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Once There Was a Way

What If the Beatles Stayed Together?
By: Bryce Zabel
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
Series: Breakpoint, Book 2
Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
4.5 out of 5 stars (14 ratings)

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Publisher's Summary

The next novel from author Bryce Zabel, whose debut, Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas? won the coveted Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

"We know The Beatles let it be, but what if they worked it out instead? This book gives life to every fan's fantasy. It's a great new adventure full of twists and turns that never were, but might have been." [Chris Carter, host, Breakfast with the Beatles and Chris Carter's British Invasion (Sirius/XM Radio)]

We all know the tragic story by now. After seven years as the most popular rock-and-roll group the world has ever seen, the Beatles - torn apart by personal and creative differences - called it quits in 1970, never to play together again. The fact that their contemporaries like the Rolling Stones are still playing today makes their ending even more painful.

Once There Was a Way: What if The Beatles Stayed Together? is a story of another reality, the one we wish had happened, where the Fab Four chose to work it out rather than let it be. This book is no mere fairy tale but a chronicle crafted from the people and events of our own history, shaped to create a brand-new narrative in which John, Paul, George, and Ringo find a way to stay friends and keep the band together. Imagine there was more. Lots more. It's easy if you try.

©2017 Bryce Zabel (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"This book is devilishly clever while never treating the subject matter with disrespect." (Steve Friedlander, VP Distribution, CBS Films)
"If you are a Beatles fan, you really need to read this. If you are not a Beatles fan, you really need to read it anyway." (Josh Kaplan, executive producer, Good Day LA)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

If You Love The Beatles, You’ll Love This Book!

I know a lot about the Beatles, and this book was both gratifying and surprising. It feels so real that you will be amazed at how this author has seamlessly woven this amazing story. The story, the details and the love that has gone into this will just blow you away! Give this a chance!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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If Only!

No spoilers, I promise! The fun about alternative history is that the writer can create almost any possibile scenario for his/her subject, no matter how unbelievable or seemingly improbable. This book does just that in many ways, and in so doing gives life to the thought "if only!" The "if only," of course, is what COULD have happened if The Beatles had stayed together.

I was born the year the Beatles arrived on the shores of the USA. As a child I really have no recollection of them as an active group. However, a gift of the "Rubber Soul" album in the 70's started me on a lifelong path of fandom. I, like countless others, have often wished for a world in which The Beatles lived on.

This book gives us one potential reality. Of course, there could be an infinite number of variations to this story. However, this particular telling is fun, engrossing, and entertaining. The research is excellent. The potential storyline is truly imaginative. The performance is spot on. I really believed I was hearing the voices of the Fab Four throughout.

I highly recommend this book. The impact The Beatles had on culture is demonstrated in some creative ways. For me, this was an excellent example of "if only" come to life.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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For true Beatles fans

A wonderful fictional journey from the time of The White Album to 2013. Expertly woven with what actually did happen with what could have happened had they stayed together. The author completely captures the personalities of the Fab Four. The narrator's interpretation is masterful, expecially when he does Yoko. I've listened to this book twice in 3 months, and have given it as a gift. The only negative is a cheap shot at the current president and his departed press secretary. Has no place in this great story. I don't understand why this interjection was necessary, except to make the author popular amoung his literary friends. Not why I buy books.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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Peace and Love to The 21st Century Beatles

I read a lot of alternative history, and was skeptical this 50-year retrospective on a Fab 4 that never broke up could work. But Bruce Zabel pulled it off. The point of departure (Jonny Carson returning to New York for John and Paul's appearance on the Tonight Show) was imaginative and effective. Zabel wasn't afraid to speculate but kept the flights of imagination grounded in plausibility (mostly). At the end, I found myself genuinely feeling nostalgic for a vivid exit from a 1975 stage that never happened! A clear sign of effective Alt-Hx. Note: it does help a good bit to be a solid Beatles fan.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful