John

By: Cynthia Lennon

Narrated by: Cynthia Lennon

Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The Extraordinary Story of a Man, a Legend and a Marriage

When she was eighteen years old, a girl named Cynthia Powell met a boy named John Lennon and they fell in love. Their ten-year relationship coincided with the start of the Beatles phenomenon—from Liverpool’s dockside clubs to the dizzying worldwide fame that followed. And Cynthia Lennon, John’s first wife, was an integral part of the swirl of events that are now an indelible part of the history of rock and roll.

In John, Cynthia recalls those times with the loving honesty of an insider, offering new and fascinating insights into the life of John Lennon and the early days of the Beatles. And with the perspective only years can provide she also tells the compelling story of her marriage to a man who was to become a music legend, a cultural hero and a defining figure of the twentieth century.

Cynthia has seldom talked in any detail about her marriage and the painful events that followed John’s tragic assassination in 1980. Now she candidly reveals the good and the bad, the loving and the cruel sides of John. She tells of the breakdown of their marriage and the beginning of his relationship with Yoko Ono in more detail than has ever been disclosed before and documents the difficulties estrangement from John—and his subsequent death—brought for herself and their son, Julian.

In John, Cynthia Lennon has created a vivid portrait of the 1960s, the Beatles and the man she never stopped loving.

The time has come when I feel ready to tell the truth about John and me, our years together and the years since his death. There is so much that I have never said, so many incidents I have never spoken of and so many feelings I have never expressed: great love on one hand; pain, torment and humiliation on the other. Only I know what really happened between us, why we stayed together, why we parted and the price I have paid for being John’s wife.

I want to tell the real story of the real John—the infuriating, lovable, sometimes cruel, funny, talented and needy man who made such an impact on the world. —From the Introduction

©2005 Cynthia Lennon (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Lennon’s eyewitness testimony vividly captures the time and place and the characters...her portrait of John is loving but candid.” (Washington Post)

“A welcome window into a period that’s typically narrated at breakneck pace, [providing] a gentle reminder that John Lennon was a human being...before he was a piece of history.” (Detroit Free Press)

“[Cynthia Lennon’s] portrait reveals an immensely talented and driven man who was capable of great passion, affection, and loyalty, but whose inability to handle confrontation and tendency toward flight from painful realities led him to abandon his family when the going got tough.” (Buffalo News)

Beautiful voice sets record straight

YouTube’s algorithm gave me Cynthia Lennon’s version of “Those Were The Days.” A great singing voice. She doesn’t mince words in this book and hearing her lovely voice explain her side of what happened is essential. It’s as if learning about all these things for the first time. Don’t forget to listen to the short interview at the end.

Interesting, and Moving

Cynthia herself narrates the abridged version of this book. Listening to "John" is like having Cynthia over for a cup of tea, while she tells you about that most interesting time in rock 'n roll history.
You'll come away with less respect for John after hearing about how he neglected his son both financially, and emotionally after divorcing Cynthia.
The villan of the piece is, as Beatle fans always suspected, Yoko Ono. But while she may have held some sway over John, he certainly had no excuse for neglecting his son. I feel like Cynthia lets him off a little too easily by putting most of the blame on Yoko.

It's apparent Cynthia, while still somewhat bitter, still holds some affection for John.
Her narration of John's death is very moving. Her voice breaks just a little in some spots.

Her pride in her son is also apparent and justified. It is very moving to hear her describe how he insisted, at 17 years old, to fly to New York from England, alone, after the murder of his father.

Those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's, with Beatle music in the background, will not be able to help but enjoy this book and its' insiders view of that amazing time.

Loved it

Cynthia could easily have been a woman scorned. Instead she's graceful grateful gratuitous. You never hear her say 1 bad word about anyone but it doesn't mean she's misled either. On the contrary, she's a smart woman who did her best to navigate some really hard challenges that life threw at her. Great book and easy listen.

Interesting

I got a glimps into a life I knew little about.I liked that Cynthia narrated the book herself, it felt like listening to a friend telling her life story-and what a story!
I often wonder who these rock star wives are, and how they cope.She seemed like a regular girl caught up in the whirlwind of Beatlemania.
Oh, and Yoko deserved the bad wrap.It was sad how John treated his firstborn son.
Cynthia handled the telling of the events with grace.
I recommend it.

He was a real nowhere man

I've read many books and magazine articles about The Beatles so I was particularly fascinated with hearing Cynthia's story. I listened with great intent. It's well written and well narrated (not by Cynthia). The book is not disapponting but, sadly, I found John to be as the forward by Julian will attest (of course, only a select few know the real truth). But I believe Cynthia's sincerity, introspection and vunerabilty. A great book for any fan of John's music.

Heart Breaking

I love a Cynthia. She was so kind and understanding. What an example she set for her lovely d son. Genius has a very ugly side and she handled it with grace.

Touching Story

Cynthia, thank you for sharing a glimpse into your life!! I admire your struggle to create a home and "normal" life for John and Julian Lennon. I'm afraid you were up against great odds but you handled it with dignity. I enjoyed your book from start to finish and wish you peace and happiness.

Of view from the inside…

It's always good to get perspective and perceptions of the inner circle. Cynthia was there. It's a little bit tough to see the flaws and the complexities of your heroes, and John Lennon was a very complicated individual. Wonderful insights about Mimi and the comparison to Yoko help me understand John a bit more. This is probably splitting hairs, but I would've liked to have heard a bit more about some of the other characters like the con man magic Alex. Still, this is a must read (listen) for serious Beatle enthusiasts.

Interesting

It was good to hear Cynthia Lennon's story. Her narration was very pleasing, caring and not bitter. Julian Lennon narrated his introduction to the book also. Interesting insight into that period of the Beatles' history. All-in-all a kind of sad but completely believable perspective into John Lennon's early years and family life. Humanizes the hero.

Stuff You Probably Didn't Know

An alternative view on Lennon from someone who lived with him. Like most people I have read many Beatle books. This really sheds light on who John was as a person. Cynthia never stopped loving John and to me it is amazing she displays little anger, more disappointment in how John handled his personal life which seems fairly sad if not despicable, especially as a father.