Name: Somebody to Love
ISBN: 9781681881881

Matt Richards

Mark Langthorne

"Including interviews from Freddie Mercury's closest friends in the last years of his life, along with personal photographs, Somebody to Love is an authoritative biography of the great man. Woven throughout Freddie's life is the shocking story of how the HIV virus came to hold the world in its grip, was cruelly labelled 'The Gay Plague' and the unwitting few who indirectly infected thousands of men, women and children--Freddie Mercury himself being one of the most famous."--

The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury

Somebody to Love

Allison Francis

I enjoyed this biography on Freddie Mercury/Queen. It also discussed the history of HIV and the epidemic it became in the 1980s.

Alexandra Gillgrass

After going to see Bohemian Rhapsody in the cinema, my interest in Queen and Freddie Mercury was really sparked. As my dad is a Queen superfan I remembered he had this book and delved straight into the complicated but fascinating story of Freddie Mercury. 

One of my most favourite things about the way his story was told was all the background information that was given on the history and rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Not only did it shed light on a topic that I relatively knew little about, but it also helped in categorising Freddie as one of the millions who suffered from the disease and wasn't just a stand-alone case. As a result, the rapid and vast rise of this illness was really emphasized. It also drew on the huge irony and misfortune that came from one batch of infected blood, and some one hundred years or so ended up killing a legend. This explanation was also laid out really clearly and concisely so I could actually understand what was going on, no scientific lingo here!

While obviously, the majority of the book was on Freddie, I really appreciated the detail that was given to other people that were part of his life. While he's often been painted as something of a solitary character, it was nice reading that he had a close inner circle of friends on which he depended. The use of direct quotations from interviews, I found to be really enlightening and helped fill some apparent gaps that were left within some of the events, either from Brian, Roger or John or friends and family. Great attention to detail was given on little anecdotes or minor details. The one that brings a particularly large lump in my throat was when Jim Hutton placed a teddy bear inside Freddie's body bag, a touching and heartbreaking sentiment for any individual who was a Queen or Freddie fan. 

I also really liked how the book was categorised almost into different Queen albums, chronologically. Not only did it help build a picture of what the band's success over a seriously lengthy amount of time looked like but also gave a really personal (or as personal as it could have been) account of the members as human beings, and not just rock gods. 

The deeper I got into this book, the more it read like a thriller, with the constant shadow of an hourglass pouring and the painful reminder of human mortality. The last quarter of the book was where the writing really shines through. In short the last few accounts of how he spent his final days really offered a lens into how complex of a character he was. The idea of him in his bedroom, contemplating how large garden lodge was is a thought that really resonates with me, the insignificance of it all.

All in all, an incredibly interesting but also moving accounts on one of the most iconic individuals to have ever lived. Would definitely recommend.

Rachel

This book was so good! Somebody to Love shows Freddie Mercury's rise to fame with Queen as well as the story of AIDS. The juxtaposition was just perfect because it gives background to what the 1980's gay scene was like during the epidemic and how Freddie was affected by it and in denial. This is the story that should of been made into a movie.

Somebody to Love The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury

Reviews

Highlights