Rating: 
Summary: Hot and Cold
Review: I really had high hopes when I opened this book. Two days later I finished it and was left very dissapointed. Like many other people I had hoped that it would fill in a lot of the gaps that Kurt's death had left. Certain parts of the book were excellent, like the interviews, and even though reading somebody elses diary is pretty low, the journal references give us an idea of what Kurt was REALLY thinking, instead of the bull he told most interviewers.But a lot of it quite empty-especially the chapter on Kurt's suicide. And the way in which Courtney was portrayed really got me thinking. A couple of months before reading it I read an article in NME magazine featuring none other than Charles R. Cross. In the course of the interview he constantly blasted Courtney, and referred to the Rome incident as Kurt 'partying', not as a suicide attempt like he wrote in the book. I believe that Cross knew that one negative comment about her in the book would get him sued, and cause the book to be scrapped. Courtney Love is not the most popular person in the world-certainly not to Nirvana fans anyway. Her blocking the release of the Nirvana Box Set has seen her become a hate figure to a lot of people.When I read 'Heavier Than Heaven' I knew that this book was not about filling in the gaps- it was about humanising Courtney. And I find that sad.
Rating: 
Summary: one thing missing from this book
Review: Charles R. Cross has written a fascinating character study of Kurt Cobain. Excellent biography!
But one thing missing is the true story of how Kurt Cobain got the idea for the name "Nirvana". I met him at the Satyricon Club in Portland, March of 1988 (I believe it was the 17th, St. Patrick's Day). During our conversation he told me he didn't really like the name of his band, "Skid Row", and asked if I had any suggestions. I recalled that in high school I had planned to form a rock band and call it "Nirvana". Kurt seemed to really like that name and asked what the word meant. I explained the term from my perspective, having a little knowledge of Buddhism. He then stated that he wanted to name his band "Nirvana", but humorously made me promise I wouldn't sue him (for taking the name) when he became a big rock star. I really thought he was just another kid with a dream, but 2 or 3 years later they had become the top rock band in the world.
Rating:
Summary: A Look At The Real Cobain
Review: Charles R. Cross' Heavier Than Heaven is an in depth , intimate look at the life of the late Kurt Cobain. Mr. Cross had access to Mr. Cobain's journals and diaries and they provide an insight into Mr. Cobain's life that other biographies of his life and of his band Nirvana cannot provide. Mr. Cobain's life was marred by trouble and tragedy, but nothing affected it as much as the divorce of his parents. Throughout the rest of his life, he was constantly haunted by the divorce. His life was an enigma. He made up stories of how rotten his father was, yet, even near the of his life, wanted his love and approval. He seemed to be the ultimate anti-hero, in which he wanted no part of fame. But he was incredibly driven to succeed in the music industry and once Nirvana hit it big, was known to complain to his managers that they weren't getting enough promotion or airtime on MTV. The final chapters detailing Mr. Cobain's slide down into heavy heroin abuse, his first unsuccessful suicide attempt and his final minutes alive are riveting, sad and haunting.
Rating:
Summary: Best Tribute to Kurt yet!
Review: I really enjoyed and appreciated Mr. Cross' honest, unbiased and truthful accounting of Kurt's short life. It was nice to get to "know" Kurt on a human level as oppsed to the media nonsense we mostly hear. I could not put the book down and I did not want the reading to end knowing full well what the outcome would be. I felt good and sad while reading this book and was left with a small hole in my heart knowing what could have been!
Rating: 
Summary: Heavier Than I Want My Money Back
Review: Heavier Than Heaven reads like a lovely, dramatic, romantic piece of fiction. This book is full of literary tricks and smoke and mirrors. The author relates, as if it were fact, what Cobain was doing, thinking, feeling, & seeing during the last hours of his life. Poetic license shouldn't be tolerated in a book attempting to pass itself off as a definitive biography & the author's description of Cobain's last days are typical of this book. Cross either did very little research or is a terrible researcher because his information is largely provided by Cobain's former wife at the expense of many other valuable first person sources and facts of public record that could have been utilized. Bizzarely, almost totally missing is any input from Cobain's former bandmates, one of whom had a decade long friendship with Kurt. This book is poorly documented fluff & I cannot believe that I paid money for this. If you're looking for more facts & less literary license, read Who Killed Kurt Cobain? For such an agressive title, it is surprisingly objective, provides details of Cobain's formative years & the early days of Nirvana, is much shorter, well documented & provides a much more inclusive look at an interesting life and unfortunate death.
Rating:
Summary: A Well Written Book of Half-Truths
Review: This book about Kurt Cobain, while very interesting is full of many half truths, or things with no fact at all. Charles Cross took almost everything Cortney Love said as fact. The book makes Cortney sound like a perfect mother and wife (which she most definatley wasnt). If you believe that Cortney Love is a great person and that Kurt Cobain was sad, crazy, and suicidal this is the book to make you feel right. In the book they make it sound like right before he died he was very depressed and it was no suprise that he commited suicide. This is not true, he was very happy and upbeat at the time of his death. Please try to look at the whole truth and dont let this book make you think that Kurt Cobain was anything like this book portrays him to be... WAS KURT COBAIN MURDERED?
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite Macaroni and Cheese
Review: I taught this book in a community college freshman composition course. I admire Cross's journalism skills--every once and awhile he writes an elegant sentence--but the biography reads like a telescopic view of how a troubled teen becomes a suicide victim. At times, it seems as if Cross attempts to paste together episodes in Cobain's childood (the divorce, the alienation, troubles with Dad, troubles with the step-parents, seeing a hanged man on the way to school, drug use...) as a kind of psychological explanation for his later motivations to end what is assumed to be a troubled and unfortunate life. The value of Cross's book is not in its telling of Cobain's childhood experiences or the patchwork of psychological issues he supposedly suffered from (via diary entries)...the book works well when it focuses on the music that Kurt was about...the recording sessions--the live performances--even unto the last days. Some of us need an explanation for Cobain's death, but what we need to remember is his love of art and his passion for the beautiful music he created...the motives and philosophy that underscores that music...how it captured the feelings and mood of a so-called X-Generation--in a socio-political environment of mediocrity and lies... Kurt helped make that time liveable and endurable...and Cross's book is best when it exemplifies that fact. Also check out Azzerad: Come As We Are.
Rating:
Summary: truly Cobain
Review: This book depicted the life of Kurt Cobain and showed how he had to deal with drugs and depresion. As the frontman of Nirvana, Kurt achieved greatness throughout his life until he lost love from his parents. Kurt's story of his life was magnificet and great. Everything in this book is truly something for a Nirvana fan
Rating:
Summary: truly Cobain
Review: Kurt Cobain was the former frontman for Nirvana. Nirvana was a Seattle rock band that exploded on the billboard charts with their number one song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Behind Kurt's achievements was a life of depression and tragedy. Kurt struggled his whole life with drugs and rehabilitation. In this book, Kurt's whole life is depicted from childhood to adulthood. This book is one amazing biography by Charles R. Cross. It explain everything a NIrvana fan would want to know
Rating:
Summary: truly Cobain
Review: This book depicted the life of former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The detailed book about his life explains Kurt Cobain's achievements and tragedies. As a confused rock star Kurt Cobain tried to escape life by using drugs but he could never find an escape. Even with his wife Courtney and daughter Francis, Kurt never felt loved. This book explains why and also puzzles the readers with the death of Kurt Cobain.
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