Strawberry Fields for Evan - Fab new fiction book about The Beatles

Strawberry Fields for Evan

By Wilson Quick

Published by Duckling Press, 2014

 (ISBN 978 1 61927 729 8)

Wouldn’t it have been just fab to have been there in Liverpool in the early sixties when The Beatles were just starting out? Just about every Beatles fan has probably experienced some version of this fantasy, but would we have honestly had the foresight to see that they were really that good to go on and change the world? With the benefit of hindsight, we all know how great, powerful and world-changing The Beatles did become, but it isn’t likely that any of us could have imagined what was to come.

But what if you were transported from the future back to those early days? What then? That is the exactly what happens to Evan Fritz in this delightful new book by Wilson Quick. Although Evan’s adventure is made possible by time travel, I would not label this book as science fiction. The means of Evan finding himself dropped unceremoniously into the very moment that The Beatles are poised to skyrocket is not important to the story. Instead, the book feels more like historical fiction as the author paints a realistic setting of a gritty, poor city struggling to survive. The main characters that Evan interacts with get by through determination, Liverpool wit and music.

Evan’s unique perspective of knowing the future of The Beatles and their world impact poses possibilities and problems. An excellent drummer in his own right, he hatches a plan – he, not Ringo, will get the job of replacing Pete Best as Beatles drummer. Evan’s experiences in the Cavern and his interactions with Paul, John and George feel authentic and the reader is sitting on the sidelines fingers-crossed hoping Evan makes it even if it does leave us wondering what will happen to Ringo if he does.

Evan’s Liverpool adventures are full of highs and lows, loves and losses and the reader goes along for the most enjoyable ride. I highly recommend this book for any Beatles fan who has either wished they could have been there “when” or just wants to feel what it might have felt like in those days.

I highly recommend this book. You will feel like you’ve been time traveling yourself when you have finished it. Find out more on the author’s webpage where you can find links to purchase the book: http://www.wilsonquick.com/index.html