John and Paul cover art

John and Paul

A Love Story in Songs

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John and Paul

By: Ian Leslie
Narrated by: Chris Addison, Geoff Lloyd
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About this listen

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PENDERYN MUSIC PRIZE

'A triumph.'
Deborah Levy, New Statesman
'Tremendous.' Alwyn Turner, The Times
'Revelatory.' Simon Schama, Financial Times
'The gold standard of Beatles books.' Anthony Quinn, Observer
'As enthralling and astonishing as their music.' Jon Dennis, Sunday Telegraph
'A masterpiece.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard

'[Ian Leslie] reframes the whole relationship for me . . . He roots it in a kind of love. It's so moving, so moving. I was crying so much.' Paul Mescal
'I so loved John and Paul. I found it completely absorbing and painfully moving . . . It has rather turned me into a bit of a Beatles person.' Nigella Lawson
'The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst.' Caitlin Moran
'The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read. So joyful, so sad.' Tom Holland

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We think we know John & Paul. We really don't.

At the centre of The Beatles was the volatile, madly creative chemistry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This is the story of how two young men merged their souls and multiplied their talents to produce one of the greatest bodies of music in history. It is also a love story, full of longing, laughter, pain and joy.

' John & Paul is a masterpiece, a classic, and a book that should be read by anyone who wants to really understand how the Beatles worked.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard

©2025 Ian Leslie (P)2025 Faber & Faber
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All stars
Most relevant
I thoroughly enjoyed Ian Leslie’s book and the journey the author took us on. I’m left with a much better understanding of both John and Paul and their relationship. Also the narration by Chris Addison is wonderful.

Totally engrossing story of friendship and love

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It was really about time! Most Beatles books are written (often badly) by journalists who perpetrate the 1970s mythology spread by white males born in the late 50s early 60s. Ian Leslie, though a British white male himself, is much younger than that and, above all, has a contemporary sensibility and understanding of psychological and emotional aspects of human beings. He uses his experience, knowledge and emotional intelligence to analyse and spell out to anyone interested the deep connections that a creative partnership blossomed between two male teenagers entails. For Beatles fans the facts are accurate but, possibly, already well-known; what is really interesting is the subtle emotion which emerges from those extraordinary events/facts. For those who, misunderstanding the title, look for gossip level details, that is not their book because the "love story" is implied as a deep human emotional connection, only possible between equally extremely gifted human beings. The perspective on the songs, their lyrics, their arrangements and the circumstances of their composition sheds a light on John and Paul and their affection and love for eachother in a magnificent way. It doesn't hurt that Ian Leslie is a superb writer and knows how to use the perfect word to evoke meaning, as opposed to the often sloppy style of many of Beatles so-called scholars and biographers.
It is a very moving story (in the final pages I welled up a bit) and I think this text should be a new reference for any Beatles serious study. I also hope Paul would read it.
I read the book while listening to the audiobook and the reading was excellent, with the right amount of factual and emotional tone where and when required. Again, another bonus, is that a Beatles book is read (and written) by a Brit, using the correct vocabulary, language and accent. At long long last!
Thank you to everyone involved in the production of this little gem (including the two all female podcasts "Another Kind of Mind" and "One Sweet Dream" who inspire it and delved even deeper on this tormented relationship) and I do recommend anyone to read it, not only Beatles fans

At last a modern perspective on the most influential songwriting partnership of the 20th century!

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This book gives a more detailed analysis of the relationship between John and Paul as songwriters and as men in a particular context and time than seems to have been presented by any writer so far. The contents provide a lot to think about and this book is a welcome addition to the Beatles literature. Highly recommended.

A thoughtful approach on the relationship between John and Paul as songwriters and personalities

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I re listened to some of the songs Ian Leslie talks about, so that was interesting to get the detail he talks about….
Admirable!

Exhaustively researched

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a really insightful look at the relationship between two personalities that have been part of our lives forever. Having a version with the tracks as they are discussed would be great.

a new view of two people we thought we knew

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