Reviews 'It is a sharp and profoundly satisfying book, exposing in a sympathetic way the contradictions of the artist as well as the cultural complexities of her persona. this book is sure to become an important reference point for students and scholars of French Studies and Popular Music Studies alike, and an essential blueprint for future French music studies.' ... Read moreBarbara Lebrun, Modern Contemporary France 'Looseley’s enthusiasm for Piaf pervades this book ... This cultural study is written with scrupulous attention to detail and accuracy and has a comprehensive chronology, notes and index.' The Franco-British Society 'David Looseley’s volume is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the complexity behind the mythical figure of Piaf and it provides an admirable model for a searching analysis of the myth making machinery of popular music.' Peter Hawkins, Popular Music 'Looseley’s book offers a compelling way of rethinking the mythology of Piaf while still addressing its power through narratives, especially his analysis of her early career. He nimbly moves between the dramatic narratives of Piaf’s affairs and scandals, while at the same time addresses how their public consumption reflected significant changes in French society.' Indiana University Northwest 'All in all, this outstanding study is unmissable for anyone interested in Piaf, France, French culture in the globalized world, and — more generally — the importance of properly understanding popular culture.' Hugh Dauncey, French Studies 'Edith Piaf: A Cultural History is a rich, well-researched, rigorous book, with brilliant analyzes, as in the case of the song "Three Bells", and lucid reflections on phenomena such as the popular voice, the divas or the future of tragedy today. Looseley also develops the concept of "middlebrow" which can, in my opinion, become a hermeneutical tool very relevant in the French context and elsewhere. And it is also and above all a well written text, which reads like a story, like a parable of contemporary French popular culture, its myths, its actors, its mediations and its audiences, all the more interesting that it is complexified, questioned systematically, without any certainty, not even that of the continuity of the myth Piaf, is free of suspicion. These qualities have just been recognized by the awarding of the literary prize of the Franco-British Society for the year 2015.' Isabelle Marc, Volume! The French journal of popular music studies Show Less