An exciting take on George's life from the author who wrote the book on the Beatles. The book was interesting, but it dragged in some places and went too quickly in others. Somehow, I was still left wanting more.

Enjoyed the book because I love everything about the Beatles. Norman does a good job chronicling the highlights of Harrison’s life - pre, during and post Beatles. Maybe I’ve read too much but did not feel there were any new insights and some aspects of the story were done cursorily. But if youre a Beatle completist like me , you will read and enjoy this book.

In "George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle," Philip Norman masterfully weaves an emotional and human portrait of George Harrison, the enigmatic and often overlooked member of The Beatles. Norman's book stands out as a deeply engaging exploration, delving into the soul of a man who was more than just a musician.

The narrative is rich with intimate details, painting a vivid picture of Harrison's journey from his humble beginnings to becoming an integral part of the world's most famous band. Norman's portrayal is nuanced, capturing Harrison's complex personality and his struggles with fame, spirituality, and his identity within and beyond The Beatles. I personally liked that this book showed so many different sides of this man. It wasn't just a fan boy book about how wonderful Harrison was, but told the real story. The one the public does not often get to see.

What makes this biography truly compelling is the emotional depth with which Norman explores Harrison's life. The book doesn't just chronicle events; it breathes life into them, allowing the reader to feel the joys, sorrows, and the underlying sense of seeking that defined Harrison. The exploration of Harrison's spiritual journey, his passion for music, and his personal challenges adds a layer of authenticity that resonates deeply.

Norman's meticulous research and clear admiration for his subject shine through, offering insights not just into Harrison's life but also into the era that shaped him and his music. The narrative balances Harrison's public persona with his private struggles, revealing the man behind the myth. This approach lends the book a human touch that is often missing in celebrity biographies.

For fans of The Beatles and music history, "George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle" is a treasure trove of information. But more than that, it is a moving tribute to an extraordinary individual. Norman's writing style is both fluid and captivating, making the book a pleasure to read.

In summary, "George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle" is not just a biography; it's a heartfelt narrative that captures the essence of George Harrison's life. It's a book I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone interested in understanding the man behind the guitar, the quiet Beatle whose depth and talent extended far beyond the stage.

This review was possible thanks to a galley copy from the publisher, provided through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Well written, well research and comprehensive biography of Harrison. For Beatles fans much of this will be old news, but for everyone else it's a great primer into one of the lesser known members of the band.

A comprehensive and long overdue biography of George Harrison. I learned a lot of new information about his life and career and his character. Every human being is flawed and George is no exception. His musical genius was sadly overlooked by many in his life but he kept plugging away and some of my favorite memorable songs of the Beatles were written and/or performed by George Harrison. The backstory on how this biography came into existence is fascinating - Philip Norman felt incredible remorse for writing an unflattering obituary of George Harrison - so if guilt was the underlying motivation for him to write this biography - that's okay with me. Hopefully the author has a fuller appreciation for who George was as an artist and as a man. A good read overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

A biography of George Harrison. This was an interesting look at the life of the often overlooked Beatle.

I received this as a digital galley from NetGalley.

Well apparently I am in the minority but I enjoyed this biography of George. Sometimes George wasn't the greatest! But he is still my favorite Beatle.

George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle is an accessible and well written biography by Philip Norman. Released 24th Oct 2023 by Simon & Schuster on their Scribner imprint, it's 505 pages and is available in all formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is an impressive, often awe-inspiringly meticulous volume. The author is an experienced biographer and in this case, provides in-depth and engaging detail from literally the first page. The prose is well-polished and lyrical and suits the subject very well; contemplative, intelligent, sanguine, and rarely (but delightfully) mischievous occasionally.

The author follows a roughly chronological timeline with lots of side forays along the way to important periods and interactions which shaped Harrison and his time before, during, and after the Beatles. Wonderfully readable and engaging. This would be perfect for fans of biography, for culture readers, and for library acquisition. It would also make a really good choice for bookclub discussion.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Learning about George Harrison was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I grew up with my grandparents and listened to all the old timers from The Beatles, to Elvis and learning there stories has always been a thing I love to dive into just like with George here. I highly recommend reading this if you haven't already and love the Beatles such as I.

