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| A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties | 
 enlarge | Author: Suze Rotolo
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $13.68
You Save: $9.27 (40%)
New (43) Used (11) Collectible (2) from $13.68
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 9732
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.4
ISBN: 0767926870
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42164092
EAN: 9780767926874
ASIN: 0767926870
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A beautiful memoir that stands on its own August 27, 2008
In A Freewheelin' Time, Suze Rottolo pens a beautiful and nuanced portrait of Greenwich Village in the `60s. Her position was a unique one, as she was Bob Dylan's girlfriend during his sudden rise to fame, but the book is much more than just an after-the-fact tell-all. From her Communist parents to her own acts of civil disobedience, Rottolo focuses on the spirit of a place and time, crafting a really lovely memoir.
Nostalgia Trip September 16, 2008
A nicely written reminiscence that brings to life an exuberant period of creativity in the folk arts, politics and civil rights. Reader-friendly and filled with personal and revealing anecdotes that help illuminate the Dylan phenomenon and the tumultuous 1960's New York music scene.
Can't put it down September 23, 2008
Great book by a natural writer. As if effortlessly, the author weaves the political and social threads of the early sixties with the Village folk scene and her personal journey of intellectual growth.
I love that the book doesn't focus too much on Dylan. I'm lucky enough to live a block from their first apartment and have been devouring every historical fact (or fiction) about the neighborhood and it's people since I moved in.
A great book if you love NYC history and music. Probably just an ok book if you aren't into one of those two.
"The Times They Are A-Changin'..." September 25, 2008
When you look at the iconic photograph, that graces the cover of the classic '60s record album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" it brings about so much emotion. A young Bobby Dylan, hunched over, hands in the pockets of his jeans, walking down a snowy NYC street. Clutching his arm is a beautiful, young woman with a smile, that looks like it could light up the whole world. The photo to me speaks volumes of both young love and the innocence of a new generation at the begining of a new decade.
We all know Bob Dylan and how he would eventually become a potent voice and icon of the 1960's. But who was this young women in the photo? The simple answer would be Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's girlfriend at the time. But that answer is really too pat (and dismissive) and dosn't really tell the whole story.The story is told now in Suze Rotolo's new book, "A Freewheelin' Time". On the book's cover it says "A Memoir of Greenwhich Village in the sixties". And that's what it is. Anybody, who comes to this book expecting 'The Life and Times of Bob Dylan' is going to be sadly dissapointed.
Instead, Ms.Rotolo concentrates on writing about her days as a young woman, living in NYC's bohemian Village of the early 1960's. She talks about growing up in her very non-traditional, politically active, Italian family. She terms herself a "red-diaper baby", because of her family's communist beliefs. By a young age she was on her own, pretty much taking care of herself. And yes, by 1961 she had met and passionately fallen in love with an up and coming folk singer, by the name of Bob Dylan. She talks of living with Dylan and what their life was like in the Village, where there was a very close sense of community made up of musicians, writers, artists and a whole host of interesting characters, who came and went in their lives, some of whom were almost like family.
In the end Suze Rotolo watched as Dylan was starting down his road to fame and fast becoming a musical icon. She didn't want to become part of that and just be 'Bob Dylan's girlfriend' (or as she termed it "another string on his guitar".) Instead this bright, vivacious, artistic person lead her own life and it was a very interesting one to boot. This is a good read, that vividly recalls a certain time and place with a touch of nostalgia. Highly recommended!
Greenwich Village with Dylan October 5, 2008
I liked reading Suze's account of her time with Dylan, the folk scene in Greenwich Village, the affordable housing and easy employment opportunities. Once time moves forward there's no going back to the simplicity of that particular time, the early 60's, so it's enjoyable to read about.
She had an unorthodox background and a lot of independence for someone underage, and she had a lot of adventures. Her descriptions are earnest and vivid. Unlike some other biographies about women behind rock stars, there's no sex. It's an impassioned story of two teenagers growing up and one of them becoming very famous.
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