John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs

Empathetic and enjoyable . . . Leslie is attentive to the ways the boys mucked about with each other, but also how serious they were . . . A triumph. -- Deborah Levy ― New Statesman

Revelatory . . . If you think you know all you need to know about Lennon and McCartney, this analytically sharp, vaultingly written book will make you see and hear things you've missed . . . Leslie's a brilliant writer, by turns poetically exuberant and musically analytical . . . A wonderful reanimation of their power and joy. -- Simon Schama ― Financial Times

An intelligent, diligently researched look at the intense bond between Lennon and McCartney . . . Leslie's approach is fresh because it's focused on the double-consciousness . . . The dynamic remains mysterious, but this book takes us closer to understanding it. -- Blake Morrison ― Guardian

A wonderful contribution to the ever-growing Beatles library . . . There's a freshness to this telling, a wonder at the sheer implausibility and novelty of it all . . . A tremendous book. -- Alwyn Turner ― The Times

An enthralling narrative of friendship, creative genius and loss . . . Leslie scores highest in his penetrating analysis of the differences that drove their alchemy . . . I had up to now considered the gold standard of Beatles books to be Ian MacDonald's formative Revolution in the Head. John & Paul is its equal in passionate engagement with the songs and possibly its superior in originality. -- Anthony Quinn ― Observer

You might think that the well of Beatles scholarship had run dry, but Ian Leslie's John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs brings an unusual emotional intelligence to its subject. The pair's bond is explored through their songwriting, charting moments of pure harmony, dissonant clashes and the complex static in between. -- Victoria Segal ― The Times

It is stunning to follow Leslie's insights into how far and fast John and Paul traveled, how profound their preternatural alliance was, and how epic their heroic journey. I'm sorry John isn't here to read this book. I hope if Paul does read it he feels the depth of appreciation and gratitude and intelligence it contains. -- T Bone Burnett ― New York Times

We think we know everything, but author Ian Leslie proves otherwise . . . A revelation. -- Marc Weingarten ― Los Angeles Times

John & Paul is an elegantly written and original telling of the Beatles' story, which is as enthralling and astonishing as their music. -- Jon Dennis ― Sunday Telegraph

Trust me, this isn't hyperbole: John & Paul is a masterpiece, a classic, and a book that should be read by anyone who wants to really understand how the Beatles worked. I like to think I know more than most people about the band but there were things in this book that a) I didn't know, and b) which had never occurred to me. I wasn't intending to review this book as I wasn't sure it warranted one, but having spent the last weekend reading it, as soon as I've finished writing this, I'm going to start reading it again. -- Dylan Jones ― Evening Standard

A worthy entry into the canon. Leslie provides a rich, sensitive reading of the relationship between John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney . . . Genuinely thought-provoking. ― Economist

Absorbing . . . At this stage, it's hard to have original thoughts about the Beatles, but Leslie performs the service of sending us back to the music with sharpened ears and even more gratitude towards its makers. -- Richard Williams ― Literary Review

[Ian Leslie] reframes the whole relationship for me . . . He roots it in a kind of love. It's so moving, so moving. I was crying so much. -- Paul Mescal

The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst. -- Caitlin Moran

The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read - so joyous, so sad. About the alchemy of youth, of friendship, of love. I just wish I could enjoy the experience of reading it for the first time again. -- Tom Holland