Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow - together and apart, these two men have dominated the charts for the best part of twenty years. And it is their fractured 'bromance' that has shaped the history of one of the world's most successful bands. Based on years of in-depth research, this authoritative biography uncovers the truth about their tortured relationship. It reveals why sixteen-year-old Robbie idolised the older and more talented Gary when, as unknowns, they were put together in the newly formed Take That. We see how the stresses brought on by fame and money destroyed their fragile friendship and resulted in Robbie trying to take Gary's position as front man. We also discover how far they'd go to hurt each other during a feud that lasted fifteen years and continued to shape their solo careers. Explaining why the two men finally reconciled in 2010, and analysing how their reunion is coping with the stresses of touring once more, Robbie and Gary offers a unique insight into the lives of these much loved stars.

Robbie and Gary - It's Complicated - The Unauthorised Biography

"Ah no, waste no pity on young Kumar. Whatever he got while in the hands of the police he deserved. And waste no pity on her either. She also got what she deserved." August 1942. World War II is reaching its apex, with the conflict consuming almost all of Asia and Europe. In Southeast Asia, the Japanese have driven the British army out of Burma and are threatening India, where Britain's beleaguered forces find themselves facing an increasingly hostile Indian populace tired of decades of unfulfilled promises of freedom. On a dark monsoonal night in the town of Mayapore, amid an outbreak of anti-British rioting, a gang of Indian men rape a young British woman. Through this rape, we are introduced to a cast of characters engulfed and subsequently carried away by the storm of events. Paul Scott's The Jewel in the Crown is part historical novel, part mystery, part love story, part allegory. But to reduce it to any of these elements is to miss its irony, poignancy, and beauty. Full of complex characters and rich in atmosphere and symbolism, this is a novel that works on many different levels. The events unfold through the eyes of a varied cast of characters--both British and Indian--united by their inability to escape the straightjacket of race and social roles, no matter their class, education, or political views. This is particularly excruciating for the rape victim and the young Indian man accused of the crime. These two are drawn to each other by their alienation from the roles they are expected to play. Englishwoman Daphne Manners finds herself increasingly estranged from her countrymen, while Hari Kumar, an Indian who has lived in Britain for all but two years of his life and is so anglicized that he doesn't even speak Hindi, can't abide his native land. Their struggle with the identities and constraints that society imposes on them and the manifestations of their conflict form the core of the novel, providing the timelessness and richness that make it one of the great novels of the 20th century.

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