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smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed learning more about Lenny’s family and background. He does a great job narrating. Bio ends just as he gets his big break so don’t expect anything juicy from his “fame” years.
jennagrace_m's review against another edition
4.0
Obviously Lenny Kravitz is cool as hell and a good storyteller. The audiobook was very fun to listen to. That said, I will say his memoir leans heavily on name dropping seemingly just for the sake of it. Some of the name dropping is cool, like when he talks about growing up in California at the time of Dogtown and the Z Boys, but after a while it gets a little old.
donasbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I've been reading a number of memoirs lately and most of them have been very good. I also recently came across a review on Instagram of a memoir, and the reviewer claimed she would not critique or rate it. That's someone's life, she said, and how could she rate that, or critique it? I paused a moment and thought about what she said.
But I'm afraid I don't have such reservations. Some memoirs, I like, and some I don't.
I read LET LOVE RULE because Lenny Kravitz is one of my favorite musicians. Because of my disability, I listen to audiobooks wherever I can, and I found this one in Scrib'd; when I saw that Kravitz himself narrated, I couldn't keep away.
It was a pleasure to listen to him narrate his story; but if I'm being honest, I really struggled to connect to the material. The narrative isn't complete, first of all, as though he plans to release a second half of his memoirs. He tells the story as a straight chronological narrative, so most of this book covers parts of his life that aren't that interesting with out the context of his adult life to make them meaningful. As a result, unfortunately, I thought the ending of this book was a let down.
However, I adored the part of LET LOVE RULE that discusses Kravitz's relationship with Lisa Bonet, and the challenges she faced as a result in her professional life. This material was rich with emotion and connection to his musical development. The book needed more of this, or at least needed what there was to be more evenly distributed throughout the manuscript.
Rating 2.5 stars, rounded up
Finished November 2022
Read this if you like:
But I'm afraid I don't have such reservations. Some memoirs, I like, and some I don't.
I read LET LOVE RULE because Lenny Kravitz is one of my favorite musicians. Because of my disability, I listen to audiobooks wherever I can, and I found this one in Scrib'd; when I saw that Kravitz himself narrated, I couldn't keep away.
It was a pleasure to listen to him narrate his story; but if I'm being honest, I really struggled to connect to the material. The narrative isn't complete, first of all, as though he plans to release a second half of his memoirs. He tells the story as a straight chronological narrative, so most of this book covers parts of his life that aren't that interesting with out the context of his adult life to make them meaningful. As a result, unfortunately, I thought the ending of this book was a let down.
However, I adored the part of LET LOVE RULE that discusses Kravitz's relationship with Lisa Bonet, and the challenges she faced as a result in her professional life. This material was rich with emotion and connection to his musical development. The book needed more of this, or at least needed what there was to be more evenly distributed throughout the manuscript.
Rating 2.5 stars, rounded up
Finished November 2022
Read this if you like:
candylovegirl's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea he read the audiobook so now I’m going to have to listen to it. Not normally an audio person but the chance to listen to him read would be great.
I enjoyed this look into Lenny Kravitz’s early life, his entry into music, and his influences. So often people expect a memoir to be the entirety of the career when in actuality it’s refreshing to focus in on one portion of a life. It was interesting to see the influences in his young life - from music to the arts to spirituality. By the nature of his mother’s career and family connections Lenny knew a lot of famous people but it seems that he maintained a decent outlook and an actual work ethic and dedication to his craft. I’ve always enjoyed that he has remained authentic and true to himself over the years so to read that he turned down several signing offers because they “didn’t feel right” and he trusted his gut made me admire him even more.
This is the story of how Lenny Kravitz found his musical voice and defined who he would be for decades. This man has much to do with his career and I’m sure there will be more stories to tell later but for now just enjoy the story of how he began.
I enjoyed this look into Lenny Kravitz’s early life, his entry into music, and his influences. So often people expect a memoir to be the entirety of the career when in actuality it’s refreshing to focus in on one portion of a life. It was interesting to see the influences in his young life - from music to the arts to spirituality. By the nature of his mother’s career and family connections Lenny knew a lot of famous people but it seems that he maintained a decent outlook and an actual work ethic and dedication to his craft. I’ve always enjoyed that he has remained authentic and true to himself over the years so to read that he turned down several signing offers because they “didn’t feel right” and he trusted his gut made me admire him even more.
This is the story of how Lenny Kravitz found his musical voice and defined who he would be for decades. This man has much to do with his career and I’m sure there will be more stories to tell later but for now just enjoy the story of how he began.
slothlike_af's review against another edition
3.0
I loved hearing his voice in the audio of this book. He knows a lot of famous people.
apokras's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly, I wouldn’t have read this except for the fact that it filled a square on my Book Bingo card (book by or about an American entertainer). The writing was weak. The story was interesting, but the lessons felt repetitive. I had no idea how he was raised amid fame and fortune. Sadly, it ends when he’s 25 and just on the brink of fame. He promises a sequel.
If you’re a huge Lenny Kravitz fan, definitely read this. Otherwise? Meh.
If you’re a huge Lenny Kravitz fan, definitely read this. Otherwise? Meh.
thematinee's review against another edition
3.0
Where did I leave my cassette copy of “Mama Said”?...
rstafeil's review against another edition
3.0
This memoir was entertaining enough - Lenny grew up with a famous mom and lots of exposure to famous people. I was kind of bummed that it ended right as Let Love Rule became a hit. I listened to this memoir and it was great listening to Lenny tell his own story.