Richard
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Review
'Myers is finest when relating the mechanics of life in and around a rock band; never once is there a dropped beat. He understands the reactionary nature of the post-punk diktat, the people it attracts and its importance to lives given up to it.' --The Times
'[an] excellent book . . . In the most arresting of sections, Myers draws on all his journalistic skill and fan-boy credentials to give a realistic account of Edward's final days. Some Manics' fans, not to mention the band themselves, have been less than enthusiastic about the book, understandably given its harrowing depictions of mental and physical health at the time. Yet Myers deserves credit not only for adding a third dimension to Edwards, but for trying a fourth, for attempting to document a period of his life that seems destined to remain a mystery, but could explain much about his complex character . . . Maybe, thanks to this book, [Edwards] is at last getting something he deserves - an insight into his personal conflicts, his efforts to maintain wellbeing and his desire to do the right thing.' --The Times
'this moving, tender novel tells the story of a lost boy adrift in a world that he can't make sense of... Myer's recreation of Edward's life is sensitively handled - an exploration of a troubled, articulate man who was shy and withdrawn.' --Marie Claire
'Richard is not a provocation, nor does it claim to solve the Richey mystery. It is a sympathetic and sad imagining of the boy who became a reluctant pop idol before that notion became oxymoronic.' --Time Out
'What is sure is Myers' skill for storytelling; the absence of any cynicism, a certain hypnotic meditative pace he successfully employs that draws you in as the novel progresses and a mood of melancholic nostalgia, a tantalising nostalgia for a time not long passed but gone forever, before social networking and mobile phones, when NME was samizdat and music, art, culture were things you risked getting your head kicked in for. And a nostalgia for places and people, of course, who are no longer here.' --3:am
'A novel for our celebrity-obsessed age, a thorough investigation - written in beautiful prose - of a young man suicided or disappeared by society. From life in a small town to sex, drugs and rock and roll excess, Ben Myers' Richard slashes and burns its way through the bloated beigeness of the contemporary British novel.' --Bookmunch.com
'This is the extraordinary, imagined tale of Richey Edwards' --Daily Mirror
'Richard is a work of fiction and tells the story of those final few weeks as though it was written by Richey. It's a brilliant book and I loved it.' --The Sun
'A work of fiction that bears a convincing ring of truth... This nuanced portrait of Edwards, explores the band's rise, the Richey myth, and the pain that fuelled his alienation anorexia and self-harm.' --Mojo
'Myers is a sensitive, thoughtful writer... His greatest skill is the atmospheric evocation of landscape and place.' --New Humanist
'[an] excellent book . . . In the most arresting of sections, Myers draws on all his journalistic skill and fan-boy credentials to give a realistic account of Edward's final days. Some Manics' fans, not to mention the band themselves, have been less than enthusiastic about the book, understandably given its harrowing depictions of mental and physical health at the time. Yet Myers deserves credit not only for adding a third dimension to Edwards, but for trying a fourth, for attempting to document a period of his life that seems destined to remain a mystery, but could explain much about his complex character . . . Maybe, thanks to this book, [Edwards] is at last getting something he deserves - an insight into his personal conflicts, his efforts to maintain wellbeing and his desire to do the right thing.' --The Times
'this moving, tender novel tells the story of a lost boy adrift in a world that he can't make sense of... Myer's recreation of Edward's life is sensitively handled - an exploration of a troubled, articulate man who was shy and withdrawn.' --Marie Claire
'Richard is not a provocation, nor does it claim to solve the Richey mystery. It is a sympathetic and sad imagining of the boy who became a reluctant pop idol before that notion became oxymoronic.' --Time Out
'What is sure is Myers' skill for storytelling; the absence of any cynicism, a certain hypnotic meditative pace he successfully employs that draws you in as the novel progresses and a mood of melancholic nostalgia, a tantalising nostalgia for a time not long passed but gone forever, before social networking and mobile phones, when NME was samizdat and music, art, culture were things you risked getting your head kicked in for. And a nostalgia for places and people, of course, who are no longer here.' --3:am
'A novel for our celebrity-obsessed age, a thorough investigation - written in beautiful prose - of a young man suicided or disappeared by society. From life in a small town to sex, drugs and rock and roll excess, Ben Myers' Richard slashes and burns its way through the bloated beigeness of the contemporary British novel.' --Bookmunch.com
'This is the extraordinary, imagined tale of Richey Edwards' --Daily Mirror
'Richard is a work of fiction and tells the story of those final few weeks as though it was written by Richey. It's a brilliant book and I loved it.' --The Sun
'A work of fiction that bears a convincing ring of truth... This nuanced portrait of Edwards, explores the band's rise, the Richey myth, and the pain that fuelled his alienation anorexia and self-harm.' --Mojo
'Myers is a sensitive, thoughtful writer... His greatest skill is the atmospheric evocation of landscape and place.' --New Humanist
Product Description
A gripping story of music and madness
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The writer tries very hard to get to grips with all of the jumble found in a confused mind.
