Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis Paperback – July 1, 2009

This book is full of so many details that at first I didn't see any value in the trivia. Over halfway through the book, when it began to focus more on Ian and his personal life and difficulties, the backdrop to his story made sense. The last third was rivetting, when his relationship with Annik and his and her letters were included. I learned more about Ian then, and for this reason I highly recommend this book.

I originally read Ian Curtis wife's book about his life, so I was skeptical that this one would be more biased from the macho male rock point of view. I found this book to be the perfect augment to his wife's book as it showed a different perspective, and what I felt was objective information about Ian Curtis. It also offers a great introspective to the Manchester music scene history and the pivotal people involved. Th book presents a lot of information about Ian, Joy Division, the Manchester music scene and the history of punk rock in this book. An absolute must for any JD fan. I couldn't put it down.

This is an essential book for the Ian Curtis fan. Deborah's book is pretty one sided, of course. Having Annik's contributions were very nice. The book made me feel very familiar with how Ian acted because I am similar; his lyrics always cut me to the bones. If you would like to know more of Ian's world, I'd read this one first, then Deborah's.

Read before. Like the lyrics. Like poetry

Fairly good book. Too much repetition though.

Great!

This book purports to be a "life of Ian Curtis" but, as far as information specifically about him is concerned, it contains noticeable gaps. One gets the distinct impression that the band and family members who were behind this book had a rift with Ian's estranged wife Deborah, who wrote her own book "Touching from a Distance." Deborah's book focused on the minutiae of her teenage relationship with Ian and their subsequent marriage, with very little information given about Ian's band life or creative process - areas which Deborah claimed to have been shut out of. This book covers much the same timeline as Deborah's but seen from a different angle, that of Ian's family, the band itself, and Ian's "other woman", all of whom were discussed to some degree in Deborah's book but did not contribute to it.The book starts with lengthy reminiscences about Ian as a child and teenager from the standpoint of his family and school friends. Some of this info is interesting but most of it seems to be fairly standard, sanitized family stories. It's obvious that the family were either kept in the dark about some of Ian's more questionable activities and darker sides (such as his drug experimentation), or else they chose to turn a blind eye to it or simply not speak about it for publication. All of this is understandable, but Deborah's book provides a much more complete portrait of the teenage Ian.The next section of the book gets into the early gigs and recording activities of Joy Division, and is seriously lacking in any viable information about Ian specifically. Terry Mason, Bernard Sumner and even Rob Gretton seem to be more prominent. The major mention of Ian has to do with his attempts to ingratiate himself with RCA executives and others who might help the band, and it's really a footnote to the detailed (in some cases too detailed) discussions of which bands played what gig where on what date and did Slaughter and the Dogs fans cause a riot that night. This section reads more like a history of the early Manchester scene complete with a namecheck of "24 Hour Party People" than a book about Ian Curtis. As others have noted, it is also poorly written and skips around a lot in perspective.At this point it becomes notable that Deborah is completely omitted from the story except for mentions of how Ian was set apart from the band because he was married with a child on the way (this fact is actually harped on about five or six separate times in case we didn't get the point the first time). It seems possible Deborah chose not to cooperate with or support this book and did not want to be mentioned in it, which would account for the very minor role she seems to play in the story despite being married to the main protagonist. On the other hand, Deborah in her own book writes about how he was always off with the band and not as involved with their marriage and child as he should have been. Ian really seems to have been absent from everyone at this stage, and the implication is that not fitting in with either one of his two lives must have been pretty lonely.The last half of the book deals with the band's rise to popularity and Ian's extramarital relationship with Annik Honore. The writing is more focused on Ian and his personal thoughts and writings in this section, making it far more interesting than the preceding half of the book. Annik is quoted extensively and one gets the impression that this book was meant to be "Annik's side of the story" just as "Touching from a Distance" was clearly "Deborah's side of the story." Annik's contributions seem designed to counteract her portrayal in Deborah's book as much as to show another side of Ian. It is telling that most of the personal information about Ian in both books comes from women who were close to him, including Annik, Deborah and his friend Lindsay Reade.Fans of Joy Division who want to read the minutiae about gigs and such will likely enjoy this book. Those who are interested in Ian's personal life should read this book together with "Touching from a Distance" and realize that even after both books, aspects of Ian's character will likely still be elusive. I personally really wanted to like this book, but apart from the material contributed by Annik Honore, found most of it boring and less than insightful.

