Pattie Boyd

If there was one woman who encapsulated the 1960s Rock N’Roll culture, it was Pattie Boyd. She had the look we all strived for, she was a top model with George Harrison of the Beatles as her first husband and Eric Clapton as her second. The songs “Something”, “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” were written about and for her. Her memoir, entitled Wonderful Tonight fills in the details of her extraordinary life which as wonderful as it was, did have some sharp ups and downs.

The book details her unconventional childhood, her early days of modelling in London and how she and George met and fell in love. It also tells us about the end of this marriage and how Eric Clapton was there waiting in the wings for her. Unfortunately, Eric suffered from an addictive personality and drugs and alcohol played a large part in destroying their marriage. After her marriages, Pattie spent time regaining her self and has become a well known photographer. She remained good friends with both George and Eric.

While reading Wonderful Tonight I felt that Pattie was being very careful not to insult or point fingers at anyone which resulted in a fairly mild and amiable story, but she is pretty honest when turning the pen upon herself which resulted in a story that was well worth reading. Assisted by author Penny Junior, this book is a fascinating look at the life of an influential “dollybird” of the 1960s.… (mehr)

What a mess, both in the writing of the book and in Pattie's life. Despite the fact that Patti had an experienced writer help her, the book sounds very hokey and amateurish. The story jumped all over the place. I got sick of all the repetition of drinking and drugging, affairs, expensive houses and exotic vacations. There was very little self reflection on Pattie's part. As a feminist I would be more interested in why she made certain choices and how she fought to take care of herself while suffering under the stress of substance abusing and philandering husbands.
… (mehr)

This is the autobiography of Pattie Boyd, ex-model, current photographer and former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton. It's her take on her difficult life with two giants of the 20th century music industry. The rarefied world of musical superstars leaves them, their spouses and hangers-on somewhat helpless in dealing with the world and vulnerable to exploitation. Her version seems totally honest as she moves through the swinging sixties and beyond, surrendering her own life and ambitions to her husbands' careers until she comes out as a survivor on the other side. This had a co-author, but could have used a little more editing because the same stories get repeated several times. Her perpetual travel and name dropping of people who aren't on anybody's radar anymore gets a bit tedious. You come away feeling sorry for Boyd, who as a young woman stumbled into this life without the maturity to handle it and then couldn't get out.… (mehr)