Manic Street Preachers member Richey Edwards decides, on the eve of an American promotional tour, not to go through with it, as he's not really a guitar player and just feels out of his depth with it all and so the pressure is all too much and he can't do it anymore.
With a history of self-harm that the author tries to rationalise, you have to feel sympathy for Edwards. A sad, but talented and ultimately lost person.
It is quite disturbing to imagine what despair he felt and what his actual thoughts were when he decided not to do this promo tour and when he effectively opted out out of life. It's a brave move to try to portray his state of mind and his thoughts and his last moves from the time.
Flashbacks interrupt, but enhance, the narrative, adding a wealth of background detail about The Manic Street Preachers and memories from Edwards' childhood.
I say with caution that it's an informative book, but it's hard to know what is real and what isn't. I hope that wherever Richey Edwards is now, dead or alive, he's at peace.
A strange book. Cautiously recommended.
Manic Street Preachers member Richey Edwards decides, on the eve of an American promotional tour, not to go through with it, as he's not really a guitar player and just feels out of his depth with it all and so the pressure is all too much and he can't do it anymore.
With a history of self-harm that the author tries to rationalise, you have to feel sympathy for Edwards. A sad, but talented and ultimately lost person.
It is quite disturbing to imagine what despair he felt and what his actual thoughts were when he decided not to do this promo tour and when he effectively opted out out of life. It's a brave move to try to portray his state of mind and his thoughts and his last moves from the time.
Flashbacks interrupt, but enhance, the narrative, adding a wealth of background detail about The Manic Street Preachers and memories from Edwards' childhood.
I say with caution that it's an informative book, but it's hard to know what is real and what isn't. I hope that wherever Richey Edwards is now, dead or alive, he's at peace.
A strange book. Cautiously recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ben Myers has written one of the bravest novels in quite some time, not just because of the criticism he has faced but also because he has sought to accurately portray the mind and inner workings of one of rocks most tragic and glamorous figures, Richey James Edwards.
The book jumps between Richey's dissapearance and the formative years of his life in the band, although this may sound daunting it actually works very well and the book might have suffered from being purely linear. Myers handles the subject with sensitivity but is never too cautious as to damage his portrayal of Richey, it would have been naive to have Richard as simply being a tragic figure or as simply being a rock n' roll icon and Myers finds the balance between the depressive Richey and the glamorous spokeperson for the Manics.
I greatly enjoyed this book which I read while listening to Manics songs past and present and I felt that it gave me more of an insight into Richey's mind than any biography could have done, Myers captures almost perfectly one of the most interesting characters in recent musical history and this book reads well for both fans and non-fans alike.
