Carolyn Burke brings the Little Sparrow to life in ‘No Regrets’

Carolyn Burke’s new biography of the famous French chanteuse, Edith Piaf, is a labor of strict love. She is less interested in the myth of the “Little Sparrow,” and much more fascinated by the cold-hard facts of the singer’s life. In describing Piaf’s rise to fame, she clings to substantive evidence, dismissing many of the cinematic and written portraits that have entered the public image. In doing so, she weaves a fine tapestry with beautiful stories and a nice command of vocabulary. Piaf is not a superhero in Burke’s hands. She is a dedicated singer who worked for every bit of success that she achieved.

However, No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf is so by the books that at times it lacks imagination. By placing the singer in an historical light, there are great scenes of Piaf visiting Germany during World War II and traveling to the United States with one of her many lovers. But missing from the stories is the mystique that made this iconic singer so unbelievably addictive. A little myth would have been appreciated. Even though Piaf may not have been as salacious as the newspaper headlines made her out to be, there should be some comment on the public perception of the singer. How did her songs make them feel? How did the affairs hurt or help her image?

What Burke is most interested in is Piaf’s lyrics and the lyrics of the many songwriters who supplied the singer with her most famous songs. In painstaking detail, she outlines the intricacies of the Little Sparrow’s songbook, offering up both the original French words and the English translation. The focus on the lyrics is a welcome one, and likely would have been cut from a more gossipy remembrance.

There is no denying that Burke has a masterful way with words. She is able to evoke images of the singer and the many nightclubs and music halls that she frequented throughout the world, namely in the Pigalle and Montmartre sections of Paris.

Obviously, it’s quite difficult to breathe life into a singer using the written word. Often, you will find yourself moving from No Regrets to one of Piaf’s records. But that is the ultimate mark of a successful biography: Burke makes us want to listen to the commanding power of Piaf’s voice.

The author is undoubtedly familiar and respectful of her subject’s legacy and influence. With a slightly freer interpretation, one that would have entertained the public image as much as the factual truth, No Regrets could have been as stirring as the songs it so eloquently describes.

• No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf

• By Carolyn Burke

• Knopf, 304 pages (hardcover edition)

• Retail price: $27.95

• Bubble score: 3 out of 4

• Click here to purchase a copy of No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf.