This area will serve as a repository for acclaim, critical and otherwise that Charlotte's book generates.

Going to Church

Few 15-year-olds have an autobiography to their credit. But Charlotte Church does. It's called "Voice of an Angel: My Life So Far," and it is being published by Warner Books on Wednesday. 
Set in large type, Church's 232-page book looks like a Nancy Drew mystery. Church sounds closer at times to 10 than 15 as she fills us in on her life, from early childhood to stardom. 

Church's mother and stepfather, James Church, met in a bar called Quinnies when Church was a toddler. The singer lets her mother tell the story: 

We got to Quinnies really late, and I got talking to James' friend, whom I knew from work. Then I said, "Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?' and he introduced me to James. James was a bit tipsy, but I remember him asking what I was doing later that week and I said nothing special, so I wrote down my number and put it in the top pocket of his shirt. 

A local TV talent show three years ago brought Church to Sony's attention and started her on her way. Guilelessly, she recalls celebrities she has met. 

Before I tell you about meeting the Clintons, I want to tell you about meeting the Pope. Why? Because first of all, I'm Catholic, and the Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the closest to God you can get, and I've always been brought up to believe that he is the most important person I could ever hope to meet. ... I'd been nervous about meeting the Royal Family and the President of the United States, but meeting the Pope was something else. 

Former president Bill Clinton gets a more physical assessment: 

He has twinkly eyes that make you feel twinkly ... But he does have a big nose. ... But I didn't care about his appearance because he seemed like a really, really nice guy. 

"Really, really." That's teen speak for you. Church chronicles her TV appearances in the same manner. 

Jay Leno is "like a cuddly bear, big and warm," she writes. Rosie O'Donnell, too, encouraged the singer. She told Church, "You're adorable." And Church writes, "She gave me my favorite computer game, Game Boy." 

Church confides that she's learning to do impressions. "My favorites are the New York accent of a Mafia man, a Welsh person obviously, an Irish person, and I do a pretty good Britney Spears and a great Christina Aguilera." 

The book suggests she has an easy sense of humor. 

Lulu, Church's vocal coach, is a gem. "Unfold your arms, you little git," she tells Church, trying to get her to relax. And she admonishes the singer in the middle of "Joy to the World," telling her, "Your intonation is flat. You're sounding Irish." 

Church writes that her parents have been behind her all the way. "Mum thinks that because we spend so much time together traveling, we've become even closer," she writes. "It's probably true." 

Will it still be true in five years? 

I have a feeling that by then, we'll really, really need a sequel. 

- Mary Kunz 

"The thing I like most about Charlotte is that she enjoys being whatever age she is. And that's the key to life. She's not dating a boy from some soap opera in an effort to hit the tabloid headlines. She doesn't need any of that stuff....

As for her voice—I don't know what to compare it with. It's extraordinary...It's one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. 

What is so refreshing is to meet a person who can be ordinary in the nicest sense of the word—and still be exceptional. The Church family seem like the most normal family you could wish to meet—but they've been blessed with something extraordinary in their daughter."

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