The Wheel of Fortune: The Official Autobiography (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
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Product Description

Lively and easy to read...stamped with her very individual personality"" -Times Literary Supplement. Interest in the great French singer's life is again high. From her birth to her death, her life story was a rags-to-riches tale like no other. At various times chief suspect for a murder of her mentor, an alcoholic, and a drug addict, she still embodied the sprit of Paris and the love of her fans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Peter Owen Ltd (February 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0720612284
• ISBN-13: 978-0720612288
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not all that great!!!!!, October 9, 2007

By	Sara Gutierrez "Sara Gutierrez" (Woodside Queens NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

NOT all that great!
I'm glad that I bought it, because I have loved the way, Piaf sang for a very long time...but, since she pressumably wrote this book herself, she tells things her way, & NOT all that much!
SO, I would be interested in a Biogrphy written by somebody else, who really did the research, & told me everything there is to know about Piaf!
I feel like I have found out, very little!
Sara Gutierrez

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Piaf's own version of her life, October 12, 2008

By	Kit van Cleave (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Piaf understandably didn't want to rehash her horrific childhood and early life in this (and another) autobiography. Any international star would want to put the best gloss possible on abandonment by one's parents (both alcoholics), poverty, bad associates (pimps, thieves, and drug dealers), a flirt with a murder (Louis Laplee's), and her years as a child in a brothel (owned by her grandmother). But the reader does get a flavor of her own words and oeuvre. The best Piaf biography at present is David Bret's, detailed and highly readable.