“Daisy Jones and the Six”

A rock band that could have been

Daisy+Jones+and+the+Six+by+Taylor+Jenkins+Reid

Photo byE. Schafer

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Ellie Schafer, Viking Voices Co-Editor

What started out as a historical fiction book about a rock band in the 1970s has been developed into 10-episode musical drama series that has gained tremendous attention. The transition from novel to tv series has dramatically increased the popularity of “Daisy Jones and the Six.” It is so sought after, the waitlist for the book to be checked out from the Spartanburg Public Library has been a minimum of 15 weeks. Many people are buying the book for themselves rather than waiting.

Dorothy Salley (11) got the book over Christmas break after her mom recommended she check it out. Salley has read the novel, watched the series and fallen in love with the story.

“I had never read anything like it before. It was set up in a way where it was hard to believe that the band and characters were not real. I actually had to look up the band to make sure that the book wasn’t non-fiction,” Salley said. “I loved how Taylor Jenkins Reid set up the book in an interview way. It let us see how some of the people in the band to some of their stories mixed up and some things they said didn’t match with the other people in the book. That added a whole new perspective and thing that no one else has really done before with a book.”

The novel is written as though it is presenting an interview of the band.  This has caused readers to think that “Daisy Jones and the Six” was a real band when in fact it never existed. The book and T.V. series was loosely based on the rock band Fleetwood Mac, so it feels quite realistic. The novel follows a band, ‘the Six,’ through their journey of being dreamers, to rising stars, to a successful rock band and finally through their breakup. It also follows the story of a young girl named Daisy Jones and her struggles as a singer/songwriter. When the two team up, they take the charts by storm having many top-five and top 10 hits.

Sidney Davis (10) has watched and read “Daisy Jones and the Six” and enjoys how the book and the series line up.

“I thought the series was pretty accurate even though they left a few things out, it still had the overall vibe. It was a very interesting and the interviews/flashbacks were placed in good spots,” said Davis.

The book is split into ten 40 minute episodes, with the final episode being an hour. The series follows the book almost exactly, changing a couple of scenes where needed. What is unique about this story is in the back of the book are the lyrics for each of the songs the “band” wrote. When reading the book, readers wish that the songs the band wrote were real, watching the series causes that wish to come true. Throughout the series, the band performs all the songs either in concert or in the recording booth.

Riley Regnier (12) really enjoyed the music that was included in the series, and how close the series was to the book.

“The book was so well written that I forgot it was fictional. The interviews were so captivating and honest, they felt like a real band. This series was so well done and true to the book with only a few changes made to the original storyline. The marketing for the series was also incredible they even made a real album/record to go with the show and I know several people that bought the book and record just so they could watch the show and get the full experience,” said Regnier.