loved it

Very Rock and Roll such an interesting story Chrissie has such a tale to tell highly recommend

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Brilliant Book!!!

Wonderful slice of life from the late sixties( hippy era) early seventies( punk era) Chrissies style of writing is strong, poetic and melodic...and captures the realities of over excess, creativity and how perhaps the one depends on the other..or drives the other. Difficult to know for sure...this is a very real memoir! She says basically..."This is how it was"

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2 people found this helpful

Set up for a sequel?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes if you're interested in the subject matter.

Do you think Reckless needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, it stops in about 1982.

Any additional comments?

I was really looking forward to this but I came away a bit disappointed. I love Hynde and her music and I was looking for insight into the life behind the performance. It's good as far as it goes, concentrates a bit too much on her life before the Pretenders and stops in about 1982 after the deaths of Jimmy and Pete. It therefore misses out about two thirds of her career and scarcely touches on her marriages.

Could have been so much better.

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enjoyed listening to this book

really enjoyed listening to this book, well narrated and an interesting life Chrissie had

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Artful and gripping

Truly awesome and fateful story - a dreamer and mystic - I wish there was a part 2

xx ya Chrissy hope to catch you along on the journey

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Fascinating story, shame about the narration

The Pretenders were a band of my formative youth, at an age when i had no conception of the non-music side of rock and roll. I later heard stories of what was happening behind the scenes and when i saw this book i couldn't wait to hear the truth. It was eye-opening, frank and revealing, also shocking, terribly sad but educational. The only thing which spoiled it a bit for me was the narration, which lacked rhythm and feel for the text, often the pace and tone were out of sync with the flow of the story and placed inappropriate punctuation in the sentences. That said, this deficiency should not ruing enjoyment of the book, i still highly recommend

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Oh dear!

The pronunciation of English words is terrible and the attempt at accents awful. Sorry I love both these women so feel bad about giving a negative comment. Surely the book once read is actually listened to by someone with some knowledge.

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Excellent

This book is excellent, very well written and narrated, a fascinating life in rock n roll

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Shockingly reckless

Wow, it’s had to find the words to do any justice to this raw and shocking life story. Beautifully read by Rosanna Arquette, who puts great emotion and commitment to the story.

I always loved the Pretenders music as a kid, Chrissie’s voice is so distinctive and full of emotion. I could never of imagined the road to success was paved with so much risk and pain. How is it even possible that she lived through so much self inflicted hurt and abuse. This is a scary story for sure and deserves the highest plaudits for being so honest and true to the events. If you love music this is a must read. I loved it all, from start to finish. I was very sad at the end, the deaths in the band were shocking and heartbreaking. Well done Chrissie Hynde for surviving and thriving! 💙

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Ohio star

Chrissie's writing style is great, she's a natural poet, telling her story clearly & evocatively in the fewest possible words. She actually pans her own writing ability when retelling her days as an NME reporter. Modesty. If you like the Pretenders or are a fan of Chrissie Hynde then this audiobook is for you. No question. Can't understand the criticsms made by some other reviewers.

Rosanna Arquette does a great job of narration. Sure, she mispronounces a couple of words, but as Chrissie might say "Come on! This is the story of an American living in England. What do you expect!" Two Chrissies emerge each with their own voice. There's the sassy, involved, raucous woman, hungry for experience. Then theres the tender, wistful girl, in love with music and her musical heros, driven with ambition. So much more one could say, not least Chrissie's funny observations on English manners.

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