It's truly a shame that Philip Norman is the most prominent biographer of the Beatles, both together and separately, because he's so bad at it. When he's not bored with his subject, he seems to actively dislike them. This book about a fascinating figure in 20th century history, who helped to revolutionize popular culture, gets little more than an exasperated nod in his direction.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's earlier work on Paul McCartney. However, this recent one on George Harrison didn't resonate as deeply with me, though it was still a worthwhile read. The author, Philip Norman, previously penned a somewhat uncomplimentary obituary for Harrison. This book seemed like an attempt to present a more balanced perspective, as hinted in the author's preface. While Harrison is portrayed with certain complexities and imperfections, the book underscores his post-Beatles achievements. If you're seeking a comprehensive Beatles history, there might be better options. But for insights into the lesser-known Beatle, this biography is insightful.

5 very definite stars.

The quiet one. The shy Beatle who peered out from beneath a fringe of thick brown hair. The young one. The spiritualist. The philanthropist. The husband and father. A singer-songwriter for the ages whose talent was shadowed by that of two of his bandmates. The guitarist who freely shared more than just the spotlight with his close musician friend. The businessman. The man who was nearly murdered, but died instead of cancer.

George Harrison was many things to many people, and in Philip Norman’s book, he paints a vibrant and well rounded portrait about the Beatle who deserved so much more of the spotlight than he was given.

George Harrison has always remained a mysterious figure, and Philip Norman casts him into the spotlight in a revealing biography about a very private man. Chock full of insight and personal stories from family and friends alike, The Reluctant Beatle is an eminently readable biography for fans of the man himself, the Beatles, or anyone who would like to know more about the seminal rock band of the twentieth century.

Norman devotes the early pages of the book as a character study that does much to foreshadow the man George would become. George's very humble beginnings in a council flat in Liverpool, where he and his siblings bathed in a tin bath heated by boiled stove water, shows how his level of financial means set him apart from the more middle class McCartney and Lennon. He presents us George’s childhood friendship with Paul McCartney, and later with John Lennon, and how a small gap in age left George the butt of jokes and sometimes bullying. These patterns keep presenting themselves,
with George having to prove himself as a writer again and again.

Norman shows us George’s transformation from raw musical talent to a considered songwriter, who was often constrained and frustrated by the lack of care and time his compositions were given, even by producer George Martin. As Beatlemania hits, we observe how ill-suited George is to the frantic attention of screaming fans, and how frustrating performing live is for not only him, but the entire band.

One aspect of early Beatlemania that will forever change George is a meeting with a beautiful model, Pattie Boyd, who will become his muse, his wife, and later, the bride of his best friend. George in turns treats her beautifully and then appallingly, offering her to Eric Clapton one night casually. After their marriage breakup, when Pattie and Eric become a couple in the mid seventies, she's astounded to find the friendship between the men even closer, herself almost an afterthought.

As tensions begin to swirl within the band after the death of their manager Brian Epstein, it becomes clear that George is not only musically unfulfilled, but resentful of how he’s relegated to one or two songs a release. Restlessness causes his attention to shift and he discovers the Eastern spiritualism that frames the rest of his life, leading him to focus inward. While that interest is piqued by the other Beatles, it is something that George needs, a framework Catholicism never offered him.

Then, a perfect storm begins. Though the band is without a manager, they form Apple Corps, an overarching company with great ideas and divisions that require the hiring of people, some very suitable and others not at all. Apple, and all its divisions, a change from long–time producer George Martin, two camps, each with a business manager not universally trusted, and the addition of more and more drugs begin driving wedges between the Fab Four.

Yoko Ono’s constant presence in John’s life divides him between The Beatles and artistic expressions with Yoko. Paul’s association with Linda Eastman, brings her father,and then her brother, to the fore representing his business interests, while John, George, and Ringo choose to work with Allen Klein, someone Paul doesn't trust.

