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Starred Review Sounes has earned a well-deserved reputation for writing thoroughly researched, intricately detailed biographies. This comprehensive biography of McCartney is no exception. Sounes seems to have spoken to every living person with any connection to the former Beatle, from the singer’s neighbors near his Kintyre, Scotland, farm to the family veterinarian. Divided into two equally large sections—“With the Beatles” and “After the Beatles”—Fab covers all the highlights of McCartney’s life and long career: his early days in Liverpool; his meeting with John Lennon; the craziness of Beatlemania; his solo albums; the creation and collapse of his post-Beatles band, Wings; his marriage to Linda Eastman; his last meetings with Lennon; his drug bust in Japan; his forays into classical music; his disastrous second marriage to Heather Mills. This is by no means a hagiography. On the contrary, Sounes gives criticism when warranted, remarking on McCartney’s flaws both as a musician (settling for the ordinary, or, worse, mediocre rather then putting in the extra effort to create something exceptional) and as a man (a streak of selfishness that could turn callous). Indeed, Sounes is often brutally honest, offering a full portrait—warts and all—of one of the most famous men of the modern era. A must for Beatles and McCartney fans. HIGH-DEMAND BACK STORY: In spite of his persistent mega-fame, this is the first comprehensive, candid, and up-to-date portrait of Sir Paul McCartney, making it a magnet for boomers and serious music lovers. --June Sawyers

Review

Booklist, July 2010
“Everyone knows who Paul McCartney is. And everyone can imagine how much in demand this biography will be.”

Kirkus,9/15/10
“[A] solid addition to the ever-expanding library of books about the Beatle named Paul...More than 200 interviews—and no-nonsense attention to detail...The graceful prose and superb storytelling create a riveting narrative.”

Booklist, 10/15/10 (starred review)

“Sounes has earned a well-deserved reputation for writing thoroughly researched, intricately detailed biographies. This comprehensive biography of McCartney is no exception. Sounes seems to have spoken to every living person with any connection to the former Beatle...Fab covers all the highlights of McCartney’s life and long career...This is by no means a hagiography. On the contrary, Sounes gives criticism when warranted, remarking on McCartney’s flaws both as a musician and as a man. Indeed, Sounes is often brutally honest, offering a full portrait—warts and all—of one of the most famous men of the modern era. A must for Beatles and McCartney fans...In spite of his persistent mega-fame, this is the first comprehensive, candid, and up-to-date portrait of Sir Paul McCartney, making it a magnet for boomers and serious music lovers.”

Library Journal, 10/15/10

“A probing work that examines McCartney’s foibles to a much greater extent than, for example, Barry Miles’s authorized_Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now_...There is a ton of engrossing, well-documented material here...A worthwhile read for McCartney fans; recommended for all public libraries.”

The Independent, 9/24/10

“Exceedingly thorough...A good read for those seeking a Pauline perspective on the Beatles plus a look at his solo career.”

Stuff.co.nz “Blog on Tracks,” 9/14/10“
A fantastic tome...Sounes adds a lot to the story and his methodical, meticulous research style means that he's actually bringing new things out...Sounes has, through hundreds of interviews, built a book about McCartney that addresses the myth, understands the legend and is balanced; never getting anywhere near the all too common hagiography that is the bane of reading the modern music biography/ghost-written-autobiography...I found it the perfect balance of entertainment and education/research—and, as such, it's one of the best biographies I've ever read.”

BlurtOnline, 10/18/10
“The portrait painted in Howard Sounes’_Fab _is of a man with more to him than meets the eye or ear...Sounes' treatment of Paul is fairly even-handed though. He doesn't shy away from the bad and doesn't overstate the good...There's still a hunger for all things Beatle and Sounes' book has its place.”

Word,November 2010
“[T]he first major unauthorized biography.... Howard Sounes brings to the task the same solid journalistic values he employed in writing his Dylan biography_Down the Highway_,which succeeded in unearthing troves of new information through the simple expedient of diligent legwork, hunting down the right people, and asking them the right questions.”

Rolling Stone, 11/11/10
“Few Beatle biographies are as exhaustive as this 634-page epic: Sounes paints an unsparing portrait of McCartney...For fans willing to ponder their hero’s flaws,_Fab_delivers all you need to know—and a lot more.”

Wall Street Journal, 10/29/10

“Provide[s] sound background on Mr. McCartney's working-class roots, the environs of Liverpool, and the bonding of two song-writing youths (Mr. McCartney and John Lennon) who both lost their mothers while still in their teens. The author turns up new details on these early topics.”

