Ratings28
Average rating4.1
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks. New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • “Mitchell’s rich imaginative stews bubble with history and drama, and this time the flavor is a blend of Carnaby Street and Chateau Marmont.”—The Washington Post “A sheer pleasure to read . . . Mitchell’s prose is suppler and richer than ever . . . Making your way through this novel feels like riding a high-end convertible down Hollywood Boulevard.”—Slate NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • NPR • USA Today • The Guardian • The Independent • Kirkus Reviews • Men’s Health • PopMatters Utopia Avenue is the strangest British band you’ve never heard of. Emerging from London’s psychedelic scene in 1967, and fronted by folk singer Elf Holloway, blues bassist Dean Moss and guitar virtuoso Jasper de Zoet, Utopia Avenue embarked on a meteoric journey from the seedy clubs of Soho, a TV debut on Top of the Pops, the cusp of chart success, glory in Amsterdam, prison in Rome, and a fateful American sojourn in the Chelsea Hotel, Laurel Canyon, and San Francisco during the autumn of ’68. David Mitchell’s kaleidoscopic novel tells the unexpurgated story of Utopia Avenue’s turbulent life and times; of fame’s Faustian pact and stardom’s wobbly ladder; of the families we choose and the ones we don’t; of voices in the head, and the truths and lies they whisper; of music, madness, and idealism. Can we really change the world, or does the world change us?
Reviews with the most likes.
“The sort of book yer never want to end!” - Dean Moss. I'd give this 4.5 if I could.
David Mitchell is one of my favorite living authors, and I suspect the only one who could write a 600 page novel about baby boomer music engaging enough to keep me reading until the end. That said, it's still a 600 page novel about baby boomer music, with an exhausting amount of name-dropping. Things pick up a bit two-thirds of the way through the book when we veer towards the supernatural, but for the most part this book is a love letter to the rock and roll of the late 1960s.
This book seems to have a little of every genre. It follows the rise of a band in the 60's and their highs (ha!) and lows. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the band members - I cared about their personal lives and their particular demons.
What didn't work as well for me were the party, name dropping scenes. It felt like fan fiction and author wish fulfillment rather than the authentic experiences.
Overall though - an engaging (if rather long) read. (Note: I think it contains spoilers for the author's previous novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - although I haven't read that one yet).