No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf

By Carolyn Burke

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A FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY OF SINGING LEGEND EDITH PIAF
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'This engaging life of the diminutive French singer makes you appreciate anew what a magician she was' - Sunday Times

'Fascinating ... Burke vividly depicts the rollercoaster of Piaf's life' - Mail on Sunday

'Concise and compelling ... poised, persuasive and powerful - like the sparrow herself' - Daily Telegraph

'A clear-eyed portrait of an unflinching artist' - New Statesman
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Edith Piaf was one of the most greatly loved singers of the twentieth century. From the start of her exceptional career in the 1930s, her waif-like form and heart-wrenching voice endeared her first to the French, then to audiences around the globe.

As she moved from her youth singing in the streets to the glamour of the Paris music-halls, Piaf formed lasting friendships with such figures as Maurice Chevalier, Jean Cocteau and Marlene Dietrich; she wrote many of her own songs, aided the Resistance in the Second World War, and mentored younger singers like Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour. Yet her path to stardom was full of tragedies - the death of her daughter in infancy; the death of Marcel Cerdan, her greatest love, in a plane crash; her many illnesses, affairs and addictions, all of which nourished her passionate performances and strengthened her enduring bond with audiences.

In this mesmerising, definitive new biography Carolyn Burke gives us Piaf in her own time and place, illuminating through sympathetic readings of sources hitherto unavailable both the charm and the pathos of the 'Little Sparrow' who enchanted generations and still enthralls us today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Apr 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781408822982

Carolyn Burke

Carolyn Burke was born in Australia. The author of Becoming Modern, The Life of Mina Loy, and Lee Miller, she lives in Santa Cruz, California and spends as much time as she can in Paris.

Reviews for No Regrets

[zelmerwilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was only recently that I discovered Edith Piaf and her songs. After listening to both Non, je ne regrette rien and La Vie en rose, I was hooked. I have since then bought a two CD collection of her songs, a picture, the movie based on her life, and this biography.

I enjoyed this book. I knew some of her life story, but I had no idea how passionate she was about singing and love. Though she didn't find any long lasting happiness with any man, her fans were always there for her.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of this extraordinary woman and anyone else who wants to know why Edith Piaf is considered one of the best singers of the 2oth century and understand why she is still fondly remembered in both her home country, France, and the rest of the world.

[sageness · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

glbt tag for her having quite a lot of queer friends and coworkers.

disability tag for her massive chronic debilitating ailments.

I love that this was as well-researched as it could possibly have been, given the subject matter. I think I just wish there were more to the story. The last quarter of the book dissolves into a litany of Edith's illnesses, addictions, and incessant touring and convalescence, while the best and most interesting parts are everything from her harrowing childhood through her Resistance work in defiance of the Nazis. I wish there had been more of the Resistance work especially.

[greglief · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is hard to judge a book of this nature solely upon the quality of writing. While the writing might not be extraordinary, I am rating the book above-average based upon the enormous time and effort that Carolyn Burke put into researching the material.