The Wheel of Fortune: The Autobiography of Edith Piaf
Literally plucked off the streets of Paris at 19, only to evolve into a soulful songbird and actress, the passionate Piaf unquestionably led a dramatic life. However, the "girl sparrow," as mentor Louis Leplee renamed her, only hints at the strife and controversy that plagued her career and family in this vividly told but heavily veiled memoir. Originally written in 1958, five years before her death, Piaf's episodic recollections thoughtfully trace her rise from a minor street performer who scammed passersby with her acrobat father to an artistic icon who conquered both sides of the Atlantic with self-penned hits like "La Vie En Rose." Unfortunately, the singer's stories also unravel in a distractedly haphazard fashion, jumping around in time and topic; as Piaf herself notes, "I make no apologies for lack of chronology in my reminiscences, as one incident recalls another, so I put it down." A less than fluid translation by Rootes and Virton, with their superfluous descriptions (a meeting is described as "a sudden blow to the solar plexus"), clouds the recollections as well. Choosing her words carefully, the emotionally reticent author also omits key facts about her personal life, practically dismissing the death of her illegitimate daughter, Marcelle, with an offhanded note and reducing substantial (but impermanent) loves of her life to "unhappy experiences." But what La Mome Piaf's memoirs lack in flow and detail, they makes up for in style and voice. Whether sassing her detractors or paying tribute to her cherished friends, be it the composer Marguerite Mannot or the actress Marlene Dietrich, the quintessential French songbird conveys a vivacity of spirit and an infectious appreciation for her art. 16 pages of b&w; photos.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.