"Taylor Swift: Era by Era" by Caroline Sullivan is a comprehensive and engaging exploration of Taylor Swift’s remarkable journey through the music industry, capturing the evolution of her career and artistic identity across different eras. Sullivan, known for her expertise in music journalism, provides readers with an insightful look into the various stages of Swift's career, from her country roots to her reign as a global pop icon.

The book likely delves into each of Taylor Swift’s albums and the distinct phases they represent in her life and career. From the heartfelt storytelling of her early country music days to the bold, genre-defying sounds of her later albums, "Era by Era" examines how Swift has continuously reinvented herself while maintaining a strong connection with her fans. Sullivan's writing is likely both informative and analytical, offering behind-the-scenes insights, cultural context, and reflections on the themes and inspirations that have shaped Swift's music.

In addition to discussing Swift’s musical evolution, the book might explore her impact on the music industry, her role as a songwriter and storyteller, and her influence on pop culture. It could also touch on her public persona, relationships, and the way she has navigated the challenges of fame.

"Taylor Swift: Era by Era" is perfect for Swifties and music enthusiasts who are interested in understanding the artistry and business acumen behind one of the most successful musicians of our time. Caroline Sullivan has likely crafted a tribute to Taylor Swift’s enduring legacy, making it a must-read for anyone who wants to delve deeper into the career of a pop phenomenon who has captivated audiences around the world for over a decade.

I did not finish this book, which is unlike me. The reason being that the book although structured roughly with Taylor Swift's rise to fame, was so disjointed it was like reading a Buzzfeed article of "facts you might not know about Taylor Swift". There was no one narrative voice walking us through Swift's journey to fame, nor really any sense of perspective of a narrator. It was a collection of facts, not a biography, and I found it to be really disappointing.

I wish I could rate this higher because I truly adore Taylor Swift. However, While this book is clearly well researched and informative I felt it was slightly unfocused. The chapters are titled as the separate eras but internally they jump about a lot which can make the time line quite confusing. That’s coming from a massive swiftie who knows most of the lore already. I also found some details to be quite random like the excessive information about the origin stories of various record labels and Travis Kelce’s football career.

In saying that, there was a lot of interesting information in here and gives a great overview of Swift’s career and her transition through genres. I would have enjoyed more coverage of the Reputation era and the Taylor’s Version projects as for me they are the most interesting and mysterious aspects of her career. In saying that, I was fascinated by the insight into her early life and songwriting.

If you’re at all interested in Taylor Swift I think this is worth a read but there was just something a bit off about it for me.

Huge thank you to Michael O’Mara for accepting my NetGalley request to read this book.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

I got a lot of enjoyment from reading about the first few Eras focused on in this biography, as I didn’t know too much about Taylor Swift’s career pre-Big Machine.
Unfortunately, it feels like the wrong time to release this book. I can imagine it must have been to capitalise on the Eras tour finally making its way to UK shores, but recent release ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ feels like an afterthought (while it’s still currently at no. 1 in the UK and has been there for seven weeks, making a new personal best for her).
It may have been better to release this towards the start of next year to fill the void created by the Eras tour ending, and so that the impact of TTPD could have been explored a little more, including its appearance in what is now being branded the Eras II Tour.

Taylor Swift: Era by Era by Caroline Sullivan..........was Hmmmmmm just a long magazine article that just went on and on! If you want photo's of Taylor Swift you will have to go to the back of your kindle or book to find them, Which I found just a tad annoying as they need to be within the chapters, just to break this Long book up. It maybe 272 pages but it just went on and on with no photos etc.

But, Taylor Swift is one of the most accomplished musical artists of her time and her albums have always been a hit and she has millions +++ fans and I can see why.......But its a shame this book did nothing for her.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for my ARC.

I love Taylor Swift and this was the perfect guide! Full of gorgeous pics and informations! It's the perfect gift for a swiftie!!

I'm a die-hard fan of Taylor Swift. It was a for sure have to read when I saw this book. I really enjoyed this book and learned lots of new and interesting facts about Taylor. This is not the type of book that I normally read but I really liked it.

