Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Okay, let me say this first: Do not judge this book by its cover. Take a step back, take a deep breath, don’t look at the cover, peel open the front page, and start reading.
These are the steps it took me to start reading ‘Love Is a A Mixtape‘. This was, of course, after several dodgy staring contests with its cute, hand-drawn cover peering down at me ominously from the top shelf of Sam Weller’s popular book section. Sure, it’s a New York Times Best-seller, I thought. But look at that cover. Look at the title. “Love Is A Mixtape”? Really? What will people think if they see me reading this?
Discreetly, I snatch the book off the shelf, go to counter, pay for it, and quietly peel open its front few pages while it is obvious that no one is around, with my door closed, so know one will know that I am reading a book called ‘Love Is a Mixtape’.
Given that, and taking into consideration that I put off reading this book for two years after it came out simply because of the cliche title, ‘Love Is a Mixtape’ is a very good book. And while it’s not fiction per se, Rob Sheffield (currently a staff writer for the Rolling Stone) does an amazing job of piecing together an autobiographical history of the time he and his late ex-wife Renee spent together as a young married couple before her unexpected death–and in the meantime, associating each event in their history with a mix tape.
It would be unfair for me to compare this book to ‘High Fidelity’, because ‘Love Is A Mixtape’ is not fiction. But the premise is similar. Both Rob Sheffield and Rob Gordon are doting and and love-able characters with vivacious appetites for their music collections. But the strength that ‘Love Is A Mixtape’ has over ‘High Fidelity’ is in its tragedy.
The realness of Sheffield’s sudden and unexpected loss and despair is tangible, even tear-jerking at times, but never quite over-the-top. The book starts out with Sheffield’s memories of meeting his wife Renee, the quirky, Pavement/R.E.M.-lovin’ Appalachian country girl who manages to steal your heart almost as much as Rob does, and their journey through the personal struggles and triumphs of being a young married couple in the midst of the 90′s alternative rock movement.
And while one might argue that the plot can tend to flatten out at times throughout the book, one also has to take into consideration that it is a biography and can only be criticized as such. Sheffield’s references to popular culture and music at the time are also enjoyable, and while I wasn’t always able to relate to Sheffield’s taste in music, I could appreciate a lot of the thought he put into it.
Story short: If you love the 90′s, you will probably love this book. If you are a music junkie, like me, you will love this book.
