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mrswhite's review against another edition
3.0
I am not a child of the sixties. Heck, I’m barely even a child of the seventies. But even still, I couldn't help but be fascinated with Zachary Lazar’s Sway - a engrossing novel dealing with the intersection of three 60’s icons: Charles Manson, The Rolling Stones, and occult filmmaker Kenneth Anger (Invocation of my Demon Brother, Scorpio Rising). Despite using factual people, Sway is clearly a work of fiction; despite being a novel, it reads more like a series of character studies; and rather than romanticizing the 1960s, Lazar uses motifs of Satanism, drug culture, homoerotica and violence to approach the oft romanticized decade from a much darker angle. With three protagonists: Kenneth Anger – a experimental filmmaker who often found inspiration in Satanism and the occult, Bobby Beausoleil - a handsome, young musician, actor and eventual murderous member of the Manson clan, and Brian Jones – founder of the Rolling Stones who was later spurned by the group before drowning in his own swimming pool at age 27; Lazar weaves together three stories that not only intersect, but also darkly echo one another. I’m not particularly a fan of the Rolling Stones, I know next to nothing about Anger, and I’m only mildly interested in the infamous Manson clan, so I suspect a lot of Lazar’s more minor references and plot details were lost on me, but it was a highly engaging read even still. I felt that the back half of the novel dragged a bit so I can’t say that I absolutely loved Sway, but I ended with a deep appreciation for both Lazar’s story and the artful approach he took to telling it.
nickyfox13's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the strange, surreal, grungy and gritty tone of the novel; the writing was vivid and creepy with an addicting undertone that kept me hooked. it read sort of like fanfiction because it was fictionalizing reality in a way that didn't seem very biographical to me. I would've appreciated this novel more if I was better versed in the time period but I did get a good feel of the turbulence, the chaos and the artistry of the 60s.
obscuredbyclouds's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up at an Oxfam shop because it looked like Rolling Stones meets Charles Manson fanfiction. It turned out to be just that. It also features a lot of underground filmmaker Kenneth Anger and other figures from the 60s. I was fascinated just how fanfiction-y it got, including more than just a little homoeroticism.
I liked the writing style, although I found it a little overwritten at times (metaphors that, when you think about them for one moment, don't actually make any sense at all). I'm also not a big fan of novels that are so fragmented, with so many characters that never fully come together. I enjoyed the Rolling Stones parts the most. Although they were bizarre at points, they were very atmospheric and will stay with me. They also made me want to read more non-fiction about the band. I'm a big fan of 60s and 70s rock but I never really got into the Rolling Stones apart from a few songs, so there were times where I wondered how much was fact and what was fiction.
Overall, an uneven novel that could have done with more story, less fragmentation and few less 5 Dollar words. But I'd be interested in reading more by the author.
I liked the writing style, although I found it a little overwritten at times (metaphors that, when you think about them for one moment, don't actually make any sense at all). I'm also not a big fan of novels that are so fragmented, with so many characters that never fully come together. I enjoyed the Rolling Stones parts the most. Although they were bizarre at points, they were very atmospheric and will stay with me. They also made me want to read more non-fiction about the band. I'm a big fan of 60s and 70s rock but I never really got into the Rolling Stones apart from a few songs, so there were times where I wondered how much was fact and what was fiction.
Overall, an uneven novel that could have done with more story, less fragmentation and few less 5 Dollar words. But I'd be interested in reading more by the author.
jdsatori's review against another edition
4.0
There was a dark side to the 60s and this is where Sway digs in. It weaves three stories about real people into one:
Kenneth Anger, a visionary filmmaker, falls in love with Bobby Beausoleil and later makes a movie about the Rolling Stones
Bobby Beausoleil, a musician who started The Grass Roots and scored Anger's films, who later meets Charles Manson, becoming a family member and committing murder
The Rolling Stones--specifically, Mick, Keith, Brian, and the women between them, Anita and Marianne Faithful
Anger, Beausoleil, and the Stones all embodied a seething disgust with the as-is. The "peace and love" of the 60s constantly slipped their grasp. As Vietnam raged, so did they. Their drugs were an escape, not a tool for enlightenment. Behind it all, was a single-minded focus on their art.
Plus, Lazar writes the best descriptions of Mick Jagger's stage presence I think I've ever read: "A quick spasm that jerks his head upright and carries out into his back-stretched arms. A pause before he rights himself, turning his head and clapping, a sideways glance at no one, guarding his space."
Kenneth Anger, a visionary filmmaker, falls in love with Bobby Beausoleil and later makes a movie about the Rolling Stones
Bobby Beausoleil, a musician who started The Grass Roots and scored Anger's films, who later meets Charles Manson, becoming a family member and committing murder
The Rolling Stones--specifically, Mick, Keith, Brian, and the women between them, Anita and Marianne Faithful
Anger, Beausoleil, and the Stones all embodied a seething disgust with the as-is. The "peace and love" of the 60s constantly slipped their grasp. As Vietnam raged, so did they. Their drugs were an escape, not a tool for enlightenment. Behind it all, was a single-minded focus on their art.
Plus, Lazar writes the best descriptions of Mick Jagger's stage presence I think I've ever read: "A quick spasm that jerks his head upright and carries out into his back-stretched arms. A pause before he rights himself, turning his head and clapping, a sideways glance at no one, guarding his space."
sharonfalduto's review against another edition
The Manson murders, the Rolling Stones, and the death of the 1960s feature in this fictionalization that uses real people as its characters. Instead of the usual suspects of these groups, though we focus on people like the Stones' Brian Jones--the founder of the group, but the one who's not Keith Richards or Mick Jagger, and also of course the one who wound up dead in the pool under suspicious circumstances. For the Manson family we focus on Bobby Beausoleil, who was one of the killers, but not the notorious ones like Susan Atkins or Leslie Van Houten. I thought the Rolling Stones were an interesting choice, since of course the Manson family is usually more associated with the Beatles, but the author wanted to show the hard edge of the 1960s, and the Stones--especially the deadly Altamont concert--capture that spirit more. It got a bit over the top sometimes with its maudlin, but I think that was in homage to the end of the 1960s, when it must have truly felt as if the world were about to end.
coffeemaus's review against another edition
3.0
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14500846
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14500846
jessferg's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't get past knowing this was a story about the Rolling Stones and, since I know next to nothing about them I felt like I was at a disadvantage. I would recommend with the caveat that it should be read strictly as story and not as historical fiction (assuming you're in the same situation as me.) Stones fans could go either way with this - the guys are not portrayed in the best light. The writing is very insightful and I found the Ken Auger storyline to be the better tale.
helentbower's review against another edition
4.0
I started this book assuming that I would return it to the library unfinished. Lucky for me the story grabbed me and I finished it very quickly. The chapters are long but the plot is shallow and easy to follow. I love the background information and the aspects of the story that just might be true legitimately sparked my interest. It's a very interesting kind of book: a fictional account of what maybe could have happened in history that connects the relatively young Rolling Stones and Charles Manson. All in all, it's a good quick summer read that is worth checking out.
stephaniecaye's review against another edition
3.0
I had trouble getting into it at first; the first chapter was a little too loose and hard to follow, but once I buckled down it got pretty ok.