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Touching from a Distance | 
 enlarge | Author: Deborah Curtis
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £2.47
You Save: £6.52 (73%)
New (32) Used (8) from £1.97
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 4308
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 4.7 x 0.6
ISBN: 0571239560
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42166092
EAN: 9780571239566
ASIN: 0571239560
Publication Date: October 4, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW - IMMEDIATE DISPATCH - UK DELIVERY 2-4 WORKING DAYS - 1ST CLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE - UK LTD COMPANY
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 Dissapointing September 5, 2008
Gary 78 (United Kingdom)
Very dissapointing read-in my opinion far too subjective and bitter. I got the impression that his wife, and the other band members never really understood Curtis, which I think only compounds to his tragedy. The book was far too descriptive. Alot is made about Curtis's jealousy to the point where it becomes rather repetative. Meanwhile, she skips more interesting aspects of her husbands behaviour. For example why was he fascinated with Nazism? Why did he vote Tory! When I found out that Curtis was a Tory voter I was rather amused, particualry when you hear alot of psudo-intellectual crap about Joy Divsion representing alienated, post industrial youth.
All in all this is a very poor book-Curtis is worthy of a serious, intelligent study-sadly this was not it.
Not the full story? September 1, 2008
ComicalGeeza (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
On the positive side - comprehensive discography and gig list as well as full lyrics and previously unseen lyrics and writings.
On the negative side, Deborah Curtis's story is only 139 pages long and that is not nearly enough to give the full picture of this tale.
This book is interesting only because it seems to be Deborah Curtis's attempt to portray herself as the long suffering housewife (which may or may not be true), frozen out by the band and CUrtis himself, struggling to raise their child while Curtis is having an affair with Annik Horore ('the other woman').
She touches on what seems to be bitterness towards her by Curtis in the lyrics, behaviour, coldness etc but does not go into much explanation.
Deborah Curtis points the reader in the direction of constant touring, eplilepsy medication, drugs etc as the cause for Ian Curtis's suicide. It seems to me the way that Curtis killed himself, in the kitchen, knowing she would find him, showed some really deep desire to hurt her personally.
The band and Tony Wilson are not exactly covered with glory and Rob Gretton especially comes in for some stick. Apart from understandable resentment towards her, there is little mentioned explaining why Curtis was so enamored with Annik Horore.
For me though, you read those lyrics, and you look at some of his strange behaviour and obsessions, and this book goes nowhere near explaining what was really going on in his mind, and for me, that was a big let down with this book.
 Great Book June 16, 2008
Edward James Blake
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I think this book is great piece of writing i've read it six times now. & Deborah Curtis captures everything in a heartfelt & poininot way
 Negative May 16, 2008
Garner (London)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is an interesting book and well worth a read as who should know Curtis better than his wife? Unfortunately it seems she didn't really know him very well and it's clear from the numberous band quotes that they didn't understand him either. He was a different person with different people and had his relationship quite compartmentalised, it seems.
What is also interesting is how negative she is about him. Obviosuly she is entitled to feel bitter - suicide is a horribly selfish act, especially in her home, where only she coukd be the one to find him. however, given that the book is dedicated to his daughter it seems starnge she should dwell so much on his faults: mysogeny, selfishness, even cruelty and not discuss his apparent virtues: kindness, a desire not to be a burden, a love of animals, just for example. That said she doesnt doubt his sheer ability as a lyricist.
Finally its distinctly odd to see how oblivious the band seemed to be to his deep emotional turmoil - as if the lyrics weren't enough!
definately worth a read April 7, 2008
Mr. Owen Martin (ireland)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
as usual with these kind of books, the writers are open to criticism like been too subjective, money grabbing etc. it assumes that the truth cant be told. curtis is portrayed as a big boy - jealous, imprudent but also capable of showing acts of generosity. there were also the strange unexplainable acts - like when debbie jumped out in front of him as a joke or his dancing at the engagement party. he was confident of making it in the music business. the route that got him there were good times but after that the writer was sadly isolated from the band and ian, and ian became more strange and in some ways cruel, like keeping a picture of his dog in his wallet rather than a pic of his wife and daughter. from this point on he treated his wife with disdain, up until the point of his suicide, when he had completely come apart, maybe for the first time in years been honest with himself, but not been able to face up to what he had to do. (the medical drugs and whiskey perhaps impairing his judgement) the book is interesting the whole way thru and i hardly ever put it down. one thing debbie never addressed in the book was ian's voice. was his singing voice the same as his normal voice? it would have been interesting to know her opinion on this.
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