A Freewheelin' Time

A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties

De: Suze Rotolo

Narrado por: Christina Delaine

Suze Rotolo chronicles her coming of age in Greenwich Village during the 1960s and the early days of the folk music explosion, when Bob Dylan was finding his voice and she was his muse.

A shy girl from Queens, Suze was the daughter of Italian working-class communists, growing up at the dawn of the Cold War. It was the age of McCarthy, and Suze was an outsider in her neighborhood and at school. She found solace in poetry, art, and music - and in Greenwich Village, where she encountered like-minded and politically active friends. One hot July day in 1961, Suze met Bob Dylan, then a rising musician, at a concert at Riverside Church. She was 17, he was 20; they were both vibrant, curious, and inseparable. During the years they were together, Dylan transformed from an obscure folk singer into an uneasy spokesperson for a generation.

A Freewheelin' Time is a hopeful, intimate memoir of a vital movement at its most creative. It captures the excitement of youth, the heartbreak of young love, and the struggles for a brighter future in a time when everything seemed possible.

©2008 Suze Rotolo (P)2020 Tantor

Enriched, Haunted, Fulfilled, Grateful

I finally made time to receive Suze’s gift via Audible in the spirit in which it was given — honestly present, clear-spoken, withholding nothing. As she had noted, overly mental or emotional memoirs can miss their mark. This one’s aim was true. The arrival of both Bob and Suze in Greenwich Village in 1961 was no accident to me, but rather the union of artist and muse so willingly pursued without any explanation or apology. Each “player” was uniquely prepared and willing. In 1961, I was 14 closing in on 15 and moving from acoustic country and folk guitar to electric rock and R&B. I didn’t hear Bob’s own work until 1963, when it rocked my world. Far later, Suze’s prose elegaic filled in essential backstory, not just for her and Bobby, but for other compelling couples within that scene and in my own life. She was 3 years my senior. Her book helped me close the age gap and look her in her wiser, virtual eyes. She reminded me so much of the artist I would marry in 1967, which brought us our daughter, yet another artist. Suze’s narrative, the gift of an introvert after years of contemplation, overflows with innate compassion, forgiveness, and grace. Finally I could walk those streets with her and ride the subways and highways to long-past club dates, concerts, and festivals, The convergence of so many ambitious men would exhaust Suze’s and Bob’s halcyon days, but the artform these two birthed together continues to inspire and propel. My dear friend Sally dated Bob in later years, but your memoir supplied much missing context for her and other’s stories. Thank you, Suze, for helping us look around, not look back, at your early Bohemian journeys. The 60’s in NYC sparkle more for this ex-Boston boy because you took the time to share your arc before you had to leave us in 2008. Bless you always. You remain a giver of real treasure… (JohnM, Topanga, CA, 2025)

One of my favorite books in a long time.

Suze right with an open heart and an open mind. I followed her every move, from high school to the end of Greenwich Village just eight years behind couldn’t have enjoyed this more probably will buy the hard copy and read it again.

Good memories of a young woman during some interesting times.

Enjoyable autobiography of a young woman during very difficult and politically challenging times. I liked the story.

a fascinating glimpse into the early 1960s

I loved this for a lot of reasons. The story is iconic and the way she told it as vignette across time worked well. The narrator was fantastic too. that can make all the difference.

Reading the great writing

The reader was ALWAYS Suze, and I was always in the room where it happened.

An extraordinary woman sheds light on her time, and Dylan

Suze Rotolo’s story of making her way from age 17 to 23 in the Greenwich Village of the early 60s is above all, inspiring as a beacon of how a strong young woman navigated her way through an era that didn’t support strong women. It’s no surprise Dylan found her irresistible, and yes, as a huge Dylan fan, I loved the insights into his character at the dawn of his career. The narrator seems to channel Suze’s vibe. I wish I could have known her, and Dylan was lucky that he did. She broke it off because she couldn’t live with the insanity and loss of privacy that accompanied his life of superstardom, but she bears full witness to his genius (and faults, though never harshly). I’m so glad for her that she made such wise choices and created such a fulfilling life for herself (though the book doesn’t extend into her life beyond the 60s). Well done! Life well and fully lived, on her own terms.

An introverted artist's tale...

...of being adjacent to genius. Suze's story feels true, even if some of the details seem a little off: this is a personal history, and she tells it like she remembers it, not worried about tarnishing Dylan's reputation with her avowals of his less-than-perfect behavior. She is a sensitive person, and it shows in her writing, which relates her enthusiasm for art and music long before she meets Bob at age 17 (he is 20). Her life as a "red diaper baby" and developing artist in Greenwich Village is poignant on its own. Also interesting apart from Dylan is Suze's travel ban trips to Cuba in 1965ish.

There are probably better titles if you're looking for a deep dive into Dylan's early development, but Suze's story presents him as her first serious romance, and both of them act in very relatable, human ways.

Where’s Bob Dylan ?

Mostly enjoyed the book, Somewhat interesting to hear about her adventures Greenwhich village in the 60d although already familiar with that period. . She does sound like a special and very nice person. However, she is sparse on details of her relationship with Bob Dyaln, what he was like , his personality, some insight into his being that she must’ve seen after all her years with him. I mean she goes deep about everything else. Maybe she was protecting him. But disappointed it is mostly her memoirs of her life back then that included him occasionally but with little focus on him. That’s ok but contradictory since she has that album cover of them together implying it’s a lot about him and their relationship. Probably done for sales to lure readers to buy the book to hear about Dylan which she doesn’t deliver. Sorry for her passing and condolences to her family and friends.

Tale of a very interesting time.

This is a very interesting take of a fascinating time in the center of Americana.

About time

Very enlightening memoir by Bob’s most important relationship after arriving in NYC. It’s a well-deserved perspective on a vital time in US history, and a brief look behind the mysterious curtain that is Bob Dylan. I only regret that Suze did not live long enough to share in the limelight that is now shining on her role in raising Bob Dylan from a pup, thanks in part to the new film “A Complete Unknown.