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Bruce (2012)

by Peter Ames Carlin(Favorite Author)

4.19 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Touchstone

review 1: Probably a 3+ book if you are a Springsteen fan. Some good info about the early days -- the more recent time period (unfortunately) reads more like a checklist or resume of Bruce's carer.If you are not a fan, but just curious, then the book is maybe a 2. It could have used a better editor. A lot of redundancy in the text. Too many footnotes -- most should either be in the body copy or removed. Some odd choices in how and when people are introduced to the story. By the way, author Peter Carlin wants to be sure you know that he interviewed Clarence Clemons right before his stroke -- and he points it out many times.
review 2: I enjoyed this nearly 500-page opus about rock legend Bruce Springsteen. Descended from Dutch, Irish, and Italian stock, it documents his ri... morese from working class New Jersey to the heights of rock stardom. I hadn't really followed him in the celebrity gossip magazines, nor read any previous biographical work about him, so most of his story was news to me, and of interest mostly because, despite its American heartland overtones, Springsteen's music was ever-present on the radio in Australia in my formative years, and I like to learn about the creative process in talented people whom I admire. He had a lot of catchy tunes, but before reading this book, I hadn't really listened to the lyrics properly and known quite how much of a gifted poet he has been. Springsteen also appeals because, despite his celebrity status, he comes across as a genuine, fairly modest guy who hasn't forgotten his roots - and this is reflected in his music even today. He can be a bit rough around the edges, but that makes him more himan; at least he never turned his life into a drug-addled circus, as goes the well-trodden path in rock and roll. Carlin details Springsteen's friendships, professional relationships and private life in a sensitive but straight-talking way. An added bonus is that the author did not rely solely on old media stories and hearsay to piece together his tale, but really interviewed the surviving people he writes about, including his subject, the Boss himself, which gives an extra layer that a lot of modern biographies lack. However, I have one major complaint about this book: it was marred by a plethora of rather obvious grammatical and punctuation errors throughout, and long, rambling footnotes that sometimes filled nearly half the page. Coming from mega-publisher Simon and Schuster, you'd think they'd tell their author to tighten up his lazy style, or that their editors would have fixed it before printing. So I've docked one star for sloppy work. Otherwise, an entertaining and informative text. less

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