As a fan of Charlotte's for the last two years, I thought I had a fairly adequate picture of her life and career, thanks in large part to the volumes of information available on CharlotteChurch.net, as well as having attended two of her concerts. When I sat down to read her new autobiography, Voice of an Angel - My Life (So Far), I figured it would hold few surprises, if any.

I could not have been more wrong.

From the very first pages,  a preface entitled "Christmas 2000",  I realized Charlotte Church is immersed in a life that is several times bigger than just about anyone else's I know and that what we've already read of it in articles and interviews amounts to little more than tiny crumbs of the full story. 

We open the book knowing fully well that Charlotte has one of the greatest careers in music presently unfolding. A mere 15 years old, she's the top-selling female classical singer in the world and is arguably one of the most famous human beings on the planet. So much of her life is known to us because we, as fans, like to watch her media events and enjoy her
astonishing talent. But we've never known the real Charlotte behind the fame and fortune, the true person beyond those well-crafted glimpses into her private life on TV and in magazines.

We've never really known, that is, until now. In Voice of an Angel - My Life (So Far) you'll meet the only Charlotte Church you'll ever want to know: the real Charlotte, in her own words, with her vivid first-hand memories and ongoing perceptions of the incredible life she is leading.

The first chapter will astound most readers when she and her Mum matter-of-factly discuss the urgent medical crisis that attended her delivery into the world. The chilling fact that she almost didn't make it sets things on a serious note right away. It's aptly titled "I'm Born (Phew!)". 

But that sense of urgent drama quickly dispels once we are introduced in the next few chapters to her extended family, as colorful a cast of characters one can imagine to have as closely-knit relatives, and told in Charlotte's very witty style. It's as though Charlotte, her parents Maria and James, her Bampy (grandfather) and Nan (grandmother), Auntie Caroline
and Uncle Mark all sat down in your living room and reminisced about their interesting life stories.

In these early chapters we see the remarkable support system in Charlotte's childhood up close. Her strong female role models in her Mum and Nan come to life as does her deep appreciation for her Auntie Caroline's work and influence. She proudly marvels at her Dad's dedication, fearlessness and delightfully unpredictable sense of humor. She speaks of her Bampy's encouragement and sage advice on being true to one's self and telling the story of a song. And Charlotte doesn't hold back on any of them. If she finds them grumpy or headstrong, she'll come right out and say it, along with a list of their nicer qualities.

The candor in these early-going chapters is brilliant and shows Charlotte has a keen perception of temperaments and what people are thinking. It becomes obvious as she discusses her Mum's enormous sacrifice to give Charlotte a quality life that she doesn't take anyone in her family for granted.

As we move forward a few chapters, we are enlightened about her parent's wedding and the part she played, her Bampy's truly remarkable younger days as a rock 'n' roller, her Dad's childhood memories of Australia, her Auntie Caroline's cabaret lifestyle and her primary school years. See, I told you there's a LOT we don't know about her so far, and believe me, it gets better and better.

The turning point in this autobiography is the chapter about Charlotte's work with singing teacher Louise Ryan, or "Lulu" as she's affectionately called. From their initial meeting Charlotte's life was irreversibly headed in the direction of music as a career, and the giant steps she took under Lulu's tutelage just to get a foot in the door are told here in substantial detail. Lulu cites Charlotte's immense desire to master breathing techniques to gain control of her voice, her precocious ear for how sounds are resonated in the chest and face, and her need to have the lessons kept interesting. Charlotte and Lulu's account of this fortunate pairing of super-inquisitive student with ultra-capable teacher is one of the major highlights of the book and one you'll want to re-read on occasion, just for the inspiration it gives.

The next few chapters are somewhat more familiar to Charlotte fans who've read the press accounts of her rise to fame, but what's fresh is that for the first time it's entirely from her perspective; the abundance of hitherto-unknown details keeps it riveting. It becomes clear her luck was just one piece of the puzzle, albeit an essential one, and that hard work
and determination made all the difference in getting started. Her relationship with her Mum, who allowed Charlotte to do most of the speaking for herself in the initial meeting with Sony's Paul Burger, did so as well. Burger is quoted as saying to Maria that had she been a pushy mother he would have shown her the door after ten minutes. He was clearly impressed by the fact that Charlotte had been raised to think for herself, and this helped to ensure that she would be signed.

Charlotte's early days as a budding celebrity are told with a mixture of wide-eyed amazement at her own good fortune and down-to-earth realism at the tradeoffs it was exacting on her and her family with each step forward. Fortunately, her sense of humor is never far away from any unexpected inconvenience or odd turn of events.

