The Life of Edith Piaf
Carolyn Burke, Bloomsbury UK ($25)
It seems like it’s harder than ever to separate the legends that have been cultivated around the life of Edith Piaf. Alcholic parents, brothels, pimps, gangsters and more than a little luck on the road to stardom have greatly mythologised the French singer. Carolyn Burke expertly shapes this biography of Piaf while maintaining the singer’s aura of intrigue.
Especially fascinating was the post-war trial in which Piaf had to prove she was a loyal Frenchwomen and not a collaborator.
Colin Morris (Unity Wellington)
