A Day in the Life: One Family, the Beautiful People, and the End of the SixtiesRobert Greenfield | 2009-01-01 00:00:00 | Da Capo | 368 | History
A Day in the Life: One Family, the Beautiful People, and the End of the Sixties
By Robert Greenfield
* Publisher: Da Capo Press
* Number Of Pages: 368
* Publication Date: 2009-05-04
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0306816229
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780306816222
Product Description:
A Day in the Life is the story of how the ideal marriage between two young and extraordinarily beautiful members of the English upper class fell apart as the psychedelic dreams of the sixties gave way to the harsh, hard-rock reality of the seventies. A tender, moving, and often harrowing look at the moment in time when the counterculture collided with the international jet set, A Day in the Life captures the spirit of that era and the people who lived through it with unerring accuracy and heartfelt precision.
When Tommy Weber and Susan “Puss†Coriat, London’s most beautiful couple, were married in 1964, it was the fitting end to a storybook romance. But the fast cars Tommy loved to race, their celebrity friends, and the huge trust fund Puss had inherited masked a tortured truth—both had suffered through oppressive and neglectful childhoods and were now caught up in a wildly extravagant lifestyle that neither Puss’ inheritance nor Tommy’s increasingly desperate schemes could support. Six years later, Puss found herself wandering around India with her two sons while Tommy, who was now smuggling drugs to survive, lived in London with a stunning young actress. A Day in the Life is also the stirring account of how the couple’s tow sons—one of whom is the well-known actor Jake Weber—somehow managed to survive a childhood that would have destroyed those of lesser spirit.
An unbelievable true-life tale that often reads like a novel, A Day in the Life follow the fortunes and misfortunes of one remarkable family while also introducing us to an extensive cast of supporting characters that includes Keith Richards, Anita Pallenberg, Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Charlotte Rampling, as well as many of the movers and shakers who helped create the “Swinging London†scene.
Summary: The darker side of the Swinging Sixties
Rating: 4
No spoilers.
I got this book because I had read an interview with actor Jake Weber, where he talked about his turbulent upbringing during the 1960s. He was one of two sons of a young socialite named "Puss" Susan Coriat, and her husband, Tommy Weber.
I started reading the book, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Robert Greenfield really manages to tell a compelling and interesting story, yet still maintain a journalistic distance.
Both Puss Coriat, and Tommy Weber came from privileged, wealthy families. Yet both sets of parents divorced, and Puss and Tommy were shuttled around to various schools and relatives. Puss Coriat's mother Pricilla was well-known - she was known as the "little rich girl" and was one of the wealthiest women of her time, yet she was foolish and a spendthrift. Tommy's parents were likewise pretty dysfunctional.
Puss and Tommy meet and fall in love and marry right at the start of the craziness that marked the mid-to late 1960s. They were right in the center of it all, and they hung around with all the celebrity rockers of their time, in particular the Rolling Stones and Keith Richards. Throw in to this mix a lot of various drugs, (LSD, marijuana, heroin, among others) and you can kind of see where this is going.
I don't want to give anything away, but there is not a good ending for either parent, in particular, Puss. She develops a sort of drug induced schizophrenia, and had an apparent psychotic break along with depression. (Her reaction reminded me a lot of Sid Barret's from Pink Floyd, and in fact he is even mentioned in this regard.) Tommy's life continues with the focus on drugs, sex and rock 'n roll, which doesn't serve him well as he ages.
In short, this is a fascinating little book that really gives you a sense of what that decade and lifestyle were all about. It's one thing to choose that way of life if you are on your own, but it's a different case if like Puss and Tommy, you have two small boys. My heart went out to those boys, and it's a tribute to them both that they seem to have turned out so well.
Recommended, especially if you like reading about the wild times that were the 1960s, and what it was like to have been a part of the madness. My only criticism is that there are some substantial gaps in the narrative, but that's not the fault of the author as much as there were few (competent) witnesses around to say what happened. I'm not sure if I ever felt like I "knew" Puss, or for that matter even Tommy, but the book amply demonstrates how people with such promising futures could mess up their lives due to partying, drugs and alcohol, in a decade that seemed to revel in it all.
Summary: A solid true-life story of social change at its fastest pace
Rating: 5
A DAY IN THE LIFE: ONE FAMILY, THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, AND THE END OF THE SIXTIES tells how an ideal marriage between two members of the English upper class fell part as the psychedelic dreams of the 50s became the hard-rock of the 80s. Using Tommy Weber and Susan Coriat as an example, the 60s and sentiments come to life in a solid true-life story of social change at its fastest pace.
Summary: Sex Drugs & Rock & Roll - A True Story of Beautiful Flawed family in London
Rating: 5
One of the most watched couples in London during the 1960's was Tommy Weber and Susan Coriat. They had beauty and youth and power and knew everyone that mattered. A Day in the Life is the fascinating story of what happens when there is too much drugs, sex, and rock and roll.
Summary: A Day in the Life
Rating: 5
Wonderfully written account of a family that gets caught in the crossfire of the 60's counterculture revolution, which included all the sex, drugs and rock n roll possible. Enjoyed learning about the personal histories that led up to this trainwreck of a family. Even more intriquing is that we know the offspring as actors in the public eye. A real page-turner.
Summary: Day in the Life, of a 60's fool
Rating: 3
I bought this book because Robert Greenfield is a respected writer. The topic of 60's 'Swinging London' is of interest. The book is only 280 pages. It is basically about rich English youth in the 60's that get too into drugs, get to hang-out with the Rolling Stones a little bit and indulge themselves. Their big mistake was they had two little boys, who obviously, and rightly, now trash their self-absorbed irresponsible parents for their unstable chilhood. I am also a baby boomer, like the characters in the book. Without a doubt the most selfish generation in the history of the world. This book is not bad, but really should have been a magazine article as only the last 100 pages were worth reading.
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