Cracks in the Beatle foundation turn into massive rents, the band barely a functional unit in its latter years. This utterly destroys George and more than ever, he finds himself leaning on Hinduism and meditation, finding enough peace to allow him to go on.

It takes some time for him to come into his own as a solo artist, but George flourishes as a musician in his post Beatles career. He records albums that delve deeply into the spiritual themes that center his life. He takes great joy in renovating his homes and working on his massive estates. George eventually becomes a movie producer, working with the members of Monty Python, among others. He creates and executes the first all-star charity concert, forming a template for many such events in the future.

As unlikely as it must have originally seemed, George joins another band, the supergroup Traveling Wilburys along with Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne. It is in this group that he feels a true equal.

George’s largest triumph is purely personal. After divorcing Pattie, he meets Olivia Arias, and they have a son Dhani. With the love and support of Olivia, and the utter joy at becoming a father, the purest measure of the man is seen. And though he passed away altogether too soon, his life was extraordinary.

Philip Norman drew the blueprint for Beatle biographies with Shout!, which released shortly after John Lennon’s death. In subsequent books about Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Eric Clapton, he teased out tidbits about George that gave tantalizing glimpses of him, but often left the reader frustrated. It seemed that there was so much more left to be told.

In this release, Norman more than delivers. His exhaustive research and massive amount of contributors paint such a vibrant picture of George. It is hard to believe that despite the depth and thoroughness of this book, he did not directly interview either Olivia or Dhani, for reasons he explains in his afterward.

If you’re a Beatles fan, if you enjoy music biographies, or if you just want to know more about a private man who lived much of his life in the spotlight, you won't be disappointed with George Harrison The Reluctant Beatle.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to read a biography of George Harrison written by Philip Norman. The same Philip Norman who had relegated George to second class Beatle in his widely read Beatles biography Shout in which he failed to take into account George's immediately successful post-Beatles solo career.

The same Philip Norman who wrote a scathing, mean, insulting obituary of George after his death from cancer in 2003. So scathing, mean, and insulting that George's surviving wife and son, Olivia and Dhani, refused to talk to him for this new book even two decades later, despite his attempt at apology.

Why would you want to read a biography of George Harrison that has no direct input from the wife he spent most of his adult life with and the son who is following in his footsteps? Indeed, look at the source notes at the end and see that Norman has broken no new ground in this book, his sources all being out there already in the public domain -- primarily his own bios of the Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Eric Clapton.

Indeed, you can just read his obituary of George to get a condensed version of the bio in 3000 words, which already seems overlong, rather than slog through 500+ pages of regurgitated material that is only slightly less unflattering than the obit. Not to mention the many biographies and movies about George that are already extant.

Norman waits until you're already near the 500 page mark to berate himself for that mean obituary and to inform us that he had nothing from Olivia and Dhani. Even in apology and mea culpa, he still omits what he said in the obit, that he held a grudge against George from the first time he ever met him during Beatlemania because George wasn't nice to him.

The lack of sources from George's post-Beatles years means that only about 1/4 of the book is devoted to it. Of course we want the tea on the Beatles, but how do you gloss over three decades in the life of the only lifelong Beatle not named Lennon or McCartney? How do you devote like three pages to the Traveling Wilburys? I've heard more about them in anecdotes by music insiders I know who have relationships with Dylan and Pretty than there is here.

In the end, overall, this is still a comprehensive survey of the life and work of George Harrison, so it will be of interest to Beatles fans and George fans. But do yourselves a favor folks, ditch this and read Mark Lewisohn's Tune In, which leaves no pebble unturned, and join the rest of us in line waiting for volume 2 to pick up that story in 1962 where it left off.

At the end of the book, Norman apologizes for the obituary he wrote about George for the Sunday Times. I hadn’t read the obituary back in 2001, so I looked it up online. Some of what is said in the obituary is repeated verbatim in this book. In my mind, that draws the sincerity of the apology into question and reinforces my feeling that there was bias at play, whether consciously or not, in the writing. 

