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
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I've never been Cilla Black's greatest fan, but it sure sounds like she's had her share of highs and lows. I would be interested in reading this. Mandy.xx
fuzzibear 24.05.2004 22:23
Not a usual choice for me, but you make it sound very interesting!
Soho_Black 29.03.2004 21:59
Not one I'd usually go for either, for much the same reasons as you said in the beginning, but it sounds worth giving a chance.
Mar 7th, 2004
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