I love Ian Curtis. I have read everything I can get my hands on about him. Each book written (Debbie Curtis and Peter Hook) all have a different look and opinion of Ian. This one does as well. This one is every tragic because of it's in depth discussion leading to his death. I really think in the present time period Ian may not have killed himself (more advanced treatment of epilepsy and depression). I also like the timeline not only of Joy Division, but of all the bands that were making history at that time.

This is the third book in a row that I've read about Joy Division and Ian Curtis and it's by far the best. After reading "Touching From a Distance" by Deborah Curtis, and then "Unknown Pleasures" by Peter Hook, I wanted something that could shed more light on Ian himself. Debbie's book is interesting but - understandably - very subjective and avoids much discussion of Joy Division's music. Hooky's is a breezier read, far less critical of Ian and more focused on JD's music, but I still found that, despite his often humorous approach (which in itself is refreshing, and contradicts the notion that JD and Ian were all about doom and gloom) Hooky left me feeling that he only saw one facet of Ian's personality. It's clear that Ian was many things to many different people, meaning that the young wife and mother, and the cheeky "japes"-playing bandmate, struggle to explain both Ian and his legacy in a way which fans will really appreciate."Torn Apart" is different, and after reading it you feel as though this is probably as detailed an account of Ian's life and music as you are going to get. Written by Lindsay Reade (wife of Tony Wilson) and the music journalist Mick Middles, it is a biographical account of Ian that features contributions from his childhood friends and his family, as well as viewpoints and memories from his musical circle. Deborah's book, written some years before, does not feature prominently, which I personally was glad about. Middles and Reade do a very good job with a hugely complex subject, and it is touching and reassuring that Ian's mother Doreen (who died in 2014) and sister Carole have made significant contributions. Interestingly and touchingly, writings by Ian's late father Kevin have also been included. Together with previously unpublished photos of Ian with his family, and moving contributions from his girlfriend Annik Honoré (who passed away in 2014), these serve to give this version of Ian's story a ring of truth and sensitivity rather than supposition and myth.Lindsay herself was involved personally with Ian, especially as it moves towards its tragic conclusion, and there is a strong sense (as in Debbie's and Hooky's books) that she, like so many, is plagued by regret about what she didn't spot in Ian. But despite details about Ian's illness, marriage breakdown and suicide at 23 that make for very emotional and upsetting reading, and despite the dark cover and ominous title, this book is not a bleak portrayal of a sad soul but a rollercoaster ride that encompasses as many highs as it does lows. Ian Curtis comes across as intense, very clever and very complex, but also as funny, caring, softly-spoken and incredibly polite. He was clearly a victim of his epilepsy, and the way in which this illness, and his depression, was dealt with at that time will leave you shocked and saddened. Yet much of this book is NOT about his suicide, but rather his life and works, which is exactly as it should be.As other reviewers have mentioned, there are a few typos, and the reference in the updated edition to Tony Wilson in the present tense is very unfortunate. Some readers might find the "bittiness" of contributions annoying: the book is a jigsaw puzzle of viewpoints from many people and at times this creates a slightly piecemeal approach - but I am inclined to see this more a a result of the process of trying to piece together a truthful account of someone who died in an age where every moment was not photographed or Tweeted and who was never even captured on film walking or talking. Fame came to Ian only after his death, and so the authors have had to try to re-assemble fragments of his life from those who knew (or thought they knew) Ian. Some of these people have since passed away, so we must be thankful that this book was written when it was. This approach has worked well, and the end result is a book that serves as a detailed and exhilarating commentary on the post-punk music scene and 1970s Manchester, as well as a respectful and insightful biography of one of music's greatest enigmas.

I enjoyed reading this book and intend to now read Touching from a Distance for comparison.I liked picking up quirky little snippets of information e.g. Divinity was one of his favourite/best subjects at school but I wouldn't say the book is written with great style or fluency. Also, the book is still littered with typos despite being revised edition.

Must read if a Curtis fan. If not...still worth it.

Insightful and impartial view focusing on the music genre of it's time and the tortured soul that we all came to love as Ian Curtis. many thanks x

This was a birthday gift for a friend who is a massive fan. He loves this book, really pleased with it.