Wonderful Again

By Theresa Gauthier 

Pattie Boyd’s autobiography was a special read for me. With George Harrison being my favorite Beatle, reading this book was inevitable. I’ve read it three times over the years, and I’m always struck by how Pattie Boyd, married to two of the most famous musicians in history, had to forge a new life for herself again and again.

Rereading it now, I’ve discovered more and more how much I admire Pattie Boyd. It can’t have been easy being a Beatle wife, and then leaving George for Eric and inviting the hatred of the world for daring to divorce a Beatle—and inviting it again when she left Eric.

Pattie’s book takes us through her early years starting with an altogether non-traditional upbringing, early years as a model, and eventually meeting George Harrison on the set of the Beatles’ first film A Hard Day’s Night.

When the book was first published, I know a lot of people thought they knew everything there was to know about George and Patty’s and Eric and Patty’s relationships, but the surprises come at every turn. Patty’s unique perspective, her time within the inner circle of the Beatles’ world, and her easy writing style—you feel you get to know her and that’s she’s invited you to hear all about her life over a cup of tea—this is a book I’d recommend to anyone curious about not just Patty’s relationships and marriages to two of the most famous, loved musicians in the world but also curious about the bubble of people who surrounded the Beatles. Theirs was a unique world. Well know, easily recognized, adored by millions, The Beatles are the only four people in the world who truly understand what they went through but the others in their circle had what most people at the time craved—a chance to be near them, to watch them create, to share in some way in the lives these four young men were leading.

There are a great many books about The Beatles. What makes this one special is that it’s from the inner circle. Patty knew them right when they were becoming famous. She didn’t know them before their fame, but she did know them when fame was new. She lived with George before he owned Friar Park, the famous estate that remains closely identified with him and his second wife, Olivia.

She lived with Eric Clapton after she left George and had to cope with drugs, addictions, and so much more, but she remained friends with them even depending on Eric for her home later in life. 

A model, an artist, an accomplished cook, and a woman who fought to make a life for herself separate from her famous husbands. She recognized that she was entitled to more than the harsh, sometimes scary reactions of the men she loved.

Brilliant book—well worth your time.