San AntonioExpress-News, 10/24/10

“[A] massive, exhaustively researched biography.”

New YorkJournal of Books, 10/26/10

“Delivers on every promise it even thinks about making...McCartney fans will enjoy hearing some of the never-before-told stories about his family...The author handles the rougher topics with a professionalism that attempts to be as unbiased as possible...Sounes’ narrative writing style is easy to read. Instead of feeling like a dry, academic work, the book reads almost like a novel...The 500+ pages do not necessarily fly by, but the tale told is worth the time it takes to tell it.”

_The Independent_, 9/24/10
“Exceedingly thorough...A good read for those seeking a Pauline perspective on the Beatles plus a look at his solo career.”

Blogcritics.org, 10/29/10

“A compelling read...Since Sounes has dug so deep into McCartney lore, there is bound to be a surprise or two for even for the staunchest admirer...Hard to put down. Sounes' writing style is breezy without being slight. His admiration for his subject is evident, even when he is at his most candid, all of which makes_Fab_a worthwhile read.”

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Desert News_, 10/31/10

“[The] first exhaustive biography of James Paul McCartney.”

Bookviews.com, November 2010

“Will more than satisfy any one of his fans.”

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National Post_ (Canada), 11/1/10

“Massive...Full of intriguing snapshots.”

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CBC News_(Canada), 11/4/10

“A compelling biography.”

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Record Collector_(UK), December 2010

“Macca examined in high-def accuracy...Where Sounes scores...is in scything through the wild undergrowth of facts, misinformation and myths to present a level-headed portrait of a musician who, obviously, is still held in fascination by the public...The definitive take on an extraordinary career...Sounes is also admirably responsible in his dissection of the Heather Mills years, sifting through the tabloid salaciousness to outline chains of events with the confident, dispassionate eye of a seasoned and reliable journalist.”

The Onion, 11/11/10

“_Fab_does a credible job of outlining McCartney’s life and habits. So much has been written about The Beatles—and by contrast, so little about McCartney’s far longer (and during the ’70s, nearly as popular) solo career—that Sounes’ equal treatment of the eras is welcome.”

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Tucson Citizen_, 11/8/10

“A 634-page epic about Paul McCartney that covers almost every aspect of his life...Sounes has done his homework, his research detailed and meticulous...The result is a rather unsettling portrait of an incredibly creative, complex man who could be petty and nasty, generous and charitable...Revealing, well-crafted, and utterly fascinating.”

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Toronto_Star, 11/5/10

“[An] unauthorized biography of the famous and unimaginably wealthy bassist and composer...A minutely detailed and comprehensive account of the famous musician’s life up to now...On the whole, Sounes renders his subject sympathetically, as a gifted but flawed character.”

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Montreal_Gazette’s “Words & Music” Blog, 11/11/10
“The first book to properly deal with McCartney's career after the Beatles.”

BookPage,December 2010

“Impressively thorough and up-to-date.”

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Kirkus Reviews_website, 10/26/10

“Reveal[s] a side of the ‘nice’ Beatle most people never knew existed.”

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San Francisco_Book Review,November 2010

“A fascinating and nostalgic trip back to when the Beatles changed the course of music forever.”

InfoDad.com, 11/18/10

“Exhaustively researched...Name-packed, gossipy, interpretative but not judgmental, and very detail-oriented...Fans of McCartney will surely find [it] intriguing if they receive it as a gift.”

BlogTalkRadio’s “Mr. Media”, 11/18/10

“Howard Sounes won’t deny that there have been an awful lot of books about the Beatles and Paul McCartney. But that didn’t give him pause; he just researched and wrote one of the best.”

_New York Times Book Review_, 12/5/10
“_Fab_lifts off...in 1967, with the introduction of its most interesting character—the rock photographer Linda Eastman, who set her sights on Paul and determined to marry him even before they had met...Sounes’s portrayal of her is complicated, fascinating in its contradictions.”

_Miami Herald_, 11/28/10
“The first serious biographical attempt to pay as much attention to the 40-year span that followed McCartney’s run in the Beatles as it does to his decade within the Fab Four...Sounes’ reach is commendable.”

_Publishers Weekly_ (web-exclusive), 11/22/10
“An engaging, set-the-record-straight biography...Sounes writes knowledgeably of the Beatles' close relationship with their tortured manager, Brian ...