I love celebrity tell-all books as much as anyone, and you just know that a life as interesting and chaotic as that of Stevie Nicks has got some dirt to dish and tales to tell. Sadly, this effort feels like an expanded research paper. It's almost all direct quotes from other materials, and it feels, honestly, like a biography-by-Google. That's nothing against Ms. Halliburton, who seems to have a profound respect both for Nicks and her fans, but the text of this book simply isn't up to snuff. It's like a several-hundred page Wikipedia article, but with an awkwardly-constructed timeline.
I will confess, I learned a few things about Stevie that I didn't know before (including one devastating anecdote about what happened between her and Prince following "Stand Back"). But I can't get past the fact that all the information in the book comes from other interviews. And then the very last chapter is just fan testimony. I would call myself a Stevie Nicks fan, but I don't think it's really something that belongs in a legitimate biography.
An unchallenging read with some decent tidbits, but nothing too explosive. Halliburton indirectly references the urban legend about Nicks having an assistant anally administer cocaine, but in a way that seems disingenuous; she mentions the rumor in order to acknowledge it and capitilize on its notoriety, but she leaves the terminology vague and nonexplicit, so as not to offend Nicks or her fanbase- which line do you want to walk?
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