By Annie Grossman of Annie's Books on Peregian
UTOPIA AVENUE by David Mitchell (Hachette $33.00)
David Mitchell is a bestselling British author who has brought us such delights as CLOUD ATLAS and THE BONE CLOCKS. His novels are always large and consuming, and you can expect just a small touch of magic realism. UTOPIA AVENUE is the story of a band who emerges from London’s psychedelic scene in 1967 and blazes a journey to stardom. The action moves from the dingy London bars to the stadiums of America as the band rises in popularity, and during the course of this rise the reader encounters many of the great musical luminaries of the day who are cleverly woven into this fictional story. The musical references are authentic and the band’s story could be the story of many bands of the time. The crux of this novel is the power music has to connect us all, whether our dreams can actually be realized, and are these dreams really what we hoped for. Whilst reading this wonderful book , I found that the band members of Utopia Avenue walked with me through my days, and stayed with me until well after I had finished the book. This is a terrific read, particularly for music lovers.
