Sweet Honesty - The Beverley Martyn Story
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Product Description
Sweet Honesty - The Beverley Martyn Story ... as told to Jaki daCosta. Beverley was a rising star in the 1960s' British folk/rock music scene when she met and married singer/songwriter John Martyn, who died in 2009. For years she kept silent about the abusive relationship they shared. Here she tells her story in her own words, taking us from her childhood in post-war Coventry through the making of classic albums "Stormbringer!" and "Road to Ruin" to today, where she survives as a woman beaten but not bowed and still a gifted musician in her own right.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Beverley Martyn was the great muse behind husband John Martyn's most beautiful and touching ballads. From her writing you can tell that this lady is obviously a very kind and deep thinking soul. Clearly life has dealt her some very cruel blows. This autobiography is a really interesting read but seems to end way too soon. I would have liked to have heard more about the songwriting, gigs, and people that came into their lives, such as the mysteriously fascinating Nick Drake and Bert Jansch. Her time in Woodstock in the late sixties, recording the Stormbringer album must have been amazing, especially meeting Dylan. It's hard to believe that someone so talented should be so overlooked. It's also really very sad and shocking to discover that a woman should have to suffer such terrible abuse from somebody who is generally conceived as a gentle, laid-back peace-loving musician.
It is good to hear that she is back making music again. I wish her well.
It is good to hear that she is back making music again. I wish her well.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alongside John Neil Munro's 'Some people Are Crazy' this will stir things up. It is not dispassionate, it personal testimony and is at times traumatic. There is no denying the conflicted reality of the experiences retold. How does one come to terms with the powerful, violent and damaging events and life stories BM tells? Perhaps not great writing, but a painful and provocative read.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This would have been a five-star review, but after finishing the book there's a definite feeling that only part of the story has been told.
Beverley Martyn has led an incredible life: a beautiful woman and talented singer-songwriter she was also muse, friend or partner to some of the greatest recording artists of the past forty years....Bert Jansch, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and of course her husband John Martyn. Along the way she played at the Monterey Festival in 1967 and also endured ten years of marriage with an abusive husband that eventually led her to have a breakdown, near destitute and in a mental hospital.
So how the publisher decided that this amazing life story was only worthy of 108 pages of text is baffling. Hopefully the book will be picked up by a larger publisher who can expand on the themes Bev writes about. Personally I would have liked to have read much more about her own childhood, her relationship with her sisters, mother and her abusive father. She also mentions that Nick Drake attended her wedding to John and it would have been great to see pictures of the wedding if they still exist.
Despite these minor faults, I enjoyed the book and am glad that Bev finally got her side of the story into print. It's a harrowing tale at times, so full marks to Bev for having the courage to be so honest and to Jaki daCosta for also helping to write the book. Contrary to what other reviewers have said, I thought it was a well written book.
Sad to say, John Martyn does not emerge very well from the story told here, he comes across as a violent misogynist bully...but as Bev writes in conclusion.."I don't hate John for what he did to me, because I know he was a damaged man."
Beverley Martyn has led an incredible life: a beautiful woman and talented singer-songwriter she was also muse, friend or partner to some of the greatest recording artists of the past forty years....Bert Jansch, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and of course her husband John Martyn. Along the way she played at the Monterey Festival in 1967 and also endured ten years of marriage with an abusive husband that eventually led her to have a breakdown, near destitute and in a mental hospital.
So how the publisher decided that this amazing life story was only worthy of 108 pages of text is baffling. Hopefully the book will be picked up by a larger publisher who can expand on the themes Bev writes about. Personally I would have liked to have read much more about her own childhood, her relationship with her sisters, mother and her abusive father. She also mentions that Nick Drake attended her wedding to John and it would have been great to see pictures of the wedding if they still exist.
Despite these minor faults, I enjoyed the book and am glad that Bev finally got her side of the story into print. It's a harrowing tale at times, so full marks to Bev for having the courage to be so honest and to Jaki daCosta for also helping to write the book. Contrary to what other reviewers have said, I thought it was a well written book.
Sad to say, John Martyn does not emerge very well from the story told here, he comes across as a violent misogynist bully...but as Bev writes in conclusion.."I don't hate John for what he did to me, because I know he was a damaged man."
Most Recent Customer Reviews
misery memoir
This book is a difficult read, contains a catalogue of nasty events. The writing is clunky and repetitious - poorly edited.
Published 9 months ago by ElShambo
Don't bother
If you're looking for a first-hand insight into John Martyn, then be aware that this is too tinged with bitterness to give any kind of balanced view. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. C. Walters
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