissie has such a tale to tell highly recommend

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Brilliant Book!!!

Wonderful slice of life from the late sixties( hippy era) early seventies( punk era) Chrissies style of writing is strong, poetic and melodic...and captures the realities of over excess, creativity and how perhaps the one depends on the other..or drives the other. Difficult to know for sure...this is a very real memoir! She says basically..."This is how it was"

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2 people found this helpful

Set up for a sequel?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes if you're interested in the subject matter.

Do you think Reckless needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, it stops in about 1982.

Any additional comments?

I was really looking forward to this but I came away a bit disappointed. I love Hynde and her music and I was looking for insight into the life behind the performance. It's good as far as it goes, concentrates a bit too much on her life before the Pretenders and stops in about 1982 after the deaths of Jimmy and Pete. It therefore misses out about two thirds of her career and scarcely touches on her marriages.

Could have been so much better.

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enjoyed listening to this book

really enjoyed listening to this book, well narrated and an interesting life Chrissie had

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Artful and gripping

Truly awesome and fateful story - a dreamer and mystic - I wish there was a part 2

xx ya Chrissy hope to catch you along on the journey

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Fascinating story, shame about the narration

The Pretenders were a band of my formative youth, at an age when i had no conception of the non-music side of rock and roll. I later heard stories of what was happening behind the scenes and when i saw this book i couldn't wait to hear the truth. It was eye-opening, frank and revealing, also shocking, terribly sad but educational. The only thing which spoiled it a bit for me was the narration, which lacked rhythm and feel for the text, often the pace and tone were out of sync with the flow of the story and placed inappropriate punctuation in the sentences. That said, this deficiency should not ruing enjoyment of the book, i still highly recommend

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Oh dear!

The pronunciation of English words is terrible and the attempt at accents awful. Sorry I love both these women so feel bad about giving a negative comment. Surely the book once read is actually listened to by someone with some knowledge.

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Excellent

This book is excellent, very well written and narrated, a fascinating life in rock n roll

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Superb and very honest autobiography

A snotty, arrogant turn on" read a early review of a typical Chrissie Hynde live performance fronting the Pretenders. Never a woman to compromise, Chrissie has always been known for her feminist world view not to mention her radical vegetarianism. But that persona, as this superb rock biography shows, is tempered by a touching vulnerability and a genuine wit. Despite a downbeat ending to this book - with the drug- linked deaths of both Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon and guitarist James Honeyman Scott - this book is fascinating stuff. Born in 1951 on Akron, Ohio, Chrissie takes us through a somewhat chaotic life prior to founding the Pretenders in the late 70s. An Iggy Pop obsessive, she was at Kent State University during the fatal riots of 1970. She lived in Canada, Mexico and Paris before falling in love with London. She has ingested a factory full of drugs and booze. She worked at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's shop in London in the mid 70s and later was at the heart of the punk scene, fronting fledgling early incarnations of both the Clash and the Damned. She nearly got hitched to Sid Vicious (but only to be allowed to stay in Britain) and former partner Ray Davies, but didn't marry either. This is a book full of history, tragedy, belly laughs and the author's acerbic but, in the end, likeable personality. While this book is raunchy and acutely honest, it is no kiss and tell celebrity shag-fest, and it's all the better for that. Read it even if you didn't like The Pretenders. It's hugely entertaining and very, very cool.

Rosanna Arquette spits out Chrissie's ripe prose with real venom, even if she does struggle occasionally with some of the English place names. Her reading is far from perfect, but it's very human, even laughing out loud during a funny bit at one point. If your idea of fun is hearing the star of Desperately Seeking Susan saying the word "bollocks", this is very much for you.

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2 people found this helpful

recommend

Loved it, love her but wow what an inferiority complex she had.

Such an interesting life.

Narrator needs to take a breath and calm down, she sure loves to shout. Overall told it ok.

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