Rating: 
Summary: Author does great with AU Beatles
Review: This is the only book I have found about the Beatles that is an alternative universe novel. In this AU story, The Beatles break up in 1962 after a dispute over songs when the record company refuses to release "Please Please Me" as their next single. John ends up living off the dole in Liverpool, Ringo and his wife Maureen run their salons, George becomes a Priest, and Paul is a famous Vegas singer. It's very interesting to read how different their lives would have been if they had gone their separate ways. The Beatles have an unexpected reunion in 1987. Despite the years they have been apart, they are still The Beatles and when they play the old rock 'n roll songs that were a part of their youth, they are still just as fresh and alive as they were 25 years previous. They have their share of arguments about a past that they can't seem to let rest. John has an inkling of what The Beatles could have done had they stayed together.
I have read complaints in other reviews that there is no connection given as to why there is a political group of Fascists trying to take over England. I don't think an explanation needs to be given. Who cares? If the author had tried to give an explaination for all the events that happened as a result of a Beatle-less world, it would have taken the focus away from the Beatles themselves and given too much attention to politics. The Beatles were more than just a band. They changed the world in ways that most people can't imagine. They brought love and peace to the world through their music, and they brought pride to their home country. It's not so far-fetched to think that if they had broken up in '62, the world would be a much colder place.
Rating: 
Summary: Scattered and Boring
Review: When I picked this book up I thought it had great potential. After reading it I have to say I finished it feeling confused and not at all happy. The story line just seems to keep turning in on itself, accomplishing nothing, just running in circles chasing its tail. Nothing really gets accomplished by the end and I felt like I was back at square one. The characters as well are underdeveloped, and yes this is fantasy but I felt I could have been reading about any musicians, it didn't hold true to The Beatles. It just seemed far fetched and hard to accept. Plus it seemed to me that the grammar kept going back and forth between Irish, Australian, and British. Overall I would not recommend this book. It is disappointing with not alot of substance and not alot to lean on.
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