John & Paul Audiobook By Ian Leslie cover art

John & Paul

A Love Story in Songs

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John & Paul

By: Ian Leslie
Narrated by: Chris Addison
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About this listen

"We think we know everything, but author Ian Leslie proves otherwise. His new book, 'John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs,' is, astonishingly, one of the few to offer a detailed narrative of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s partnership. And it’s a revelation."―Los Angeles Times

"It is stunning to follow Leslie’s insights into how far and fast John and Paul traveled, how profound their preternatural alliance was, and how epic their heroic journey. I’m sorry John isn’t here to read this book. I hope if Paul does read it he feels the depth of appreciation and gratitude and intelligence it contains."The New York Times

John Lennon and Paul McCartney knew each other for twenty-three years, from 1957 to 1980. This book is the myth-shattering biography of a relationship that changed the cultural history of the world.

The Beatles shook the world to its core in the 1960’s and, to this day, new generations continue to fall in love with their songs and their story. At the heart of this phenomenon lies the dynamic between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Few other musical partnerships have been rooted in such a deep, intense and complicated personal relationship.

John and Paul’s relationship was defined by its complexity: compulsive, tender and tempestuous; full of longing, riven by jealousy. Like the band, their relationship was always in motion, never in equilibrium for long. John & Paul traces its twists and turns and reveals how these shifts manifested themselves in the music. The two of them shared a private language, rooted in the stories, comedy and songs they both loved as teenagers, and later, in the lyrics of Beatles songs.

In John & Paul, acclaimed writer Ian Leslie uses the songs they wrote to trace the shared journey of these two compelling men before, during, and after The Beatles. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, Leslie offers us an intimate and insightful new look at two of the greatest icons in music history, and rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration, and human intimacy.

©2025 Ian Leslie (P)2025 Macmillan Audio
Entertainment & Celebrities Historical Music Celebrity Funny Comedy
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Critic reviews

We think we know everything, but author Ian Leslie proves otherwise. His new book, 'John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs,' is, astonishingly, one of the few to offer a detailed narrative of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s partnership. And it’s a revelation."
Los Angeles Times

"In John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs, author Ian Leslie details their union with perceptive insights bolstered by extensive research."
People

"John & Paul shows us that the band’s collective closeness grew out of an earlier intimacy between the Beatles’ twinned geniuses. It celebrates the convoluted, beautiful and tragic nature of a songwriting partnership that still reverberates across the universe." Wall Street Journal

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Because it was he: because it was me.

That line from Montaigne describing his extraordinary relationship with La Boetie, which Ian Leslie ends this book on, beautifully elevates the scope and depth of John and Paul's devotion to one another. I've spent most of my life as something of a Beatle aficionado, but this is the first book to center specifically on this incredible, if at times dysfunctional, relationship. Before reading this amazing book, my opinions regarding them were colored mostly from their acrimony and I often wondered how they were able to work so closely together, but Leslie's book performed something of a heart transplant on me and now I see they held a deep love and devotion for one another that transcended all the chaos. I found it all inspiring as well as heartbreaking, but either way, it has completely reset my feelings about their relationship. This book is a must for any Beatle fan.

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Enjoyed it very much

Glad I took a chance on this book. Great insights into why this music meant and still means so much to so many. Very well written and an excellent narrator.

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Stunned

This is what you get when you have a brilliant writer apply his skills to a subject he has a long-time passion for, taking a different angle at something already analyzed to death, and discovers that the more he digs, the more he finds and the more turned on he gets to communicate a cohesive story of new relevance to anyone who's a Beatles' fan,

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1 person found this helpful