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Summary: Deborah Curtis - THE MYTH
Review: This book tear a part my hero. Now i see him as a man, and see his woman, as my hero. As many people, i would love to know what happened to Deborah Curtis.
How was Deborah and Natalie's life affected by her father's fame?
She opened her life to a lot of strangers.
Ms. Curtis - GREAT WOMAN...
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Summary: Ian was a happy kid.
Review: This fairly written book proves that one can have pity more deserving than one's wrath as she keeps whining about herself being neglected and whatnot. It's a good read, very organised, quite friendly ; but only to the fans who are prepared to learn about things we shouldn't really know. Like how he went cowarding in a corner for a few hours after his wife gave him a playful fright- I never wanted to imagine my hero doing that. I also don't want to have some insane projection of Ian in a fluffy, pink, feathered jacket. However, as nutty and quirky as those things can sound they shall be also intriguing to most... yep.Go read it. Read about all the halarious and disturbing things this lad has done/gone through. It's a swell book for a rainy Tuesday, to no end.
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Summary: Exceptional
Review: This is brilliant. For the first time, Joy Division fans are given an insight not only into Ian Curtis, the mysterious captivating frontman of a band, but also Ian as the person; the family man, the human being. This isn't (as other reviews might suggest) the memoir of a bitter and resentful wife, desperately wanting a small piece of the limelight that her husband so coldly denied her. She gives credit where it is due. She continually refers to Ian's 'caring and generous' side, the love she felt for him before and during their marriage, and how lost she felt when her love eventually wasn't returned. The reader is taken on a journey through the life of Deborah Curtis after she met Ian, how she was made to feel at the different stages, what it felt like to be caught in the trappings of mundane 'everyday' life as her childhood sweetheart realised his dreams of a successful band. It is true, Ian was a troubled person. Deborah Curtis, instead of pretending to understand the motives for his actions, tells the situation from her point of view; she felt alienated, misinformed, lied to, isolated, abandoned. She doesn't pretend to know her husband well enough to be able to say 'this WAS the reason he did this' etc. Although she was his wife, the closest person to Ian, she, like everyone else, ultimately had no clue as to what went on in his sadly tormented mind. A common problem I've noticed with books such as this is that, when the 'facts' are not entirely clear, the author will infer truths and make it dramatic. This doesn't happen in this book. When Deborah is sure of what happened, she writes it. But so often, she seems as alienated as everyone else in Ian's life, and she expresses this also. This is effective because it makes the book so real. When a person, especially a successful musican, commits suicide, it's so easy to get caught up in what THEY must have been feeling at the time. This book makes such a topic all the more 'real', because it shows exactly how others close to the person can be affected. It's a sad read, at times confusing, and entertaining. But above all, it is honest. Essential.
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Summary: remystifying
Review: this isnt a work of literature by any means, but its the better for it. what comes up through the stylistic cracks is the bitterness of a pragmatic and sensible widow who was abandoned both in life and death by a rather unpleasant, egotistical, drug-riddled, pretentious young man who seems never to have lost an adolescent death-wish, which was finally triggered by the late onset of epilepsy, or a taste for fascist imagery and ideals. thats not to say you come away with the idea she didnt love the poor guy either. its not so much demystifying as changing the mystique behind joy divisions brief life: how did these ordinary kids playing in pubs with their girlfriends in the audience and eating bags of chips on the way home come up with music of such depth and staying power?
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Summary: A totaly amazing look into the life of Ian Curtis.
Review: Touching from a distance is definetly the most honest look into the life of Ian Curtis by the woman who knew him best... Deborah Curtis. If you are a serious Joy Division fan, I highly recomend this book, As it will change the way you feel when you listen to J.D.s music. it will also give you a better understanding about Joy Division as a band. Truly a remarkable Biography. Two thumbs up... Way up.
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Summary: Touching From a Distance
Review: Touching portrayal of a young gifted musician much missed. A must for any Ian Curtis fan.