In the next several chapters Charlotte shares her insights into how she's being educated in two separate realms, that of the globally in-demand singer and that of her fellow schoolgirls at Howell's. We meet her tutors, Richard and Catherine who travel the world with her during the school year. We become acquainted with Terry, her revered friend and trust fund manager whose assistance and advice were indispensable in getting her education and career in proper order.

Although the book is a joyous read so far, Charlotte saves her best anecdotes for the chapters on recording her first two albums. So as not to give away anything, suffice to say these parts will have you in thrall. Remember, she was only 12 and 13 at the time and making history in the process.

Next, in chapters called "Meeting the Press" and "America the Beautiful" Charlotte discusses her emergence as a media darling on both sides of the Atlantic. Her wry takes on reporters and TV hosts will keep you smiling.

And then one of the most moving chapters of the entire book comes along: "Meeting Famous People." A celebrity herself, what must it feel like for her to be acknowledged by other famous people? Movie stars, rock stars, presidents, royalty, she's met them all; but it was the onetime meeting with Pope John Paul II which impressed her the most:

As I looked into his eyes, I felt something go deep into my soul. I felt very calm and very warm, as though he had passed something on to me that would stay with me for the whole of my life.

Bringing us back down to her teenage life, Charlotte then introduces us to her top chums, Abby, Jo and Kim, any one of whom is likely to be hanging out with her on a trip during school holiday. This chapter is a romp through one of the most exhilarating parts of her life. She regales us with wicked stories of the mischief they have and the incessant cell phone calls they all make to each other. This is a part of her world teenagers will relate to the most. The rest of us will look on in admiration, wishing we had such fascinating friends as Charlotte has found.

The final chapters of this amazing autobiography contain the most profound and knowing comments about her life and her role in the world. She talks of her maturation as a performer and reflects on the difference she hopes to make with her fame.

Last summer I did two concerts in Nashville and Atlanta. Both were special. In Atlanta, when I left the theater I was greeted by hundreds of people lined up outside the stage door to say hi and ask for autographs. I was so overwhelmed. I'd never experienced anything like that before. One little girl came forward to ask me to sign her autograph book. She had traveled for nine hours to come to the concert. She told me that she had
diabetes, then she said how much she liked my earrings. The earrings were diamond and emerald and a gift from a fan, but this little girl was so sweet and lovely, and I felt so sorry about her illness, that I took them off and gave them to her.

I can still picture the look of amazement on her face. I still think about her and wonder how she is, particularly after I sang at the Carousel of Hope concert in Los Angeles, which was to raise money for kids with diabetes.

A chapter about the recording of Dream a Dream is nicely detailed, especially her sense of the history and ambience of the two studios she worked in. The fact that she had so much fun while working so hard to get things so perfect and still took in all the cute things for storytelling later will boggle the reader's mind.

The closing chapters of this book are Charlotte at her most philosophical and self-aware:

...what I've learned is that no experience goes to waste. Life is made up of building blocks.
Each block makes way for the next block. Because of this there is something positive to be gained from everything you do. Just be true to yourself and be prepared to work hard.

And then there's this gem. Try imagining anyone but Charlotte telling this. You simply can't:

At the same time, my everyday life ,going to school, studying, sleeping over at Abby, Jo, or Kim's, going shopping ,is pretty routine. And then something will happen that reminds me that even though I see myself as normal, not everyone does. 

I have to tell you a funny story about something that happened yesterday when I went to the bakery with auntie Caroline. We wanted doughnuts. "Two doughnuts, please," said Auntie Caroline. As we stood there, we watched the boy behind the counter put one, two, three, four, five, six doughnuts into the box.

"Just two, actually," said Auntie Caroline, at which point the boy, who was already blushing, dropped the box on the floor and all the doughnuts went everywhere.

As he got down on his hands and knees to pick them up, we heard him whisper very loudly to the other boy working behind the counter, "It's Charlotte Church."

Well, of course, Auntie Caroline and I got a fit of the giggles. It's difficult to know what to do in situations like this. What I've learned is that the best thing to do is be friendly - and be myself. There was no reason for that boy to be so flustered - or impressed - that I was there buying doughnuts. But it was sweet that he was. When he finally gave the doughnuts to me, I gave him a smile.

"Thanks very much," I said.

When you're done reading this sparkling, inspiring, thoughtful and totally original book you may find yourself applauding the marvelous job Charlotte's done, not just with the writing but for the 15 years of brilliant living that went into it. Yes, this extraordinary adventure really happened to her and she was the biggest reason any of it took place. Like all great Charlotte performances, her remarkable autobiography deserves an encore or two, or three. 

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