Hayley Westenra [Hardcover]

Darren Henley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2007

Hayley's first performance as 'Little Star' in a Christmas play was perfectly pitched, beautifully sung and enthusiastically received. She was six years old. Now, at the tender age of twenty, she is the fastest-selling debut classical artist ever. Her string of musical accolades is astonishing and her audiences range from royalty to premiers. This is her story, from her first performance, through later roles in major productions such as "Annie", "La Boheme" and "The Sound of Music", her decision at the age of eleven to busk for her lunch money, and the subsequent record deals, money, charity work and classical superstardom.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Darren Henley is the Station Manager of Classic FM and writes regularly for the Classic FM Magazine. He is the co-author of the three titles in the best-selling Classic FM Pocket Book series, as well as Aled Jones: The Autobiography and G4: The Official Book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Hardbacks (October 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905264208
• ISBN-13: 978-1905264209
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing autobiography from a young artist, January 3, 2008

By 

Andrew D. White (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hayley Westenra (Hardcover)

This autobiography covers the life of Hayley Westenra a young soprano from New Zealand. At the age of 16 she released her first international album, Pure. This book covers some of the more private parts of her life discussing her life growing up and her candid views of the world. The beginning of the book covers her life as a child where she constantly worked towards a career in singing. It then goes on telling the story of how she was discovered by Universal New Zealand to produce her first album, Hayley Westenra. The book covers her experiences of album production up to Celtic Treasure. One of the chapters of the book covers her trip to Ghana in which she realized the plight of the people there and promotes her bikes for young girls in Ghana project for UNICEF. Additionally the book covers her experiences with live performances including her performance for the Queen. Lastly the book covers her experiences with the mucis industry and is an interesting perspective of the industry.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A road well-travelled, a job well done., March 3, 2008

By 

AD "AD" (Lakewood, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hayley Westenra (Hardcover)

I am a Hayley fan; however, I did read the book objectively and critically. I put my status and emotions as a fan aside in this review. Overall I do believe the book is quite good. It is written well with good punctuation and syntax. In the beginning it leaves the reader as an outsider and about a quarter of the way through starts to pull the reader in and makes him feel a part of the action. Toward the end, the reader starts to become an outsider again, but only off and on. There are many times that you do not want to put the book down and eagerly await the next item with good anticipation. This is after you get drawn into the book. I am really glad the book does not get "braggy" or egotistical. It is pretty straightforward laced with enthusiasm, honest happiness, honesty and encouragement. The book does stay on course and target throughout. It is also interesting and presents situations and things that one would never suspect. One can think of it as a roadmap, not necessarily to stardom, but to help one visualize how another has made her way through an ever increasingly complicated "real world" and her help along the way and why personal networking is so important for everyone involved including parents, friends and supporters.

I would really like to think that Hayley completely wrote the book, but she did have a partner in Darren Henley and I don't know how much or what part he played in the effort. I think all writers have such a partner though. The book does sound a lot like Hayley and displays her focus, determination and smoothness in the author's style and choice of words.

I think anybody who reads this book will enjoy it and even find inspiration. I recommend it heavily for expectant parents and parents with young children. It will actually help them see what can be in the lives of their children and give such parents the encouragement and example to help their children develop and be successful in whatever endeavor is their calling. I also recommend it for Hayley fans for it gives an insightful glimpse into who she is, her development and what she has had to go through in her progress to stardom. She is no longer "little ole Hayley from Christchurch" though.

I do give this book a 5-star A+ rating even from the standpoint of a stranger.

On the negative side, I was introduced to Hayley through Celtic Woman and would like to have heard more about her life there, her interactions and why she left. That latter may have been answered in many clips throughout her book however?

I could actually see this book turning into an inspirational movie that only Hallmark or Disney could put together. That's a challenge for some screen writers recently returning from strike. I can actually see a "Hannah, Miley - Hayley" connection here. Kenny Ortega, if you are reading this, please take note.

Art D.