Rating: 
Summary: I love JT
Review: AFter reading Halperin's book, I love JT more than ever. What a caring, compassionate person. Halperin is fair, portraying JT as a musical genius who has had his share of ups and downs throughout the years. This book sheds lots of light on JT's formative years.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst piece of journalism I've ever read!
Review: As a long-time JT fan, I was excited about reading more of his life in "Fire and Rain," and was sorely disappointed by Halperin's poor writing style. Regardless of the information he presents, the numerous typos, grammatical errors, unexplained quotes, quotes from the National Enquirer of all things, misspelled words, words left out of sentences, run-on sentences, and overly repeated phrases, made me want to call James Taylor myself and ask him if he knew his quality character was being described in such a non-quality way! How does a publisher let this happen? I was appalled to read quotes from Paul McCartney (in quotations) without one reference to how he knew McCartney said what he said. The words didn't even sound like something anyone would say in conversation. He also quotes fans who speculated on Taylor's personal love relationships. What would a fan know about that? The whole thing was so bad, that I finally just skimmed through the last chapters because I was so incredibly distracted by the poor writing and ridiculous quotes. Don't waste your time on this one!
Rating:
Summary: The worst piece of journalism I've ever read!
Review: As a long-time JT fan, I was excited about reading more of his life in "Fire and Rain," and was sorely disappointed by Halperin's poor writing style. Regardless of the information he presents, the numerous typos, grammatical errors, unexplained quotes, quotes from the National Enquirer of all things, misspelled words, words left out of sentences, run-on sentences, and overly repeated phrases, made me want to call James Taylor myself and ask him if he knew his quality character was being described in such a non-quality way! How does a publisher let this happen? I was appalled to read quotes from Paul McCartney (in quotations) without one reference to how he knew McCartney said what he said. The words didn't even sound like something anyone would say in conversation. He also quotes fans who speculated on Taylor's personal love relationships. What would a fan know about that? The whole thing was so bad, that I finally just skimmed through the last chapters because I was so incredibly distracted by the poor writing and ridiculous quotes. Don't waste your time on this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I am a big fan of James Taylor, own over a dozen of his CDs, have seen him in concert numerous times, and had the pleasure of meeting him on Martha's Vineyard. I looked forward to Halperin's unauthorized biography of JT, but was ultimately disappointed. It is poorly written, poorly organized, and unbalanced. Halperin writes more about Mr. Taylor's sex life than he does his music. An entire chapter is devoted to his relationship with Joni Mitchell, and over a third discusses in boring detail his marriage to Carly Simon. Three quarters of the book covers Mr. Taylor's life from the age of 18 to 30 with little on the last 20 years of his life!I give Mr. Halperin one star for the obvious work he put into the book and another star for the little bit of insight I gained into Mr. Taylor's life. For true JT fans who want to learn more about him, I would recommend sticking to the numerous interviews he has given over the years, or better yet, just listen to his music.
Rating:
Summary: The best music book of the last 10 years
Review: I cannot express how important and entertaining this book really is. Ian Halperin is a great storyteller, encompassing Taylor's early struggles to his present glory. I have read books about Dylan, Mitchell, Young and Jagger - nothing compares to this tome. A must read for every music fan of the 70s to present.
Rating:
Summary: Music's Fascinating Troubadour
Review: James Taylor, one of the biggest names in the music industry, evokes memories of brilliance, peace and genuine good music. Fire And Rain tells the tale of how this fascinating musician struggled his way to the top. This book definitely reaffirms the legitimacy of Taylor as the godfather of the folk-rock era. Perhaps the chapters about the early part of his career were too long drawn out. But the information is valuable because there has not been much written about Taylor in the past. I thought the chapter about how the Beatles discovered young Taylor in England was fascinating. I didn't know how much Paul McCartney influenced the direction of his career. One thing for sure, this book is well balanced and portrays Taylor in a positive way. Music fans from the early 70s should read this book. It will bring back lots of great memories.
Rating:
Summary: Don't think the author really get's it
Review: Nothing compares to JT's music. Not even Dylan, Simon or Mitchell. The man continues to creat magic - and the author certainly captured the magic of his great career. The intimate details of his life growing up in North Carolina to his legendary marriage to Carly Simon, Taylor has led a most interesting life. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it!
Review: Perhaps more of the seventies and eighties should have been featured. But the early part of JT's life is well written. I was referred by a friend to read Fire and Rain. It did not disappoint. I used to live in North Carolina. Thoughts of my childhood sprung to my mind by reading this book. Great memories - great music. This book proves how valuable an icon JT is to the music industry. And, convincingly, the author portrays his life how he overcame lots of demons to become one of music's most notable stars - ever!
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it!
Review: Perhaps more of the seventies and eighties should have been featured. But the early part of JT's life is well written. I was referred by a friend to read Fire and Rain. It did not disappoint. I used to live in North Carolina. Thoughts of my childhood sprung to my mind by reading this book. Great memories - great music. This book proves how valuable an icon JT is to the music industry. And, convincingly, the author portrays his life how he overcame lots of demons to become one of music's most notable stars - ever!
Rating: 
Summary: James Taylor Rules
Review: The best tribute that can be paid to any artist is a tribute - that's what this bio is. My only concern was that the author went too out of his way to praise Taylor. I would have like to know more about some of his demons. The book reads more like a tribute. Otherwise, there are many interesting facts about the life and times of one of the greatest artists to emerge from the late sixties and early seventies.
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