Great discussion! Sorry to come in so late.
I needed some time to process this book after I read it, because I was very confused. As DSL said above, Pattie doesn't really describe anything-- not anything important. Being a reading fanatic, I've done a lot of research, and Pattie's book, as far as George is concerned, did not cover (if you can call her shallow recitation of events "covering" something) one single event that wasn't already published. Maureen's affair? It's in that hideous "The Love You Make" book by Peter Brown. The Tahiti vacation? All covered by their skipper or cook. Etc. etc. In fact, so many of Pattie's stories so closely resemble their printed precursors, it's as if she looked over her file of press clippings and wrote her life story based on that, not her actual memories.
I could blame drugs on this total failure of memory, but I have a theory I prefer. Pattie is still friends with many of the rock people in her book. I can imagine her saying to them, "I'm not really writing a tell-all. I'm just collecting already published facts about my life and republishing them so I can get some money from it. I won't betray any secrets." So she writes a book trying to keep faith with her buddies, so she can pretend she adhered to her reputation as the Beatle wife who never "told" (although Jane Asher has that spot sewn up nicely-- and she's a class act to boot). By trying to keep faith with her "in" crowd, Pattie wrote this shallow, unsatisfying, and lopsided story that is bereft of all heart. The only parts that sound genuine are the parts of her childhood pre-George, and how she belatedly realized at age 50 that life wasn't one huge party. Neither of these are particularly gripping subjects. She attempted to write a book that revealed nothing-- no wonder we're all puzzled or bothered by it.
She also doesn't tell the full story. She says how she "knew" that George was cheating with Krissie Wood under her own roof-- ah, the betrayal! The heartbreak! She doesn't tell us why she thinks this, only that she "knows". Ronnie Wood was not so cagey in his autobiography. He wrote that he and George decided to swap wives for the evening. Everyone was doing it, so that's what they decided to do. Ronnie writes it like a dare. There they are in the hall, hands on doorknobs of the rooms containing the other man's wife. "I'll see you in court," says George, and goes in. So how Pattie "knew" that George was cheating on her was because she spent the night with Ronnie. Notice, she did not go into the other room to confront George about his behavior. She slept with Ronnie-- a tiny detail she omits in her own retelling.
For my part, I think I'm closest to Jane in my thinking. Pattie was and is charming-- some people have posted clips of her recently at book signings and talks, and she's witty and sweet. There's a charisma there. Personally I think she used it to draw in George because he could boost her career-- something she acted shocked to discover. "I never asked for this!" Please. I think she was fond of him in her way, but she was always looking out for #1. She didn't leave him until it was obvious that Eric would take her. Why get rid of your meal ticket until you have a new one? 1974 was a sh*t year for George. His Bangladesh buzz had dissipated and he put out the 2 weakest albums of his career. Eric's star was riding high. It was time to switch teams to the winning horse-- someone who, although an alcoholic, was more popular at the time and would fulfill her desire to be "seen". He also knew how to "party"-- this being high on Pattie's list until her 50th year, as she stated herself. Boring old George was just trying to pull his life together. Who wants to stick around for that?
Of course I don't really know Pattie, and her ridiculously inadequate biography didn't help me to know her any better. Based on what crumbs she does throw me, and putting it together with additional articles and biographies published at the time, I think she was basically a self-centered person who was clever enough to use her looks to her material advantage. I do not believe George was her soulmate, although I can see how she might look fondly back on that period of her life. Clearly she was unhappy with grown-up non-party George. George had a knack of staying friends with most people, and I believe they did become friendly again after the pain of divorce had cooled. But Liv wins the George soulmate award hands-down in my book. I also like that George fell in love with her over the phone. They had long conversations before they ever met. Perhaps after his bitter experience with Pattie-- that a pretty girl might turn out to be someone that, for whatever reason, you can't make it work with-- he opted for a woman who understood him first. It was just his good luck that she turned out to be so pretty.
Sorry for the long post. I never did follow up on this, and I meant to. Debate is welcome! Cheers.