A new book by Cynthia Lennon describes her ex-husband, John -- the former Beatle and peace activist -- as a jealous, tormented and violent spouse.
Cynthia, 65, claims Lennon bashed her across the face into a wall for dancing with Stuart Sutcliffe, a founder member of the Beatles, while she was dating Lennon at Liverpool Art College in the late 1950s, the Scotsman reported Sunday.
"Without a word, he walked away, leaving me dazed, shaky and with a sore head," she wrote in her book, "John," which comes out later this month.
"I discovered that John's temper could be frightening. He wanted proof, daily, that he mattered most to me," she wrote. "All sense of reason disappeared and his tantrums were awesome: he would batter away at me verbally until I gave in."
She blames most of Lennon's problems on his aunt Mimi, who raised him as a youth. The aunt was a cold, controlling woman who raised John "in a cold, austere home with little affection or comfort," she wrote.
Musician Julian Lennon, the product of Cynthia and John's seven-year-marriage, has endorsed his mother's book, which he says gives a "long overdue" balanced picture of his father.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