I enjoyed this book. We have a lot of Taylor fans at school and I think reading some non-fiction like this would promote their enjoyment in reading.
It was very detailed and full of interesting facts.

I loved this, it really went into depth and I found out so many new facts about Taylor, really informative and fun read for a fan,

Caroline Sullivan goes thoughtfully from album to album sharing juicy tidbits about Taylor’s life and insights into her writing process, including some background into who she wrote & produced each album with and why. She also covers the relationships of Taylor Swift along the way. This book is definitely worth a read for a Taylor Swift fan.

I'm a die-hard fan of Taylor Swift so it's safe to say that when I saw this book, I wanted to read it. Mostly for the fun of it, but also because I was curious. The book takes us from Taylor's debut album, Taylor Swift, to her current tour, the Eras Tour; she shows her evolution as an artist and some insides of her personal life, such as her relationships. I have to note though that there isn't a big focus on her relationships: no, this book is about her careers, her highs and her lows, and some insights some people might not have (the history behind the friendship bracelets).

All in all, this is a great book and I enjoyed reading it.

Tasked with writing an unauthorised biography of Taylor Swift, what does one do? Align with the fans and emphasize Swift’s glittering career? Dig into the darker side of Swift, the occasional flashes of vengefulness, the troubled relationships? Or present a matter of fact account of the life as we know it from outside?

Caroline Sullivan goes mostly for the last of these, though the book is peppered with nods to the fan view. The problem she has is that much of Swift’s life is well hidden, rightly so as she is entitled to a private life insofar as that is possible for such a high-flying celebrity. There will be better biographies in future, or who knows, perhaps an autobiography. The voice of Swift herself is much missed here – though the upside is that Sullivan can write with independence, though in reality there is nothing here that one could imagine the subject objecting to.

I enjoyed the read and the bio is more substantial that I had feared. At the same time, having completed it, I find myself full of unanswered questions. What really drives Swift and her amazing work ethic and artistic output? What is it about the music that makes it so popular; Sullivan makes the point that many relate to Swift's tales of relationship ups and downs, but for sure there is more to it than that. Key songs are described but I would have liked deeper insight into the songs..

While Sullivan was presumably denied the ability to interview Swift herself, she could have done more in talking to those who are available, fans, musicians, concert organizers and more. One gets the impression that this is a book put together quickly and with too much passive research, rather than approaching people with questions.

Although the title says "Era by Era" the book jumps around a fair bit which I found distracting. In other words, one is reading about the early life and suddenly there is a section about something much later. I would have preferred a more strictly chronological approach.

Fine though if one does not expect too much; and perhaps the photos are wonderful; I reviewed this on a Kindle and have not seen them.

Author and music journalist Caroline Sullivan’s “Taylor Era by Era: the Unauthorized Biography” celebrates the incredible career of Taylor Swift.

Sullivan took me from Swift’s debut 2006 album to her groundbreaking Eras Tour and showed her evolution as an artist, her relationships, and some background/influences of her music.

How did Taylor Alison Swift, born on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, go from obscurity to a worldwide phenomenon?

The author claims it’s because:
💜she’s human
💜she’s relatable
💜of her passion for friendship
💜of her ability to turn her situations into songs
💜of her ambition
💜of her enthusiasm for writing
💜of her kinship with fans

Things that surprised me:
✔️her original career focus wasn’t music-related
✔️how young she was when she shopped for a music deal
✔️how young she was when she wrote her first song
✔️her love of hidden messages

Things I hoped to learn (and I did!):
✔️History of her friendship bracelets
✔️the biggest musical influence in her life - hint: when she was 7 years old
✔️Ambercrombie #moreboyfriendsthants, Apple Music/Spotify court cases
✔️the success of the Eras tour
✔️the disappointments (Ticketmaster/high prices/cancellations) of the Eras tour

Yes, you’ll get a few sentences on dishy stuff about Kanye, Katy Perry and her ex-boyfriends. But, if you want a gossipy story, this isn’t it. Thankfully. You won’t get the lowdown on Kelce or her parents’ relationship. This is about Swift’s career. You also won’t get the photographic section on the ebook. If this is important to you, choose another format.

