Marie Lloyd: The One and Only Book

The name might ring a bell, but you will almost certainly have heard of the songs: "Oh! Mr Porter" and "A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good" among them. Marie Lloyd was the greatest star of the late Victorian and Edwardian music halls, famed for her ability to make the most innocuous lyrics spring to life with many a nudge- nudge, wink-wink and eye-rolling innuendo. Her story is in many ways the typical show biz rollercoaster: born into desperate poverty in London's East End, her ambition and very healthy ego, not to mention her great charisma and singing talent, raised her rapidly to superstar status. She also had her fair share of trouble: she was a pregnant bride at 17 and two more marriages were to follow, none of them happy and all marred by domestic violence. She died at the age of 52, exhausted both professionally and emotionally, and over 100,000 mourners attended her funeral. Midge Gillies gives us a brisk, no- nonsense account, evoking the character of Lloyd with sympathy, and only stretching credibility a little too far when she tries to parallel her life and death with that of Princess Diana. --Christopher HartRead More