Shoulda Been There: A Novel on the Life of John Winston Lennon

by Jude Southerland Kessler

Shoulda Been There is a researched, footnoted historical novel on the life of John Lennon from his birth in 1940 to the day that The Beatles signed with manager, Brian Epstein. The novel, researched over 20 years, tells the story of John's lonely childhood and angry teen years. It dispels many Beatle myths and sets the record straight on Lennon legends. With facts from John's friends and college mates and a foreword by Bill Harry, this unique work...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979944805
• ISBN13: 9780979944802
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Ontherock Books
• Length: 795 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

What a magnificent read! Love, Love, Love it!

This author, Jude Kessler, has done nothing short of amazing. The first installment, yes imagine this is only the first book weighing in at over 700 pages, of this factual account of John Lennon's life set in the framework of a novel is masterful! I would consider myself to be an avid reader of Beatles books as I own over 200 (i've really read 75% of them- honest-lol). So when Jude's book, thoughtfully given to me as a gift from another fan, I was delighted. Yet I felt, oh dear what will I read in a novelization of what I've read so many times in so many books about John and the Beatles history? YES! is the answer. And what I mean by that is you will agree when you read this extraordinarily well thought out and extremely well researched book that Jude has done. She did the impossible; found a new way to tell the old story of John's life and even the most informed historians will find it a fresh and exhilerating read. 700+ pages and time flies so fast when you are absorbed in this incredible tome! She uses a great deal of references from people who were there and in these early years of John's life especially, that's no snmall task. It took her TWENTY years to amass the information and write the book and she definitely didn't waste her time. Well worth it and you can see the love with which this book is written. I had the chance to meet the author at a Beatles festival in Chicago this past August and I thanked her for this marvelous addition to the mountain of "Must Read" Beatles books. I also told her she was the J.K. Rowling of Beatles books. She thanked me and I thank her for giving the Beatles world a beautiful book about one of the greatest men of the 20th century (not just the decade!-lol) Hurry, Hurry Jude! Can't wait for part 2- The Beatlemania Years! And by now if you haven't guessed, buy this book NOW! Make haste delay no longer! You won't regret it, because if you are a Beatles fan you will be fascinated and if you are a John fan you will simply adore it!

Best Beatle Book Yet

I love books on The Beatles, especially the most interesting John Lennon, but I do not like reading books in 3rd person. This is the first historically acurate NOVEL ever on John Lennon and it is riveting!! I now feel like I walked with John, like I was with him in the Cavern Club and when he was trying to "make it big"! Thank you, Jude Kessler, for devoting so much of your life to this superb undertaking! Everyone who has ever been interested in John Lennon should read this great work. I cannot wait for the sequel!!

Amazing book!

This book is captivating. Once you begin to read you are hooked. Page after page goes by and you do not realize how far you have read. Not only is this a story about John Lennon's life but it also allows us to think about the many children who come from such hard lives and are so misunderstood. I myself am learning how much his songs mean now that I understand where he came from. I also love that at the end of each chapter the author explains the truthful facts of each chapter. Bottom line, this is a very entertaining and accurate portrait of the life of little John Lennon.

This book is the BEST!

This book is almost beyond description! I've read nearly every book ever written about John Lennon. This is probably the best book I have ever read about John's life as a child, teenager and young adult. The author has done something quite unique in the realm of Beatle biographies. She's taken actual facts and written a full length novel based upon those facts. It can't be called a fan-fiction, because none of it is fictional, with the exception of dialog. This is Jude's first book and it is absolutely amazing! You will feel as though you have been transported back in time to be a "fly on the wall" of John's life. This book project has taken Jude over 20 years to research. She's made countless trips to Liverpool, interviewing as many of John's friends, family members and others in his life as possible, and believe me, it shows. At the end of each chapter, she cites her sources for the events in that chapter. Only the conversation is conjecture, and even some of that is exact quotes. She's done a fantastic job of capturing the essence of John's personality, the good and the not so good. Personally, I cannot wait for the sequel(s). This book is captivating and anyone who loves John should not only read it, but OWN it!

Imagine All You Can!

The song "Imagine" by John Lennon is a byproduct of years of participating in and observing conflict about most meaningless issues, different perspectives and selfishness. But imagine is just what John Lennon spent his entire life doing with the most tenacious and passionate vision and "out of the box" thinking anyone else could ever dream. Jude Southerland Kessler takes a reader through the minute events and factors that contributed into forming this iconic, well-loved and really quite misunderstood musical genius! Shoulda Been There is the first of a series of novels written by Kessler to chronicle the little-known but fascinating facts about John Lennon's life. This first edition spans the years of 1940 to 1965, well before the Beatles landed to mesmerize America and change the world of music forever. While it's impossible to cover the 795 pages within this review, this reviewer was deeply moved by John's story. Raised by an Aunt Mimi and Uncle George who tried to instill a sense of order and responsibility in John's chaotic spirit, John was just as much a byproduct of his free-spirited mother, Julia, who had a similar passion for music, dance and performance. Indeed she was the inspiration behind John picking up a guitar and at first playing in a "skiffle" band, later to become known as The Quarrymen. But before his musical career haltingly inched forward, there were years of friendship and pranks shared with best friends like Peter Shotton, pranks that kept John in the lower academic ranks and always on the verge of expulsion from school. It certainly doesn't seem like John lacked intellectual ability; he was just plain bored, so trouble was the spark that made school tolerable. John was a voracious reader and talented sketcher as well as evolving musician. The rest of the novel takes up every step of John's strategy as well as the rejections and small bits of victory that led the band through different players, different managers and different ideas about how to become successful. It was only after John met Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr and a new manager, Brian Epstien, that John finally began to feel they had a chance at becoming "known" and not just in the backwaters of Liverpool. Shoulda been there is meticulously researched, full of notes and comments debunking myths about John and his family, but all in all is told in fictional form, albeit this reviewer kept thinking of it as more of a memoir than a novel in which the author has imagined the conversations that occurred around historical events in Lennon's life. It's well-told, a bit stretchy with minutiae but a fascinating story for those who would love to read more about the man who gifted the world with an eclectic, memorable, life-changing series of songs and albums that will stand the test of time for sure. Very, very well done, Ms. Kessler!!! This reviewer is avidly looking forward to your next segment of this story re John Lennon, the Beatle!!! Reviewed