Find Me a New Way to Die: Édith Piaf's Untold Story

by David Bret

Published to mark the centenary of Edith Piaf's birth, this biography contains new and shocking revelations about Piaf, drawn from exclusive interviews with those who knew her best—friends, lovers, colleagues, and songwriters. This new book will mean a significant revision to the Piaf myth.

Genres: Nonfiction

200 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

David Bret is a French-born British author of showbiz biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.

Reviews

[Dem · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars


"Find Me A New Way To Die " The Untold Story
was an interesting read l/listen about the life of the renowned Singer Edith Piaf. I really loved the title of this book as Edith Piaf thoughout her singing career was constantly asking her songwritters to find her new ways to die not for herself but for the characters in her songs.

I was only familiar with a couple of Edith Piaf songs but the couple I knew I really enjoyed listening to her voice and can see why she became so famous. I read this book because I knew absolutly nothing about Piaf's life or how she found fame.

While I did find the book interesting and I did learn a lot about her songs, their meaning (some which were very crude) and the numerous love affairs , I dont think I really got to know Edith Piaf as a person at all and perhaps this not the fault of the author but that Piaf perferred to remain a mystery.

I will be interested to see how fans and lover's of Piaf enjoy this "Untold Stroy" but for me it fell sort of flat and I got a little bored of all the love affairs and numerous names mentioned throughout the book.

I listened to this book and perhaps reading it would enhance the experience as the book contains photos.

An interesting book but not one for my favourite shelf.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book confirms pretty much what I have read and heard before, but what is interesting is that the author has interviewed those who knew her. I am speaking of Édith Piaf / Édith Giovanna Gassion – the famed French cabaret singer, songwriter and actress. The chapter titles are the names of people (for example friends, songwriters, lovers and husbands) who knew her. They contain numerous quotes about her. Often these quotes are in the first person. At times this is confusing because one is unsure who exactly is speaking. Most often it is the person of the chapter's title, but not always. Basically the book moves forward chronologically, yet not always since what people say about her and those she worked with do sometimes refer to other time periods in her life. Through the many quotes you hear different views about her and the people in her life.

Her life was tragic. Not merely her childhood but all the years of her short life. She was born in 1915 and died in 1963 at the age of 47, mortally sick and destroyed after a life including prostitution, drugs alcohol and illness. Two children, both of whom died in infancy. Other sources point only to one. Two husbands (Jacques Pils/René Ducos and Théo Sarapo/Theophanis Lamboukas), but many, many lovers. Despite the hardship and tragedy of her life, she gave us her singing. And what singing it was. Her songs are beautiful. How the songs came to be, when recordings were made, details of her performances and the long string of lovers are delineated. The majority of the book focuses on her life after childhood. If a life of drink, drugs, abuse and lovers is going to upset you, then this book is not for you, but what is written about here was Édith Piaf’s reality.

I do think this book describes Piaf’s life well, yet one must keep in mind that her story has been mixed with gossip and untruths. We cannot always trust what has been written. We are not delivered her thoughts; these she has kept to herself. We can only guess what was going on in her head. I can think of no other way to get close to her other than interviewing her friends and collaborators. Yet for all of these reasons the book cannot be classified as a conclusive biography.

As we follow her life and as the songs come to be written and performed, a stanza or two of them are read, first in French and then in English. They are not sung, even here in the audiobook, but in French they read as pure poetry. It helps to know these songs. I learned them when I studied French and so on hearing the stanzas the texts flooded back to me. In my head I heard them sung by Piaf. I believe knowing the music and the lines of the songs before reading the book will add to one's appreciation. The French lines are beautiful, but while the English lines are accurately translated, they lack the beauty of the original French.

The audiobook is narrated by actor Daniel Pirrie and he IS clearly fluent in French. He reads the songs beautifully and pauses just as he should. Perfect tempo. You simply must have a good French speaker narrating this book and Pirrie fills the roll well.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although 90% of the sources quoted in David Bret's memoir of Edith Piaf are all completely unknown to me, as are the locations in Paris where most of the scenes in her life and career were set, I devoured this book. Even though this artist and her times were foreign to my tastes, such is the compelling and controversial details of this life story, that I greatly appreciated the read.
Hardly understanding a word of French, my recently bought cd will now mean more to me.

[Aaron James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bret breathes new life into the tales and myths which surround this legend. The new material he brings illuminating the star even further.