ANN
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Summary: No Questions Answered
Review: Upon finishing this book I turned back to the front cover stared at the picture of Ian Curtis. Then after a moment I opened it back up to page one and read it again. I had always asked the same questions everyone else asked, like "WHY?" But upon finishing the book, I understood that no one but Ian knew why! Not even the mother of his child. This book has painted the perfect picture of his life, as perfect as it could be painted. Deborah Curtis told a story that had to be hard to tell. I couldn't imagine the feelings that went through her mind as she typed the pages. The memories must have been crippling. I just have one thing to say, "Thank you, Deborah Curtis for letting us into your private life. You truly have changed my life!"
Rating: 
Summary: Missing from nearby
Review: When I bought this book I thought I would get to know a bit about Ian Curtis, but the person who wrote this book (his ex-wife!) doesn't seem to have been living in the same country as Ian let alone the same house. 'Debby' never had any meaningful conversation with him, didn't know lyrics until after the albums were published and hardly ever went to a concert. It's not a biography of Ian Curtis, it's the depressing story of an abandoned mother somewhere on the outskirts of Manchester. You get a glimpse of the exciting things that were going on at the time, concerts by all kinds of (to me) legendary bands like The Buzzcocks, but Ms Curtis doesn't bring us any closer to the excitement. The discography and the lyrics are what makes the book worth it's money (and I bought it 2nd hand).
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Summary: A touching memoir
Review: When I first started going out with my girlfriend, the first book she lent me was this one. She knew Joy Division was one of my favorite groups so it was fitting. I severely enjoyed this book and I definetly recommend this to anyone who wants to know the story closest to the truth. We will never know why Ian killed himself but at least this gives us a backstory to one of the most mysterious frontmen in music history. What I liked most about this book is how Deborah described Ian. She didn't try to sugarcoat the myth by telling the world what a great husband and father Ian was. No, she told the outright truth. Ian was a controlling, malipulating person. Although he wrote some of the most touching songs ever, it doesn't excuse his actions as a person. It also told about the affair he had with a groupie. Another good point to this book was the fact that all the Joy Division lyrics were printed in the back of the book including some unfinished songs and lyrics. i also enjoyed the recollections of Ian's early life and the starting of Warsaw and Joy Division. It is real sad that Ian couldn't have been around to write most touching songs such as Atmosphere and Decades, but at least we have the music he and Joy Division left behind and a book written by his widow, Deborah. An excellent read, front to back!
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Summary: caveat emptor, not what you might have expected...
Review: While the other reviewers have praised Deborah Curtis for her so called honesty, I found this biography to be seriously flawed for several reasons. First of all, while it would be naive and puerile to believe that Ian Curtis was perfect, I believe Deborah Curtis makes an overwhelming effort to make herself out as the victim of a selfish, cruel and deceitful man. In reality the blame for Ian's flawed marriage should fall on both their shoulders, as "Debby" was far too permissive with Ian's abusive tendencies and tried too desperately to hang on to her husband even though the love was gone and she was married to a man she barely understood. The entire biography is the view of a woman who was essentially an outsider in Ian Curtis's life. Throughout the book one can see the visible signs of Ian's psyche deteriorating, yet one feels no real effort from Mrs. Curtis to help or understand the love of her life. It was probably this that drove them apart, rather than Deborah's rather childish assumption that it was "the band's fault". Because she was an outsider during Ian's toughest times, the book is missing the most intriguing aspects of Mr. Curtis's life, replacing them instead with rather dreary excerpts from their marriage. This is rather fortunately compensated by the rare view affored of Ian's troubled youth and the rocky start of Joy Division's legendary musical career. In spite of Mrs. Curtis jejune and insipid writing style, these parts of the book are pretty good and almost make the rest of the thing worthwhile. Almost. If you are a Joy Division fan, I recommend this book for the great photos, the unprinted lyrics, and the first-hand account of the band's beginning. However you must be wary of the view of Ian Curtis painted in this book, as you will NOT get a good, unbiased biography of Joy Division's legendary lead singer, and subsequently you won't get much closer (no pun intended) to understanding his untimely suicide. Proceed at your own risk.
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