ABOUT THE BOOK:
A moving graphic biography for music lovers, Grace: The Jeff Buckley Story is painstakingly researched and created in collaboration with Jeff Buckley's estate.
California, 1991. All his life, people have told Jeff Buckley how much he looks like his father, the famous ’60s folksinger he barely knew. But Jeff believes he has gifts of his own: a rare, octave-spanning voice and a songwriting genius that has only started to show itself. After he falls in love with a mysterious girl in New York, he sets out to make a name for himself outside his father’s shadow.
What follows are six turbulent years of music, heartbreak, hope, and daring—culminating in a tragedy that’s still reverberating in the music world today. Written by Tiffanie DeBartolo and with art by Pascal Dizin and Lisa Reist, this graphic novel biography uses archival material provided by Jeff’s mother, Mary Guibert, to reveal the young songwriter in the process of becoming a legend.
Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story by Tiffanie DeBartoloMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story by Tiffanie DeBartolo is a 2019 First Second publication.
I have never read a standard biography about Jeff Buckley, and I can’t claim to be a rabid fan. But, of course, I am very familiar of his haunting version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah”, and I knew he was the son of folk singer, Tim Buckley, and that Jeff died young in a freak accident. Beyond that, I couldn’t have told you much else.
I do read my fair share of music memoirs and biographies, but this is the first one I have read in a Graphic Novel format. The story pretty much sticks to the basics, so for diehard fans the book may not cover much new territory. However, even if the story is familiar to you, the outstanding illustrations truly bring out an amazing amount of depth and emotion you most likely would not experience in a standard text only biography.
The writing is a bit simplistic, but I’m thinking this book might be a learning tool as well, perhaps to entice YA readers as well as older fans.
Jeff’s life was cut short, and he was always a bit of an enigma, so this book certainly will give readers a little more insight into his life and the artist behind the music. I enjoyed the experience of reading this book, and learning more about Jeff, and of course it has inspired me to revisit Jeff’s music, hearing it from a new perspective now.
I recommend this one for anyone who loves music, biographies or Graphic Novels.
AVAILABLE APRIL 30, 2019
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Based-Jeff-Buckley-Story-ebook/dp/B07QBKNNSM/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grace-tiffanie-debartolo/1129489222
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tiffanie DeBartolo is the author of 'Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story', (2019), 'How To Kill a Rock Star' (2005), and 'God Shaped Hole' (2002), and is the writer and director of the movie 'Dream for an Insomniac' (1996) starring Jennifer Aniston, Ione Skye, and Mackenzie Astin.
She is the Founder and CEO of SF Bay Area record label Bright Antenna Records featuring such artist as The Wombats, Wilderado, Roman Lewis, Sports Team, Mona, Flagship, Beware of Darkness, Love Thy Brother, Cheerleader, and Middle Class Rut.
Tiffanie lives in Marin with her husband Scott Schumaker and her two dogs Dipsea and Kazoo.
She was born in Youngstown, OH and went to Villa Maria High School in Villa Maria, Pennsylvania before studying Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley, California. She has two sisters: Lisa DeBartolo & Nikki DeBartolo.
