Written to the standard Tony Parsons formula - disappointing.I’m not sure why I keep reading Tony Parsons’ books. The two I’ve read in the past, Man and Boy and One For My Baby, haven’t impressed me at all. Part of the problem is that he only seems to do one set of characters: a younger generation struggling with relationships, middle-aged parents who’ve had it tough but who make-do-and-mend and don’t complain, and an elderly relative who dies during the course of the book. Throw in lots of musical references and a sporty car, give it a good stir, garnish with a happy ending, and you’ve got a Tony Parsons novel.Pick up Stories We Could Tell and the opening chapters aren’t promising. Here are some youngsters grappling with relationships, some parents who’ve had it tough but who still get by, there’s music, and oh look, a nice car.Yet this one has the potential to be different. For a start most of the action takes place in a 24 hour period (16 August 1977, the day Elvis Presley died). And it follows three characters, all of them journalists on a London-based music paper. It’s the height of the punk rock era and Britain seems poised on the brink of some sort of political precipice.Each of the characters is grappling with a personal demon, for Ray it's not being able to live up to his dead brother, for Leon the success of his broadsheet columnist father, and for Terry it's his own feeling that his past life may have been better than his current one.Parsons was, of course, a journalist on the NME in the 1970s, so this isn’t just write what you know, this is semi-autobiography. From that point of view you can’t help feeling that by fictionalising the story Parsons is pulling his punches and that he’d have been better writing this as non-fiction.The main characters are well enough drawn that you manage to care about them for the duration of the book. Yet the bit-part players are little more than shadows. Overall what you get is a somewhat rose-tinted view of a difficult era. Some of the plotlines are rather too conveniently resolved and there are two and a half happy endings (yes, folks, another must-have ingredient of formula Parsons), though nobody (apart from Elvis) dies. Oh, and there’s one glaring historical inaccuracy that would have taken about 30 seconds research to nail.It’s the formula that’s the problem here, because it has the effect of sanitising what might have been a great rock and roll novel. This is probably the best Tony Parsons yet – you just can’t escape the thought that it could have been so much better in the hands of another author.
A really good book especially if you are very much into music as you get a behind the scenes look at the lifestyle of the stars and the people on a music paper who write about them covering many key events in recent musical history.The ending was a little bit of a letdown as in my mind none of the main protaganists stories was finally completed, i was left with the sense that Terry was not COMPLETELY happy being with Misty and that he was staying with her because she was expecting, Leon just gave up his radical, political lifestyle and moved back in with his parents which was not the way the character was really written and Ray ended up going to the USA to work so it was unsatisfactory that such close friends totally lost touch with each other and were not fully satisfied with the path their lives took.
What do You think about Stories We Could Tell (2008)?
this is a pretty interesting book - but maybe im biased because im interested in that decade's british music scene, having studied it for one of my us college classes. a niche book. interesting in how it portrays youth and identity and the underlying humanity... even though it may not be the best role models to follow, considering all the cigarette and drugs reference. very descriptive and engaging. the form itself is pretty interesting since it revolves around a single night, but it also did a lot of flashbacks, which was nicely done. overall a recommended book for people interested in history of rock.
—Nisa
This has been out for a long time and sonia put me off as she said it was shite.It isn't. It is easy to read and not challenging and would have made a good holiday book.Parson is obviously revisiting his own youth, which implies a lack of material.This is about three journalists working for the leading music paper, all set on one night in london. The night Elvis dies.Terry thinks he is losing his girl to the rock star dag wood, who you feel is based on iggy pop. All other references to pop stars
—Ian Mapp
Set over one long night in 1977 (the night Elvis died), this coming-of-age tale is set against the backdrop of punk, the music press, drugs and civil unrest. It follows three friends, who work for The Paper and their trials and tribulations - Terry, who is in awe of a fading rock star and in love with the girl of his dreams; Ray, who seems out of step with new music and must interview John Lennon to keep his job and Leon, an aspiring radical who discovers true love and disco, then loses his job and ends up back with his rich parents. This takes a long time to get going (Parson goes into great detail about stuff that isn’t mentioned again) and even longer to finish (the wind-down just takes forever), but overall it’s not a bad read. I was too young to remember much about the time period, but the love of music and friends and girls is universal and it did touch several chords (no pun intended) with me. Not a patch on “Man And Boy”, but worth a look all the same.
—Mark
