Author: Larry Kirwan
Title: Liverpool Fantasy
Rating: 4
Reviewer: ZzzzZ Grade: 7
Review:
Liverpool Fantasy is an alternate- universe story about the lives of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, had their group, The Beatles, the most famous rock group ever, broke up in 1962. This book is about their reuinion a quarter of a century later in 1987, when Facists and gangs rule the streets of Liverpool, America is ruled by President (Spiro) Agnew, and Queen Diana rules in Buckingham Palace
John 'Looney' Lennon, as he is known, is a cynical and sarcastic welfare recipant, who is bitter about almost everything, from the National Front, a semi- facist right- wing movement (which his own son Julian is involved in) slowly gaining power in the government, to his former partner Paul's success, to his rivalries with another failed rock group, Gerry and the Pacemakers, to his lost oppertunities at becoming a well- known singer, to his frequent hangovers.
Paul McCartney, who now goes by Paul Montana, is a rich, world- famous Las Vegas entertainer, with countless hits, and even more countless divorces, including those from Nancy Sinatra and Cher. His singing and TV career are currently on the rocks, and at the time of this book, he is fuming over his new TV series, which was canceled in development stage. He was the only one to stick with Brian Epstein, the Beatles former manager, when John quit, taking George and Ringo with him, sparking a resentment between him and Lennon.
Father George Harrison, SJ, is a priest at the end of his spiritual rope. He has great doubts about his career, and is beginning to resent and despise the Church, and its falseness. He believes that the Church should not support the semi- facist, racist National Front, and that the National Front is the opposite of everything he believes in. At the time of this book, he has recently recovered from to mental breakdowns.
Ringo Starr AKA Richard Starkey, is 'Looney' Lennon's optimistic 'sidekick', always rescuing John from getting into too much trouble, and always lending him money for for drinks. He does not work (despite for the occasional drumming job), but lives on the earnings of his entrepeneurial hairdressing wife, who owns a chain of salons.
This book is so realistic, at times it makes me forget that the Beatles did not break up until 1970, that Paul McCartney is a rocker, not a smooth, Vegas entertainer named Montana. This book shows just how much of an impact the Beatles had on our society, and how the world would have been vastly different, had the Beatles never existed. Liverpool fantasy is a a blackly humorous story about life as a musician, the enduring hazards of friendship, and what the world without the Beatles- without idealism- would be like. After reading Liverpool Fantasy you easily can imagine there’s no Beatles. It’s easy if you try.
9/1/03