Voice of an Angel : My Life (So Far) [Hardcover]

Charlotte Church (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

How did a schoolgirl from Wales become an international sensation? And how can she possibly cope with staggering, worldwide fame? In this fascinating account, the young singer shares her amazing true story. From humble beginnings in Wales singing on local radio to singing for Prince Charles, President Clinton, and the Pope, to her quick rise to the top of the music charts, Charlotte Churchs unique story is an inspiring tale of a phenomenal young talent and will touch the hearts of millions of music lovers worldwide. Charlotte Churchs first album, Voice of an Angel, reached #1 on Britains classical music chart, #10 on its pop music chart, went to #28 on North American music charts, and went double platinum in five weeks. Her second album sold 2.5 million copies. She was the youngest artist ever to appear on the Billboard 100. Sony Classical has signed Church to a five-album deal, signifying their strong commitment to the long-term success of the young singer. Charlotte Church has been featured in numerous publications, including People, Newsweek, USA Today, Billboard, and the Washington Post. She has appeared on Dateline, The Rosie ODonnell Show, Good Morning America, the Today show, the Tonight show, the 1999 MTV Music Awards, and Touched by an Angel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Church is an international sensation whose first album went double platinum and topped the British classical music charts. She's also a normal teenager who still goes to school and stays up all night gossiping and eating candy when her three best friends sleep over. In Voice of an Angel: My Life So Far, she provides these and other glimpses of her everyday life and recounts her humble childhood in Wales (her father is a former factory laborer), as well as her thrilling rise to stardom and brushes with famous people throughout the world. Raised Catholic, she describes meeting the pope in reverential terms, but she has also met Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and the Queen of England. Her fans will welcome this surprisingly sincere and down-to-earth autobiography.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Despite some flaws in this purportedly autobiographical rendering of the 15-year-old's family life and performance career to date, this book should enjoy a wide audience. Teens may find sufficient intrigue in the anecdotes, in Church's likes and dislikes, as well as in her thumbnail impressions of contemporary entertainers and international dignitaries to overcome the heavy sense of editorial handling that imbues the text. Readers are first introduced to the singer's childhood in Wales and to the texture of her family relationships, along with comments on each relative's influence upon her rapidly developing career. Selected photographs convey a further sense both of her family circle and of the youthful age at which she signed a contract with Sony Music to become a talent with global visibility. Many girls will relate to the mayhem surrounding the "wardrobe crisis incident." And any student who has taken music lessons, vocal or instrumental, will enjoy the passages about Lulu, Church's voice coach, whose no-nonsense approach to training is depicted as combining discipline with liberal doses of humor and affection. To enrich an appreciation of the story, encourage readers to play a recording of the 1998 double platinum album Voice of an Angel while reading this book.

Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446527106
• ISBN-13: 978-0446527101
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,768,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Shameful Composition, January 28, 2002

By 

Mike Logan (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voice of an Angel : My Life (So Far) (Hardcover)

As a one-time Charlotte Church fan, I was expecting to learn something I didn't know about Charlotte, from this reading experience. However, instead of any career revelations, I was only given an insight into the dark side of her personality. To begin with, at 15, there hasn't been enough of a life experience to justify an autobiography. That's why no one else has ever attempted that at the age of 15. However, to the extent that she has had experiences, this book only serves to summarize that which has already been revealed in her TV interviews, website trivia, and CD liner notes. She attempts to embellish upon that with facts and anecdotes about people in her life. However these people appear no more remarkable than those of you who are reading this review. Charlotte attempts to try and convince us that because these relationships were hers, that they are more
special than the rest of us would enjoy. In fact,I found her entire approach to this work surrounded with an aura of conceit; a trait not unnoticed by the London Times which credited her with "the most lethal ego since Descartes".

However, with what has been speculated to have been an attempt by Charlotte to spice up an otherwise dull bio, possibly required by the publisher, she reaches an all-time low in autobios when she reveals info early on about her parents, which otherwise should have been left alone. These items include 1) inferences that her mother was promiscuous, 2) doubts regarding the virtues of her own origin, 3) the fact that her father had to be dragged out of a pub by her aunt across the street to complete the wedding ceremony with her mother 4) demeaning statements about her father's ability as a Rugby player, when in fact he was actually National Class. These were items that no one needed to know and should have been left within the family.

Another book agenda item appears at the very end of the book where she discusses her experiences on the Heroes For The Planet Show. Its noteworthy that her Voice of an Angel Concert which really launched her career here in the U.S. via PBS is barely touched upon in the book, while she takes 4 pages in an attempt to glorify the HFTP Show. The promotion for the HFTP Show was in fact so controversial (some referred to it as fraudulent) that it sent her CD sales into a tailspin from which they have never fully recovered.

People Magazine rated this book as one of the worst for 2001 in its year-ending issue, and I would concur wholeheartedly with that opinion.

In conclusion, the only people to whom I would recommend purchasing this book are A) Those contemplating an unauthorized bio of Charlotte, 2) Disciples of Descartes, & 3) The incorrigibly curious, who cannot otherwise locate a copy at their local library. My recommendation to the above is to take advantage of the $6.99 used book price here. Distribution has ceased at retail outlets and a used book reads just as good as a new one.

84 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hmmm.... interesting..., July 17, 2001

By 

The Surreal Deal (Nowheresville, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voice of an Angel : My Life (So Far) (Hardcover)

Well, I can say that this book did nothing for me. I'm sorry to be harsh, but the tone was whiney, and implied "See? I'm better than all of you but I still like sleepovers!" In short, after reading this book, I kicked over a crate of them at a [local] bookstore...

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Middle School Medioctity, January 30, 2002

By 

Dixie Chrystal (Mobile, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voice of an Angel : My Life (So Far) (Hardcover)

The best way to describe Charlotte Church's Autobiography is a diary by a school-girl. There is nothing spectacular about this work and if graded by a teacher in school as a composition, in an English class, would probably get a "C". This work just seems to ramble on about anything and everything that ever came into this girls life. She talks about a lot of people including relatives and those who have been involved with her musically or in support of her music. She attempts to grab the readers interest by shamelessly exposing certain, otherwise private, moments in her parents life, and then attempting to make jest of everything. There have obviously been some negative experiences in her life like her change in management, but she just jumps over that leaving the reader wondering when her "Unauthorized Biography" will be coming out. She seems extremely confident in her discussion of just about everything; a confidence which appears to be tantamount to conceit. The major question with which I am still perplexed is why would a girl of 15 be writing an Autobiography? It is doubtful that this book will sell many copies for the simple reason that it doesn't tell anyone anything they probably 1) don't already know or 2) need to know.

It will interesting to see if, in 10 years, Miss Church has improved her writing ability and is willing to share ALL of her experiences, good or bad. That is assuming that in 10 years, anyone still wants to know.