Are legends born or created?  In mythology, they explore human truths that could pass in fantastical stories from generation to generation.   In real life, they are usually extraordinary people with extraordinary lives, often excelling in an area we aspire to.  Edith Piaf is one of those singing legends who astounded the world and whose reputation lives on long after her death.  Margaret Crosland's perceptive biography, A Cry From The Heart, is an exploration of the woman and the legend, striving to build an honest picture of the ever-popular French singer, as the recent film, La Vie En Rose, has demonstrated.

Her rise from rags to riches has woven self-sustaining mythology about her childhood alongside the truth, both blending together to create the Piaf so adored worldwide but especially by Parisiennes.  Raised in a brothel and travelling with her father in a circus, she survived on the streets through literally singing for her supper and befriended gangsters and beggars, enjoying their raucous company as well as endangered by it. But her unique voice found her admirers and entrepreneurs, who helped nurture her talents and shape her into a world-class singer, despite failed marriages and her daughter's death in infancy.  In her tragically short 47 years, she wooed audiences worldwide with memorable songs such as 'M'Lord', 'La Vie En Rose', and of course, 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien', which became a haunting epitaph.  Along the way she made many friends including Marlene Dietrich, Jean Cocteau and Maurice Chevalier.  Her passion for life was reflected in her passion for men, taking endless lovers and often tyrannically shaping them into her protégées before ejecting them when they tire of her controlling ways.  Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour were amongst those who emerged from her shadow.  But her constant battle with illness, drink and drugs finally took its inevitable toll and 'the little sparrow' fell silent in 1962.

As with any individual whose fame eclipses reality, it is difficult not to be blinded from the truth.  Margaret Crosland's formidable task as biographer is to divide fact from fiction, not to discredit the singer but more to provide an honest account of a sometimes tortured but always colourful life.  If anything, her debunking of the mists that swirl around her place of birth or near blindness in childhood only serve to highlight the sympathy and admiration she has for Piaf.  She races through the years, carefully selecting the significant moments that shaped and moulded her career, blending the tough resilient woman with the adulated star. 

Equally, Crosland recognises the importance of the songs themselves, which are inextricably linked to the singer herself. She explores the most significant, poignant lyrics and interprets them with warmth and humanity.  Even though Piaf often had a monstrous temper, she also possessed an abundance of spirit and generosity, proving that she is one legend that was born to be remarkable, a legend created and controlled by the woman herself.  It ensures that A Cry From The Heart breathes and sings with passion.