The book jumps between Richey's dissapearance and the formative years of his life in the band, although this may sound daunting it actually works very well and the book might have suffered from being purely linear. Myers handles the subject with sensitivity but is never too cautious as to damage his portrayal of Richey, it would have been naive to have Richard as simply being a tragic figure or as simply being a rock n' roll icon and Myers finds the balance between the depressive Richey and the glamorous spokeperson for the Manics.
I greatly enjoyed this book which I read while listening to Manics songs past and present and I felt that it gave me more of an insight into Richey's mind than any biography could have done, Myers captures almost perfectly one of the most interesting characters in recent musical history and this book reads well for both fans and non-fans alike.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Richard Edwards, an intelligent, talented Welshman, played and wrote music for The Manic Street Preachers. He disappeared in 1995 and was declared officially dead in 2008, assumed to have committed suicide. Ben Myers' book cleverly reconstructs Richard's last few weeks alongside a history of Richard's life and career, based on some real people, fictionalized interpretations of real events and reported sightings in 1995. It is a sensitive, respectful account of both Richard's life and presumed death, not attaching blame to anyone nor condemning this obviously troubled young man.
I was deeply moved by this book and was left feeling incredibly sad for him, his family and his friends and colleagues, all of whom are reflected as supportive and kindly. Richard received a lot of help, both informally and professionally, but ultimately life was too much for him. He suffered no obvious childhood traumas but like several people I have met he seemed to have been born without that protective psychological outer skin that helps the rest of us cope. I lost a young person to suicide and it made me think about her and how weary she was of the struggle to act normal. Richard, like her, presumably gave up the struggle. A sad book extremely well written.
I was deeply moved by this book and was left feeling incredibly sad for him, his family and his friends and colleagues, all of whom are reflected as supportive and kindly. Richard received a lot of help, both informally and professionally, but ultimately life was too much for him. He suffered no obvious childhood traumas but like several people I have met he seemed to have been born without that protective psychological outer skin that helps the rest of us cope. I lost a young person to suicide and it made me think about her and how weary she was of the struggle to act normal. Richard, like her, presumably gave up the struggle. A sad book extremely well written.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not a comfortable read
Being a fan of Manic Street Preachers and clearly remembering Richey's disappearance, I was very curious as to what this book would be like. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Bonner
Strange but compelling
I wasnt sure if i would enjoy this read but i have to say i found it spellbinding. The sad true life tragedy of Rich Edwards is well documented but this book weaves fact and... Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Hogg
Strangely compelling
The cynic in me says that basing this book on the life of Richey Edwards gives it both its raison d'être and a ready-made audience, but in this respect I suppose I'm as guilty as... Read more
Published 13 months ago by SpecialOrder937
WOW
this book is amazing, loved it from start to finish. Accurate portrayal of Richey, one of the most amazing men ever to walk the earth. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mags
Richey Remembered
This could have been a disaster in the wrong hands, but this is a sensitive 'imagining' of Richey's life, from his time in the band starting with the early days, to the troubled... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. K. Cross
From Despair to Where?
Sitting somewhere between a novel and a biographical account, Richard could be termed, for want of a better word, an imagining. Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. J. Franklin
Interesting angle on an unsolved mystery
I read this book cover to cover , barely pausing, not because I'm a Manics fan but because it's a story well told on a format very similar to David Peace's 'Damned Utd'. Read more
Published 17 months ago by A. Betts
Evocative and thoughtful
Firstly let me say I am not a "Manics" fan although I have enjoyed their music and I think this book would read differently for someone who was a fan. Read more
Published 17 months ago by totnes_nigel
trash, drek, false, desecrates memory of richey edwards.
i read this book a few days ago. i have not stopped vomitting. writer (obviously bourgeois and chauvanist)shows no awareness of richey's class consciousness and his interest in... Read more
Published 18 months ago by sarah
More than just morbid speculation
When I picked this book up initially the temptation was to put it straight back down again because of an uncomfortable sense of morbid voyeurism that comes from speculating about... Read more
Published 18 months ago by DesignerFake
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