John & Paul

Reviews

"We think we know everything, but author Ian Leslie proves otherwise. His new book, 'John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs,' is, astonishingly, one of the few to offer a detailed narrative of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s partnership. And it’s a revelation."
―Los Angeles Times

"... it is stunning to follow Leslie’s insights into how far and fast John and Paul traveled, how profound their preternatural alliance was, and how epic their heroic journey. I’m sorry John isn’t here to read this book. I hope if Paul does read it he feels the depth of appreciation and gratitude and intelligence it contains."
―T Bone Burnett, The New York Times

"In John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs, author Ian Leslie details their union with perceptive insights bolstered by extensive research."
―People

"John & Paul shows us that the band’s collective closeness grew out of an earlier intimacy between the Beatles’ twinned geniuses. It celebrates the convoluted, beautiful and tragic nature of a songwriting partnership that still reverberates across the universe."
―Wall Street Journal

"Leslie captures the essence of this unique relationship with remarkable sensitivity and depth. For die-hard Beatles fans or those interested in understanding how cultural masterpieces are born, this book is a must-read."
―Beatles Magazine

"Leslie does an extraordinary job of providing context for familiar anecdotes, and there are many that will feel surprising."
―USA Today

"An enthralling narrative of friendship, creative genius and loss...Leslie scores highest in his penetrating analysis of the differences that drove their alchemy...I had up to now considered the gold standard of Beatles books to be Ian MacDonald's formative Revolution in the Head. John & Paul is its equal in passionate engagement with the songs and possibly its superior in originality."
―Anthony Quinn, Observer

"Revelatory...If you think you know all you need to know about Lennon and McCartney, this analytically sharp, vaultingly written book will make you see and hear things you've missed...Leslie's a brilliant writer, by turns poetically exuberant and musically analytical...A wonderful reanimation of their power and joy.
―Simon Schama, Financial Times

"Leslie’s other work... focuses on human nature, which is what gives John & Paul the tender, human element that goes beyond the raw talent of Lennon and McCartney."
—Rolling Stone

"[An] intimate and insightful new look at two of the greatest icons in music history."
—Variety

"Thoroughly delightful... Fans will love this fresh, insightful approach to the band."
—Kirkus, Starred Review

"The author’s unbridled enthusiasm fuels analyses that can be perceptive and often touching... Beatles fans will be eager to add this to their shelves."
—Publishers Weekly

"A well-written and touching story of two very different men, their glorious songs, and how they changed the cultural landscape forever." —Booklist

"A triumph, full of insight and revelation: the story of the most successful 20th century songwriting partnership in 43 songs."
—Jon Savage, author of The Secret Public

"The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read - so joyous, so sad. About the alchemy of youth, of friendship, of love. I just wish I could enjoy the experience of reading it for the first time again."
—Tom Holland, co-host of the podcast The Rest Is History

"Of all the creative partnerships of the past century, none seems more resonant or permanent than that of the two Liverpool boys who met as teenagers, collaborated for a dozen years, and altered the world's expectations of what popular art can accomplish. Ian Leslie's new book is the best study of that friendship, from improbable beginning to melancholy end -- and of all the songs produced between-- that we have ever had."
—Adam Gopnik, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Paris to the Moon

"I was enthralled by John and Paul—one of the most insightful books I’ve ever read on creativity, genius, and collaboration."
—James S. Shapiro, author of award-winning 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare

“The first new Beatles story in decades, and the one that will make your heart burst!”
—Caitlin Moran, author of How to be a Woman

“No writer has ever gotten to the heart of the John/Paul saga as brilliantly as Ian Leslie. This extraordinary book sheds light on a cultural mystery: how two nowhere boys from Liverpool formed a teenage bond that transformed the future, and in so many ways, invented it. John and Paul is a bold, original, empathetic revelation of why our world is still fascinated by this friendship—and still trying to live up to it.”
—Rob Sheffield, author of Dreaming the Beatles

"John & Paul is an elegantly written and original telling of the Beatles’ story, which is as enthralling and astonishing as their music."
—The Telegraph