Paperback Writers: essential stories about the 1960s

Elizabeth Jane Howard’s iconic Cazalet Chronicles span the decades from the pre-war thirties, and now the brilliant new novel The Golden Hours – written by her niece, Louisa Young – continues the story of one of the most beloved families in British literature and brings us up to the dawn of the sixties. With the family’s cherished Home Place long sold, the Cazalets gather for Christmas at a rambling stately pile in Norfolk. As their holiday unfolds, older siblings Hugh, Edward, Rupert and Rachel realise that the traditional England they once understood is rapidly fading from view. Meanwhile, their children struggle to balance the heavy demands of middle age with their own deeply guarded secrets and desires. Watching from the wings is the newest generation, the young ones poised on the very cusp of an exciting era destined for profound social change. 

With her distinctive beehive and winged eyeliner, Ronnie Spector – the lead singer of classic girl-group The Ronettes – became one of the defining icons of the 1960s. Her unforgettable, siren-like voice, combined with the influential Wall of Sound created by her ex-husband Phil, produced timeless hits such as ‘Be My Baby’ that soundtracked a generation. The groundbreaking music masked a tumultuous marriage of emotional abuse and violent threats, and Spector later had to overcome her own struggles with alcohol addiction as well as drawn-out legal battles over her divorce and unpaid royalties. Heartfelt and humourous, this self-aware memoir catalogues the highs and lows of Spector's life and artistry, and a forthcoming film adaptation from A24, directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and starring Zendaya, will introduce her remarkable story to a whole new audience.

For two decades, the Newmans ruled the airwaves, beaming wholesome perfection into homes across America. But the arrival of the sixties’ cultural revolution has changed everything, and the nation's favourite nuclear television family suddenly seems out of step with the world around them; ratings free-fall, and buried secrets begin to fracture the family behind the scenes.  The wife, Dinah, hires a young, outspoken reporter to write the show's final episode, but these two women are conflicted about what it means to be a woman with a family in this new, liberated era, echoing ideas from Betty Friedan’s landmark 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique. Can Dinah repair her family in time to change television history, or will she be cancelled before she gets the chance? Perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

The story of a working-class boy from the East End who tore up the photography rule book to become a cultural phenomenon. Bursting onto the scene in 1960 as a Vogue photographer, David Bailey discarded the rigid rules of fashion and portrait photography to channel the energy of London’s street and youth culture into his work. Look Again is a brutally honest, riotous journey through a decade he helped define; from trading quips with the Queen to headline-grabbing romances with Jean Shrimpton and Catherine Deneuve, Bailey stepped out from behind the lens to achieve celebrity status in his own right, counting Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol among his circle. His life was as vivacious as the era-defining images he created and this entertaining memoir provides an eye-opening, candid insight into the world of an artist who refused to blend in.

On the rugged, windswept coastline of West Cork, young Sorcha O'Donovan's life is irrevocably altered by her encounter with Con Daly, a handsome, enigmatic musician shunned by the local community. Together they leave the village behind, plunging headfirst into London’s vibrant 1960s music scene. We follow Con and his band, The Fishermen, on an exhilarating journey to rock stardom: choosing the perfect name, struggling to secure a manager, and getting signed to a record label. When they are finally catapulted into global fame, the novel brilliantly mirrors Beatlemania with its complex relationships and rivalry between band members. But soon we realise the sudden glow of overnight success and the fast-paced city conceals a dark undercurrent of destructive secrets. Decades later, the band agrees to reunite for a high-profile charity concert at Wembley Stadium however there's just one problem: Con has been missing for over ten years. As the past threatens to repeat itself, someone must face those devastating memories before tragedy strikes again. The Last Love Song is both a thrilling mystery and a vivid look at the intoxicating highs and lows of the 1960s rock'n'roll era. 

Vidal Sassoon’s extraordinary life took him from an impoverished childhood to worldwide fame as the stylist who reshaped the visual landscape of the sixties. As a trailblazer of modern hairdressing, his razor-sharp cuts took the fashion world by storm, replacing the stiff, lacquered up-dos of the traditional salon with hairstyles that were sleek and liberating. Alongside his lifelong friend and '60s fashion icon Mary Quant – who sported his iconic geometric bob – he truly defined the era. This memoir is rich with moving anecdotes from Sassoon’s early life, including his time at a Jewish orphanage in Maida Vale and fighting fascists in London’s East End, as well as his remarkable career. From cutting the hair of A-list celebrities, including Mia Farrow’s famous pixie cut, to launching salons across the world and founding his renowned hairdressing school, his legacy as a global household brand proves his scissors were just as instrumental to the decade's cultural revolution as the music or the art. 

Bonnie and Mansour are two dreamers who are meant to be together. Both abandoned children from opposite sides of the Black Atlantic, they meet in a New York jazz club and feel an instant connection. Together they create music they hope will change the world, fusing Senegalese songs of prayer with the wild, unbridled sound of East Coast Jazz capturing the spirit of the late 1960s. Mansour’s voice captivates the hearts of all who hear it, especially Bonnie's, whose troubled soul finds a home in his music. As they travel together across the world, from Paris to Rio de Janeiro, fame and riches seem a heartbeat away. But when Mansour suddenly vanishes, Bonnie – now pregnant and alone – sets out on a desperate hunt for the man and the music she’s lost. A lyrical, soul-stirring debut about a borderless search for belonging. 

Leo Gazzara is a solitary man drifting aimlessly through Rome in an alcoholic haze. The country’s post-war economic boom has given way to a late-1960s disillusionment that’s left many of his generation feeling deeply alienated. He flits between dead-end jobs, fleeting romances, and the geniality of his wealthy friends, living a precarious life on the margins. Then everything changes on the night of his thirtieth birthday when he meets Arianna. In a whirlwind, Fellini-esque encounter, the two spend an entire night driving through Rome in Leo’s battered Alfa Romeo, talking endlessly, drinking past dawn, and escaping to the coast before morning. But a sharp, Antonioni-style sense of reality soon sets in, and what unfolds next is a bittersweet portrait of the year Leo fell deeply in love, only to lose absolutely everything. Recently published in English for the first time, this cult classic of Italian literature captures 1960s Rome, a city of endless balmy nights and all-encompassing love.