Daisy Jones & The Six

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Narrated by: Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer, Pablo Schreiber

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

A Reese's Book Club + Hello Sunshine on Audible Pick

"My March pick is here! It’s Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and it ROCKS. Literally. The story centers on the meteoric rise of a rock band in the '70s and its lead singers, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, whose connection is as electric as the music they make together. It’s sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll, people!! And the very best part?! Hello Sunshine is turning this into a TV show with Amazon Studios...so stay tuned for more updates!" (Reese Witherspoon)

A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in LA in the late '60s, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s 20, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the '70s. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

Includes a PDF of song lyrics from the book.

Cast List: Daisy Jones, read by Jennifer Beals; Billy Dunne, read by Pablo Schreiber; Graham Dunne, read by Benjamin Bratt; Eddie Loving, read by Fred Berman; Warren Rhodes, read by Ari Fliakos; Karen Karen, read by Judy Greer; Camila Dunne, read by January LaVoy; Simone Jackson, read by Robinne Lee; Narrator/Author, read by Julia Whelan; Jim Blades, read by Jonathan Davis; Rod Reyes, read by Henry Leyva; Artie Snyder, read by Oliver Wyman; Elaine Chang, read by Nancy Wu; Freddie Mendoza, read by P.J. Ochlan; Nick Harris, read by Arthur Bishop; Jonah Berg, read by Holter Graham; Greg McGuinness, read by Brendan Wayne; Pete Loving, read by Pete Larkin; Wyatt Stone, read by Alex Jenkins Reid; Hank Allen, read by Robert Petkoff; Opal Cunningham, read by Sara Arrington

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Taylor Jenkins Reid (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“I devoured Daisy Jones & The Six in a day, falling head over heels for it. Taylor Jenkins Reid transported me into the magic of the ’70s music scene in a way I’ll never forget. The characters are beautifully layered and complex. Daisy and the band captured my heart, and they’re sure to capture yours, too.” (Reese Witherspoon)

“This stylish and propulsive novel, presented in the form of an oral history, explores the ascent of a (fictional) hard-partying, iconic 1970s rock band. It reads like the transcript of a particularly juicy episode of VH1’s ‘Behind the Music.’" (The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice)

“Daisy Jones & The Six is just plain fun from cover to cover.... Her characters feel so vividly real, you’ll wish you could stream their albums, YouTube their concerts, and google their wildest moments to see them for yourself.” (HelloGiggles)

Damn good—Award Winning Game Changer

There are several things that make this audiobook an award winning game changer. 1. The writing. I can’t imagine the research that went into this. Luckily I didn’t have to imagine it, the period, happenings and voice were perfect and so I was caught up in being there, instead of ever thinking about the writing. Also, the interview style plays out perfectly, keeping the timing right even with the thread of these bandmembers sharing memories and different perspectives. 2. What the audio does is take that spot-on delivery and supercharge it. The narrators sound like they are giving an intimate interview. The narrators and voice become the band members. I can already tell you where my vote goes for best audiobook of the year.

Yes, I pictured Stevie Nicks through out, but I think any favorite band can be pictured. The experience seems true and 1970s rock band universal. I loved seeing it all unfold, including the actual writing and recording sessions. Also I’m glad for the hope this book gives.

Five Stars For The Six

The detailed history of 70s rock band, told in the form of an oral history, i.e. interviews with many of the participants, which if it was in video format would be your standard "Behind the Music" type of documentary. In the audio edition, every character is voice by a different narrator, with Jennifer Beals as Daisy Jones and Pablo Schreiber as Billy Dunne, the dual dueling singers and songwriters of The Six.

1. The Ensemble Narration: I don't normally like this format, but in this case, where every line is voiced by a character (i.e. no exposition by an omniscient narrator), it works, and it works well. It's not always easy to tell everyone apart, but it helps keep everyone straight most of the time.

2. Who are Daisy Jones & The Six in real life? As is Reid's previous book, everyone tried to figure out who Evelyn Hugo really was -- Marilyn Monroe? Elizabeth Taylor? Rita Hayworth? She was all of them rolled into one, and then some. The same with The Six. I kept coming back, as an overarching model, to Fleetwood Mac, but with lots of other touchstones thrown in, like Tom Petty, Grace Slick and the Airplane, maybe the Doors a little, maybe Springsteen, and others. Doesn't matter -- whoever it's based on, Reid totally totally captures the dynamics of a band, especially as to how their personal lives intersect with their artistic process.

3. The Format: Quibble with the awkwardness of it either in print or in audio, but there is no more commonly used format in rock biographies than the Behind the Music model, and in print, the oral history model has often been used effectively. If you stick with it to the end and learn who is actually on the other side of the microphone, you have to realize how necessary it is in order to have the players be as candid as they seem to be.

4. The Story: This is not Fleetwood Mac because the things that happen are nowhere near as over the top as FM's self-admitted real-life story of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. In fact, the material is rather tame. Reid chooses subtlety over melodrama at every turn, and I for one applaud her choices. A hint of a kiss proves to be a pivotal moment. Emotions turn at several junctures over lyrics that are sung either as questions or statements. Using another guy's guitar comes to define a relationship.

In the end, this is not a story of promiscuity and addiction, it's a story about sobriety and fidelity. But more than that, and the best thing about it, it's a story about artistic process.

Fantastic Audible book and gripping story

This has been the best audible book I have listened to hands down. The story is gripping and tugs at all my emotions. BRAVO!

Good story, weird execution

The story was good and some of the characters were surprisingly developed given the method of story telling. My issue with this novel was the way the story was told, in 20 first person narratives like a documentary. This was very distracting and I disliked it so much I actually stopped listening halfway through but eventually returned to it as the overall story was engaging.

Just Wow!

I had put off listening to this book for a while. Some of the reviews have been mixed. But I was simply blown away by this production. It was really a very confessional performance. The end parts relating to the “author” brought it together for me in a way I didn’t expect but I thoroughly appreciated. Highly recommended.

Song not Sung

Interestingly enough at the end of the book words to Honeycomb are credited to TJR however, it’s just an instrumental; there are no words. The book itself has the words. So I guess one would have to listen to the music while reading the words in the book. I thought the end would have been similar to the book Mary Jane (by Jessica Anya Blau) where the song about her was actually sung at the end.

Great story!!

Awesome story and everyone did their parts so well. I was a teenager in the 70’s so I can relate to a lot of what was going on in the book. I thought of what band it could have maybe been about and I’m thinking Fleetwood Mac. The story line kept your attention!!!

Different type of book

Took awhile to get into. Different type of book. Characters took time to even care about. This was my era ,so I new all about these issues. Overall, worth a credit. Actor's made it!

Wow is All I can Say

I was hesitant to start this book, I didn’t think it was the kind of book I would like..I listen to a book everyday and usually finish in a day and half.. let me just say I am blown away by this one!! I have never listened to a story quiet like this, presented this way!! I believe this book should be listened to rather than read.. Blown Away and sad I finished it so quickly!!

Amazing

This is unlike anything that has been done before. Excellent writing, excellent performance. Favorite book to date - no question.