- Publisher: Independently published
- Published Date: 2024
- Pages: 226
- ASIN B0CVFB18TM
- ISBN: 9798879141757
- Author: Paul Levinson
It’s Real Life: An Alternate History of the Beatles by Paul Levinson is a fun little tale of alternate universes with the key focal point being The Beatles and in particular, John Lennon. Pete Fornatale is a disc jockey in 1996 who has been following the Beatles since they originated. All four members are still with the band, though there has been rumors that they may be finally breaking up. Pete takes a walk down an unfamiliar tunnel below Fordham University and comes out in a world where the band broke up in the early 1970’s and John Lennon was assassinated in 1980. He returns to the tunnels and emerges in another world where not only the Fab Four we know of are still in the band, the fifth member, Stuart Sutcliffe who died in our universe before the band really got started, is still alive and still playing with the band. Pete begins to work with others to try to prevent history from repeating itself in this new universe and maybe even finding a way to change the past in the universe where Lennon was killed.
I love the premise of this book, and Levinson pulls it off reasonably well. He clearly has a knowledge of and a love for The Beatles in particular, and music in general. He regularly gives you aha moments dropping names of famous folks from the past and present and gives them life in his universe(s). If you are a music fan, and especially if you are a Beatles fan, you will probably enjoy this spin at 33 1/3 RPM through this alternate history.
While the story is a fun distraction, and the popular music and culture references are engaging, there really is not a huge amount of substance to the book. I may not be as much of a music historian as Levinson, but I lived through these times and I did not quite believe the characters he created. For example, it required a large amount of suspension of disbelief to believe how little push back Pete received from people who he told about crossing the multiverse. I loved the thought of a universe that still has such artists as John Lennon and David Bowie, but I did not really believe this was the universe where they would live, or even that they were the characters with the same names in the book.
Having said all that, It’s Real Life: An Alternate History of the Beatles is a fun story. If you like old music, and you dream of a different outcome for some aspects of history, this one is worth the time to read it. Do not expect a perfect book, but you should still have a good time.
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For a different type of trip through time, try Anthrophobia, by Matt Truxaw