It would be easy to discount this biography because of the apparent bias. Certainly, the tone of the book is more overtly hostile than that of the average biography. I think it’s important to keep the author’s dislike of George in mind while reading, and I certainly wouldn’t use it as my sole source of information about George Harrison. At the same time, I do think it is an important addition to the collection of books about the Beatles.

This book paints Harrison as an almost perpetually angry, disgruntled, jealous, and stingy misanthrope who, by the way, hated every moment as a Beatle. His loyalty, closeness with his family, generosity as a friend, and commitment to global philanthropy appear to be acknowledged grudgingly. However, the author does recognize Harrison as a gifted musician and provides a good deal of information about the music. While I don’t believe Harrison was a saint, I felt that there wasn’t as much balance as there might have been. 

There are a handful of stories in here from the time prior to the dissolution of the Beatles that I hadn’t heard previously, as well as some stories about the Beatles with which I wasn’t familiar. The content with which I was least familiar was the post-breakup era, but sadly these chapters weren’t quite as rich in detail as the earlier parts.

Neither Olivia Harrison, nor Dhani, were interviewed for this book, which is perhaps why the later years of his life lack the same depth of coverage as the early years. This book is roughly 300 pages shorter than Norman’s biographies of Lennon and McCartney.

What Else I Liked

The recounting of the knife attack on George in his home was so well-written that it brought me to tears.

I appreciated the detailed reflections on the music. Norman’s work as a rock critic is clearly evident here.

There are some excellent photos. Including some I hadn’t seen before.

Norman didn’t have a negative thing to say about Ringo.

What Else I Didn’t Like
The use of foreshadowing is beyond excessive, entirely unnecessary, distracting and exasperating. 

The time line was often vague.

First off, I should say that while I am a Baby Boomer who grew up with the Beatles and liked George Harrison the best, I’m not such an intense Beatles fan that I know all the details of their history. I know the highlights (and lowlights), just not in minute detail. This is a book for those who are interested in not just the milestones, but every little step, and the names and actions of all the people and places in Harrison’s life. I only learned after starting the book that the author had written a nasty obituary of Harrison. In his author’s note at the end of the book, Philip Norman says that at the time he had a limited knowledge of Harrison, only during the Beatles period, and that his subsequent research showed him that he’d been wrong about Harrison and had apologized to Harrison’s wife and son. They didn’t cooperate with the book, and it’s impossible not to wonder how the book might have been affected if they’d contributed.

This is a hefty tome at 512 pages. The first quarter of the book covers George’s childhood and the years of George becoming a musician, getting gigs with many different bands and lots of iterations of the Beatles, and then the Beatles signing with Brian Epstein in 1961. The next part of the book takes us through the established Beatles years, through to the events in Peter Jackson’s documentary, Get Back, that make it clear the band’s members had reached the end of their road together. At nearly two-thirds of the way through the book, the focus turns to Harrison’s post-Beatles years.

My primary takeaway from the book is that Harrison’s best qualities were his loyalty to friends and commitment to bettering himself and using his privileges to help others. He had plenty of lesser qualities—though since many of the negative depictions seem to be from ex-wife Pattie Boyd, and since Olivia and Dhani Harrison did not cooperate with this author, I’m not sure how much of the negatives to believe—but he was a deeper and more spiritual man than I’d previously appreciated.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

I read this author’s previous book on Paul McCartney and loved it. I didn’t like this one on George Harrison quite as much, but still enjoyed reading it. Philip Norman wrote an obituary for Harrison that was less than flattering and was hoping this book would make up for it (according to the author’s note). Maybe it did? Harrison still comes off as prickly and resentful (and not a great husband), but it did highlight the ways in which he succeeded in a career post-Beatles. There are better books if you want a Beatles chronology but if you are interested in the “quiet” Beatle, this is a good biography. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

My initial impression of this book was that is was VERY long and VERY flowery. I had never read non-fiction that was so…sumptuous? Velvety? It was truly unique. I like George Harrison a lot, and I am very glad that he is finally getting the widespread cultural acclaim that he deserves. This book is a great addition to this body of work. I know the title is, “The Reluctant Beatle,” but I was surprised that there wasn’t more information about his later life/career. I think the post-Beatles years are the more interesting part of George Harrison’s life. All in all, I recommend this book to Beatles fans who appreciate narrative non-fiction. It is a deep dive, but it is much less fact heavy than most other biographical texts about the Beatles.

