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Marie Lloyd: The One and Only
Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. No dust jacket the spine is slightly bumped
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 25, 2013
'Marie Lloyd: The One and Only' was acquired from a book fair on a rainy day on holiday in Norfolk. I was inquisitive about Marie Lloyd because of the era through which she lived. This is a fine example of an effective biography, in that it both informs the reader about its subject but does so in a way that really evokes the world in which she existed.
What makes Marie Lloyd an intriguing figure is that she became a successful entertainer in Victorian (Dickensian) London. Midge Gillies draws the reader into the shady world of Victorian music halls, with her image of the girl Marie travelling between halls by horse-drawn carriage in the dead of night, at the time when Jack the Ripper was at large in the streets.
To contrast this with her depiction of Marie, only in her early-fifties, yet failing in health and spirit and appearing increasingly irrelevant in the post-WWI dawning jazz era, gives a sense of the achievement of this book in charting a changing world through the personal life of one famous woman.
It's interesting that the songs that have survived from Marie Lloyd's repertoire are the very ones that emerged when she began to seem out of touch with the times: 'My Old Man Said Follow the Van' and 'A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good.' Possibly this is because their lyrics are at least comprehensible to the modern ear / eye. The thing I found most amusing in this book was the early lyrics of songs regarded as highly controversial. I really hadn't a clue what they were about - never mind how they could be deemed suggestive. They're very funny.
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in Marie Lloyd or the world of Victorian / Edwardian music hall. But I would also recommend it as a compelling biography and a generally good read.
What makes Marie Lloyd an intriguing figure is that she became a successful entertainer in Victorian (Dickensian) London. Midge Gillies draws the reader into the shady world of Victorian music halls, with her image of the girl Marie travelling between halls by horse-drawn carriage in the dead of night, at the time when Jack the Ripper was at large in the streets.
To contrast this with her depiction of Marie, only in her early-fifties, yet failing in health and spirit and appearing increasingly irrelevant in the post-WWI dawning jazz era, gives a sense of the achievement of this book in charting a changing world through the personal life of one famous woman.
It's interesting that the songs that have survived from Marie Lloyd's repertoire are the very ones that emerged when she began to seem out of touch with the times: 'My Old Man Said Follow the Van' and 'A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good.' Possibly this is because their lyrics are at least comprehensible to the modern ear / eye. The thing I found most amusing in this book was the early lyrics of songs regarded as highly controversial. I really hadn't a clue what they were about - never mind how they could be deemed suggestive. They're very funny.
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in Marie Lloyd or the world of Victorian / Edwardian music hall. But I would also recommend it as a compelling biography and a generally good read.
February 2, 2024
I obtained this book in the mistaken belief that I would find out a great deal of my family history through reading about the jockey husband who married one of Marie Lloyd's daughters. Sadly "Tubby" Aylin was not related to my Ayling. Notwithstanding the huge disappointment of not being linked to a celebrity, I was fascinated by this loveable character( Marie, not the jockey).
This is an enthralling biography but also a wonderful expose of the changing world of entertainment in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Gillies weaves several strands of social history into the chronology of Marie's life and career, with plenty of highs and lows, successes and sorrows.. And a bit of sauciness too. Who can forget the lyrics " She sits among the lettuces and peas", or "she sits among the cabbages and leeks"?
Thoroughly researched, well structured and a terrifically entertaining read of a world long gone and a real star of stage and stage.
This is an enthralling biography but also a wonderful expose of the changing world of entertainment in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Gillies weaves several strands of social history into the chronology of Marie's life and career, with plenty of highs and lows, successes and sorrows.. And a bit of sauciness too. Who can forget the lyrics " She sits among the lettuces and peas", or "she sits among the cabbages and leeks"?
Thoroughly researched, well structured and a terrifically entertaining read of a world long gone and a real star of stage and stage.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews