Being an avid reader of autobiographies, I have learned that the people who you admire the most, don’t always write the best books. I wouldn’t say I was a fan of Cilla Black, but I had read some great reviews of her book ‘What’s It All About?’ and wanted to see ... Read review
Michael Caine reveals the truth about his childhood and the years of struggle to make it ... more
in the entertainment business. He talks about his relationships - on and off the screen - with other actors and directors and he talks about the way in which he developed his stage and screen presence.
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Cilla Black is a phenomenon of truly iconic proportions. Since debuting on the showbiz ... more
circuit in 1963 she's conquered the mediums of TV comedy and pop! As a singer she has released 14 studio albums in addition to two successful "Greatest Hits" packages and 37 singles many of which have charted world-wide. Beginning her career alongside The Beatles in the local Mersey music scene she went on to share the same manager Brian Epstein and the same producer the legendary George Martin also and recorded at Abbey Road. During the sixties she managed to sustain her place at the forefront of the Brit-Pop music scene having one of the most impressive starts for a British female recording artist which included 20 consecutive Top 40 triumphs on the singles and EP charts! Today Cilla is a British institutions star of such shows as "Surprise" "Surprise and Blind Date" and regarded as the first lady of UK television with countless shows industry awards and record breaking viewing figures to her name. But this is the public story. As she relates the story of her life to us for the very first time Cilla will reveal what really happened. The good times the bad times.The high points and the low points. The result is a exciting and moving autobiography of a type that only comes along once in a decade.
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This book is aimed at the reader who is serious about confronting the big issues in life ... more
but is turned-off by books which deal with them through religion, spirituality or 'psycho-babble'. It is for people who want an honest, intelligent discussion which doesn't hide from the difficulties or make undeliverable promises.
Cilla Black is a phenomenon of truly iconic proportions. Since debuting on the showbiz ... more
circuit in 1963 she's conquered the mediums of TV, comedy and pop. As a singer she has released 14 studio albums, in addition to two successful "Greatest Hits" packages and 37 singles, many of which have charted world-wide. This is her autobiography.
Advantages: A good read, lots of information, showbiz anecdotes Disadvantages: 'lorra' and 'kinda' !
Being an avid reader of autobiographies, I have learned that the people who you admire the most, don’t always write the best books. I wouldn’t say I was a fan of Cilla Black, but I had read some great reviews of her book ‘What’s It All About?’ and wanted to see if I would enjoy it too.
I don’t dislike Cilla. In fact, I rather admire the ‘60s pop star Cilla and two of her songs – Anyone ... ...amongst my favourites. But I’m not a fan of Blind Date and, like most people, I became weary of too much Cilla on TV in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
After reading her autobiography though, I feel I have a good picture of her and can judge her more fairly now. Although she will never be my favourite TV personality, I do admire her for her hard work, her longevity and for what she has achieved.
Being an avid reader of autobiographies, I have learned that the people who you admire the most, don’t always write the best books. I wouldn’t say I was a fan of Cilla Black, but I had read some great reviews of her book ‘What’s It All About?’ and wanted to see if I would enjoy it too.
I don’t dislike Cilla. In fact, I rather admire the ‘60s pop star Cilla and two of her songs – Anyone Who Had A Heart and You’re My World – are amongst my favourites. But I’m not a fan of Blind Date and, like most people, I became weary of too much Cilla on TV in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
After reading her autobiography though, I feel I have a good picture of her and can judge her more fairly now. Although she will never be my favourite TV personality, I do admire her for her hard work, her longevity and for what she has achieved.
I enjoy a good book, one which will last me several days or more and Cilla has had a lot of life to write about – not just in years (She’s 61 this year.) but in all the things she has experienced. While people question how much stars like Ronan Keating or Martine McCutcheon can have achieved in their years so far, no-one can suggest Cilla needs to struggle to find things to write about. It’s a large book – around 400 pages – and there are no examples of obvious ‘fillers’ that I found.
Cilla details her childhood in Liverpool as Priscilla White and how she always loved singing, eventually building up a reputation for her talent in the clubs in her city. I never quite realised how closely linked she was to The Beatles, as they were part of the same Liverpool music scene. For any fans of ‘60s music, the chapters covering this period are unmissable.
As her career flourished and she started to be managed by the legendary Brian Epstein, she was on the rise. Hit singles followed, tours, stage performances and finally her own TV series. I have to say that although the progress of her career is interesting, I found the tales of her celebrity friends the really compelling part.
Frankie Howerd is one of my heroes and there are some wonderful stories about him here. I didn’t realise he was such a good friend of Cilla’s, but her memories of him are extremely warm and loving.
She certainly seems to have been surrounded by amazing friends over the years. These days, her ‘Gay Mafia’ (as they are called!) look after her – Dale Winton, Paul O’Grady and Christopher Biggins. After the death of her husband, Bobby Willis, they were amongst many who helped her through such a hard time.