In short: I got more than I bargained for and considered it a worthwhile read.

I highlighted her advice:
✔️Know what things to keep and what things to release #catchandrelease
✔️Learn to live alongside ‘cringe’.
✔️Never be ashamed of trying
✔️Don’t hide your enthusiasm

I was gifted this copy by Michael O’Mara Limited and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A carefully-researched overview of Taylor Swift’s life and career trajectory from her earliest attempts at songwriting through the Nashville years up to the release of The Tortured Poets Department. It’s fairly convincing as a primer for newbie Swifties and a reasonable reminder of career highs and lows for veteran fans - although now and then I found Sullivan’s timeline a bit bewildering. Sullivan’s survey’s lucid and she’s particularly adept at charting many of Swift’s savvy business decisions – the rerecording of her first albums in order to reclaim rights to her work.

However, not uncommon with this kind of commercial biography, Sullivan’s focus is more on facts than analysis which renders this a little dense and breathless at times. It really just scratches the surface when it comes to broader socio-cultural issues: how Swift’s wider relationship with her fans operates; the role of gender both in her music and its reception; the perils and pitfalls of fame – Swift’s New York apartment boasts an entire wing to house her security team; her travel essentials include army grade wound dressings. Developments undoubtedly linked to Swift’s phenomenal success and the visibility that’s accompanied that, but equally suggestive of the fallout from Swift’s decision to openly distance herself from large swathes of her original fan base.

It’s this aspect of Swift’s experiences that could stand further attention here, particularly the array of false/competing narratives she’s been subjected to. Narratives that are very telling when it comes to the deep, near-surreal, rifts within contemporary American society. Swift was once the darling of the alt-right who labelled her the quintessential ‘white’ American sweetheart, a stereotypically demure, clean-cut blonde. In recent years Swift’s made it clear it’s a title she has no wish to claim. Instead, she’s been increasingly vocal about her actual politics: coming out against racism in all its forms; decrying the erosion of women’s rights; and openly supportive of queer communities via tracks like “You Need to Calm Down.” A move that’s been so effective, Swift’s now a prime target for right-wing conspiracy theorists – QAnon’s followers genuinely seem to believe she’s a weapon devised by a clandestine government psyops project. But although this isn’t the Swift biography I’m craving, I still found it worthwhile, especially the details of her musical collaborations, and interactions with the wider music industry – it also features a decent selection of illustrations which add to its likely appeal as a gift for many Swift fans.

A detailed, well researched book about TS throughout her whole career. It's a celebratory account of her success and determination whilst exploring the criticism from press, record labels and fans. Sullivan narrates plenty of research surrounding the press interviews, upbringing and gan dedication. The book was well structured throughout the eras, bits very current too. She's very much become a swiftologist outlining the pop-culture, economic and fandom revelations that surrounds TS's career. Any fan would love this book even if they didn't already know most of the events covered.

Thank you for the ARC. A review will be found on my substack come June 6th.

I really enjoyed this book and learned lots of new and interesting facts about Taylor.
I liked the way the chapters were set out as it was easy to find information depending on the era.
A definite must read for Taylor fans and something I will be buying for my Taylor obsessed daughters.
Thanks to NetGalley. Caroline Sullivan and Michael O’Mara Limited for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

So why did I want to read this book. A total change from my usual crime thrillers.
Ell I wanted to read it as I have a teenage swiftie.
Totally mad on TS, she lives and breaths Ts.
The music wasn’t really of interest to me but I listened each time she’d saved to buy another CD or vinyl. Slowly I began to enjoy it. So obviously when the Eras tour came out at the cinema, I had to endure over 3 hours of sitting watching it. I realised then just how talented and clever TS really is.
Which is pretty much why I ended up reading this book and reading it in a very short time.
It was great finding out many things I did t know and the journey of how Taylor got to where she is.
This book will be perfect for any TS fan and with a fan base as huge as hers I think think this book will be very well received.

Perfect guide for Swifties on TS and her many different eras over the years. Full of gorgeous photos and packed with info this is the perfect gift for Taylor fans.