Having enjoyed several music biographies by Philip Norman including his original Beatles biography, Shout! I appreciate his in depth research and inclusion of details I had not previously known. I have read numerous Beatles biographies and most of them rightfully focus predominately on John and Paul. This is the first I've read that makes George the focus and the perspective was enlightening.

The only thing keeping me from giving this five stars is Philip Norman's need to include unnecessary salacious details in his biographies. This one includes details about a "rumor" of a beastiality sex show in Hamburg that had nothing to do with The Beatles story. There was enough sex, drugs and rock'n'roll in George's life without including some irrelevant story that was presented as just a rumor.

A great read. Highly recommended for Beatles fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader copy.

My ultimate favorite Beatles biography is "SHOUT! The Beatles in Their Generation" which was published in 1981 by this author. My son read it a few years ago and savored it also, finding its depth of information useful prior to his interview as a Beatles historian. My elder brother is reading it now, and commented to me in wonder at the research that must have gone into it. So I approached this reading of his George Harrison biography with a lot of expectation.

Roughly the first half of the book is comprised of George's birth, inclusion into The Beatles and their rise to fame. Because of Norman's previous incredibly detailed 1981 biography of The Beatles, I was comparing this portion and finding it less dense and rich than I remembered. In hindsight this had to be- because when the prior Beatles biography was written it was 1981, so imagine the breadth of facts crammed into an entire book covering just that 20-year period. Here it is over forty years later, and Norman had to flesh out Harrison's later solo musical career, second marriage, involvement with making movies (HandMade Films), home invasion/murder attempt, extra-marital affairs, and two bouts with cancer- which ultimately took him from us. As a hardcore Beatles fan, I confess I was so unimpressed with the beginning section that had I not been reviewing this I might have put it aside. However, a casual Beatles fan probably would ingest this as a first primer on the subject, and not find it boring.

The second half of the book was a game changer for me. The focus on George Harrison commenced and blossomed for the remainder of the book. I learned a lot of new George Harrison minutiae and loved it. The intense recounting of a deranged fan that broke into his home Friar Park and stabbed him 40 times was riveting and horrifying. The coverage regarding his medical travails with cancer and acceptance of impending death was very informative and poignant. As I closed the book contentment settled over me and I was grateful for the ride.

Thank you to the publisher Scribner who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Why would someone who actively dislikes a person decide to write their biography? If you’re not aware of Mr. Norman’s dislike of George, check out the obituary he wrote when he died.

I was about 60% in and we were still in Beatleland. I love George, and unfortunately Mr. Norman wanted us to be fully versed in all things Beatles before getting to George.

George was a very grumpy guy. He deserves to have been. He was underrated, underutilized, and undervalued by a group of guys he’d been friends with for years. Mr. Norman just discounts that as sour grapes. It wasn’t, he was right.

There needs to be a book written on the dysfunctional and bizarre friendship between George and Clapton. George comes off here as the bad guy, and history has shown he wasn’t. He wasn’t an angel, but no one deserves Clapton’s crap. Pattie, who shows up for her usual reasons of bragging about how famous men wrote songs from her and fought over her, adds nothing new to the story.

George was a complicated man and deserved an unbiased view. Maybe one where they talked to his son and widow.

I learned some new stuff in this, but this wasn’t a biography of a serial killer, and the bias against him really tainted this for me. George, as usual, deserved better than he got.

I’d recommend it with the caveat that you should know this isn’t the type of biography where the writer stays out of it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.