I think one of the most surprising things I discovered from reading the book was that she had a lot of tragedy in her life. In some ways, she seemed to have led a perfect life with money, success, fame and the perfect marriage. As well as the deaths of family members, we also discover her reaction to the tragic ends to both Brian Epstein and John Lennon, as well as other friends.
But the saddest part to read about was the more personal bereavements she had to endure. I knew she had three sons – Robert, Ben and Jack – but I didn’t know she had suffered a miscarriage and the agony of losing her daughter, Ellen, just two hours after she was born. Cilla recalls these events with obvious deep emotion and grief, which is very moving to read.
I was also interested in her relationship with Bobby, as I had heard it was one of the most successful showbiz marriages. He certainly comes across as a wonderful man and is written about with a large amount of warmth and love. Their marriage sounds idyllic, but is not described in a sickly-sweet way at all.
The book comes across as being honest and open. She is happy to admit her faults and use her own embarrassment to get a few laughs. This results in the reader warming to her, because she seems ordinary in many ways and just as capable of ‘putting her foot in her mouth’ as we all are.
I found ‘What’s It All About?’ easy to get into and a really good read. At times, I whizzed through chapter after chapter, eager to find out what happens next. This is helped by there often being ‘cliffhangers’ at the end of chapters, urging you to keep turning the pages. The book also had Cilla’s voice running through it, which gave it the authentic touch. I even found my ‘head voice’ reading ‘hair’ as a Scouse ‘urr’!
There are some great descriptions of people, places and outfits in the book too, so that everything is easy to picture. There are also lots of great photos, which I enjoyed looking at and which helped add to the atmosphere of her story.
I was also impressed that she is so frank about her money, although she does come across as being rather defensive at times – especially towards the end, when she expresses her desire to buy a pink diamond ring costing over a million pounds! But as she says, she’s worked hard and deserves to be able to enjoy it.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. Even if you aren’t particularly fond of Cilla Black, you will find out something interesting within the pages of it. Often compelling, always interesting, it is a good read about a woman who has had over forty years in showbusiness. So – What’s It All About? Read it and see!
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? By Cilla Black Published by Ebury Press in 2003. Hardback £17.99. ISBN 009189036-5
Unlike any other autobiography I’ve read, Cilla Black's has something very different – a message. Usually, a “star” plans on writing an autobiography. They seem to forget that they’re in their early twenties, and have nothing to say, but they still go ahead with it, for the money. Cilla could have written an autobiography at any time in her forty years career, but she didn’t, and that just proves that she’s ... ...she mentions that numerous times in the book. “I’d have done it all for nothing”, she kept repeating herself, and I believe she would. She enjoyed it so much, and that shone through in the book, that she’d have gone up on stage and expected nothing. Nothing. The money was just an added bonus, and the papers knew she was a millionaire before she knew herself. And as I’ve already mentioned, the book has something many ...
Mattroberts 14.10.2003 (10.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of What's It All About? - Cilla Black
Advantages: Easy reading. Nicely written. The honesty. Disadvantages: None
I've never really been a big fan of Cilla Black, but do like the woman. On TV she comes across as a very nice and down-to-earth woman. So, when her autobiography came out, I wanted to read it. Get an insight into the life of the Liverpool lass.
She was brought up in Liverpool at 380 Scottie Road (Scotland Road) with her 3 brothers, mum (mam to her!) and dad. They lived above a Barber shop. She always dreamed about being a singer and famous one day. ... ...hair brush. Wherever the echo was louder, you'd find Cilla in there singing! She often told her mum that she wanted to be famous one day. Her mother never knocked her, always standing by her side whatever she said. She loved her parents. She was born Priscilla White. As a child, her family didn't have a lot of money.
Throughout the book, she never forgets her Liverpool roots, and often refers to how she misses the place. Her parent remained up there, ...
Louise90 23.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of What's It All About? - Cilla Black
Advantages: great read, interesting hard to put down Disadvantages: coming to the end
I absolutely love reading autobiographies especially by people I idolise but sometimes its nice to read someones that you are not too familar with and you soon build up knowledge on that person.
Thats what I did on this occasion.
I have always liked Cilla Black, loved watching Blind Date and Surprise Surprise but too be honest thats all I knew about her.
After reading this fantastic autobiography I feel I know a lot more about her. The book gives ... ...in my opinion she is a very honest person with a great personality.
The book is called CILLA BLACK, whats it all about?
Quite a large book with 396 pages but you will have it read in no time at all as its quite difficult to put down.
The book was first published in Great Britain in 2003 and she has dedicated the book to her late husband Bobby.
The book is split into 3 parts and altogether there are 32 chapters.
It starts right from the beginning ...
deborah83 01.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of What's It All About? - Cilla Black
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