If Only You Knew by LuluSynopsis: “Pop legend Lulu looks back over her astonishing life with fresh eyes, reflecting on all she has learnt. From the tenements of Glasgow to the Royal Albert Hall and the glittering lights of Hollywood: Lulu’s journey to fame and fortune is like no other British pop star. When she was 14 years old, she was invited down to London to sing, and the rest is history. She stepped into a part she played for the next 60 years. A part she played so well that she gradually lost who she was, becoming the version of herself she thought others wanted to see. The book charts the highs and the lows of one of the longest running shows in British rock and roll history. It is the story of one woman’s determination to stay real, relevant and happy, and one which ultimately reveals a woman who is far stronger and far braver than anyone knew. This is a pop memoir like no other.”

My Review

As you’ve probably realised I do love a good memoir, and this was another really good one, that I managed to get for 99p the other day. It’s back to full price, so a real bargain!

I didn’t know much about Lulu at all, apart from her huge hit Shout, acting in To Sir With Love alongside Sidney Poitier, and her collaboration with Take That in the 90s. So I had a lot to discover, and I certainly did, as Lulu took me on a journey through her childhood in the Glasgow tenements in the 1950s, right up to singing with Rod Stewart at Glastonbury this year!

Starting from very humble beginnings, I enjoyed reading about her road to stardom, and then trying to keep making music that she enjoyed, but the record industry and her manager didn’t want her to sing. Lulu struggled her whole life being a people pleaser, so just painted on her big smile and did exactly what she was told. It wasn’t until much later in life when she realised she wasn’t being authentic to herself that she started to search for answers and for help.

This was a very easy to read memoir, in fact so easy I read it within 24 hours! It’s full of big names throughout, Bowie, The Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, The Bee Gees, Elton John, Take That, Ronan Keating, and Frank Sinatra, who offered to teach her how to take care of her vocal chords! Imagine that, but she didn’t take him up on it and later wished she had.

 Highly recommended if you enjoy memoirs.