Love of My Life

The Life and Loves of Freddie Mercury

By: Lesley-Ann Jones

Narrated by: Julie Teal

The truth behind Freddie Mercury's complex romantic relationships.

Who - or what - was the real love of Freddie Mercury's life?

Millions of Queen and screen fans who watched the Oscar-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody believe that Mary Austin, the woman he could never quite let go of, was the love of Freddie Mercury's life. But the truth is infinitely more complicated.

Best-selling biographer and music writer Lesley-Ann Jones explores the charismatic frontman's romantic encounters, from his boarding school years in Panchgani, India, to his tragic, final bed-ridden days in his magnificent London mansion. She reveals why none of his love interests ever perfected the art of being Freddie's life partner.

In Love of My Life, the author follows him through his obsessions with former shop girl Mary, German actress Barbara Valentin and Irish-born barber boyfriend Jim Hutton. She explores his adoration of globally feted Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé. She delves into his intimate friendship with Elton John and probes his imperishable bonds with his fellow band members. She deconstructs his complicated relationship with the 'food of love' - his music - and examines closely his voracious appetite for - what some would call his fatal addiction to - sex. Which of these was the real love of Freddie Mercury's life? Was any of them?

Drawing on personal interviews and first-hand encounters, this moving audiobook brings to the fore a host of Freddie's lesser-known loves, weaving them in and out of the passions that consumed him. The result is a mesmerising portrait of a legendary rock star. Love of My Life, published during the year of the 30th anniversary of his death and that would have seen his 75th birthday, is Lesley-Ann's personal and compassionate tribute to an artist she has revered for as long as she has written about music and musicians.

©2021 Lesley-Ann Jones (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Missing pieces

This book corrects the misperceptions produced by the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Some of those I would rather not have known.

EXCELLENT

Best book about Freddie l've read so far ! ( Shines a new light on everything ! )

The Loves of Freddie

i enjoyed the book and the interesting updates found by the author since writing her last book about Freddie in 2011. when i first started the book i was happy to hear Lesley Ann Jones relaxing voice narrating, I'm a big fan of books narrated by the author, but after the first chapter was shuddered to hear narration from someone who reminded me of a college professor and was also slightly annoyed by the mispronunciation of what should be well known names (Izlee brothers?...) it would have been a 100 percent from me had Lesley or someone with a similar voice narrated it.

Very informative, but...

The book itself was interesting. Most facts I knew, but there was some new information & some interesting insights. However, I thought the author came across as bitchy & very full of herself. Slamming Mary Austin at every turn & FINALLY concluding that Freddie's great love was.....wait for it....HIMSELF. Really??? After all that. And smugly claiming that only SHE knows Freddie's final resting place. Freddie wanted his burial place kept private, which is his right. By the end, I was glad the book was over. Also, if you're going to narrate a book, please learn the proper pronunciation of people's names.

Compassionate Tribute? Hardly

Coming out on the day of what would have been Freddie’s 75th birthday, this book is hailed as a tribute to a man the author revered. It comes across as more like a work of contempt to me. If you’ve read the author’s earlier books on Freddie, there’s barely anything new here, except the author’s final determination of whom she believes was Freddie’s love of his life. But it’s this final determination that we all read it for. I can’t believe she came up with what she did, especially on this anniversary. I’ve read every book ever written about Freddie, and this is one book that is not about Freddie. It’s about this author getting a fourth payday off her original biography. What she proposes the love of his life to be will destroy the vision all of Freddie’s fans from this new generation have of him. But then, I guess that’s precisely what she aimed to do. Clever.