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  • Once There Was a Way

  • What If the Beatles Stayed Together?
  • Written by: Bryce Zabel
  • Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
  • Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

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Once There Was a Way cover art

Once There Was a Way

Written by: Bryce Zabel
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
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Publisher's Summary

The next novel from author Bryce Zabel, whose debut, Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas? won the coveted Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

"We know The Beatles let it be, but what if they worked it out instead? This book gives life to every fan's fantasy. It's a great new adventure full of twists and turns that never were, but might have been." [Chris Carter, host, Breakfast with the Beatles and Chris Carter's British Invasion (Sirius/XM Radio)]

We all know the tragic story by now. After seven years as the most popular rock-and-roll group the world has ever seen, the Beatles - torn apart by personal and creative differences - called it quits in 1970, never to play together again. The fact that their contemporaries like the Rolling Stones are still playing today makes their ending even more painful.

Once There Was a Way: What if The Beatles Stayed Together? is a story of another reality, the one we wish had happened, where the Fab Four chose to work it out rather than let it be. This book is no mere fairy tale but a chronicle crafted from the people and events of our own history, shaped to create a brand-new narrative in which John, Paul, George, and Ringo find a way to stay friends and keep the band together. Imagine there was more. Lots more. It's easy if you try.

©2017 Bryce Zabel (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
Alternate History
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What the critics say

"This book is devilishly clever while never treating the subject matter with disrespect." (Steve Friedlander, VP Distribution, CBS Films)
"If you are a Beatles fan, you really need to read this. If you are not a Beatles fan, you really need to read it anyway." (Josh Kaplan, executive producer, Good Day LA)

What listeners say about Once There Was a Way

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Profile Image for Kenneth Chisholm

A fascinating and moving alternative history

As much as their end is a powerful part of their story, this book is an enthralling look at what might have happened to the Beatles under different circumstances. Using as much fact as he can, with some believable leaps of imagination, Zabel writes an alternate history that is so much fun to imagine. For instance, there is a time when Lennon has a profound crisis that will ultimately lead to a good resolution that would mean there is only one major business called Apple.

The only thing is that I was disappointed with how George's story does not have all the details it could have. For instance, it would have been cute if other Beatles mentioned how his latest song, "My Sweet Lord," sounded a lot like "He's So Fine," and he takes their warning.

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