Daisy Jones & the Flix: Review of new Amazon Prime show “Daisy Jones and The Six” — an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s popular book

One of life’s eternal lessons that I still struggle to accept: the book is always better than the movie.

The same goes for “Daisy Jones and The Six” — a mini series adaptation of author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s popular novel, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 3 with new episodes dropping every week. The story follows an up-and-coming rock band in the 1970s.

I needed to read the book before watching the show, and it’s no exaggeration to say that I binged this book. I devoured it. I inhaled it. This wasn’t a surprise though since the same can be said for earlier this year when I read Reid’s renowned bestseller “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” This woman’s ability to construct a narrative and the complexity of her characters is simply unmatched. 

However, try as it may, the show doesn’t fully reflect the layered beauty of the novel. 

Right off the bat there were the obvious inconsistencies such as how the band formed, Daisy’s young life and — most frustrating of all — the show didn’t include the character Pete, who was the sixth member of The Six, but they still called the band The Six. Mathematically, are you joking!?

Then there were the more covert changes, primarily the relationships and personalities of the main characters. 

The show dramatized events like Camilla’s reaction to her husband and lead singer Billy’s behavior on tour and needlessly added inter-band affairs. While this flashy retelling of the story no doubt made for entertaining television, it distracted from the realism of the subtly brutal events from the book. These events were so outrageous that they overshadowed the emotional effects on the characters. 

The characters just aren’t as deep or complicated as they are in the book. Novel Billy is depicted as an impeccable frontman who glows on stage but in the show I only saw him as one of the band, not a standout by any means. Similarly, Daisy is written as an ethereal, dazzling being but in the show she was almost too normal. And Camilla, who’s supposed to be the serene rock of the group becomes a jealous and passive character. 

All that to say, the cast was impeccable. Aside from how certain aspects of their characters were written, almost everyone looks just how I pictured them while reading the book. Riley Keough as Daisy and Sam Claflin as Billy stole the show with their surprisingly spectacular voices and undeniable on-stage chemistry. And Suki Waterhouse as Karen, the keyboardist, added a level of superstardom to the show as she’s a real life musician. 

What I most appreciate about the series is its authenticity. The actors are really singing and playing their instruments on stage — even recording a studio album as the fictional band that’s available on Spotify. They also recorded at The Record Plant, the same studio Fleetwood Mac recorded their infamous album “Rumors,” which the story is undeniably based on.

And of course the fabulous costumes which, according to Variety, included an abundance of vintage and reclaimed pieces, encapsulating the wardrobe of a true ’70s hippie. It’s these seemingly small details that really bring the show to life. 

Regardless of my rage at the inconsistencies between the book and show, the aesthetic was accurate and impeccable from the minute I hit play on the first episode. 

The wardrobe is truly what had me binging the series. It’s exactly how I picture the Flower-Power era, with VW vans, round sunglasses, suede fur coats paired, bell sleeves and high waisted everything — seriously, it’s no surprise that brands such as Free People and Amazon are curating “Daisy Jones and The Six” inspired collections. 

The sets were the perfect blend of earthy and modern and the soundtrack was unsurpassed — they’d span the decade, cutting from Violet Hall to Queen without skipping a beat.

Overall, while there were some holes in the plotline, “Daisy Jones and The Six” is worth a watch as the few aspects not to love are those only obvious if you’ve read the book.