Which Celine Book Should I buy?

[DionFanAlways]

I wish they would have asked us!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, so agree!

[mazceline]

All her books read buy them all😃

[nuts2you]

I'm still reading her Authorized Bio , just haven't the time, but maybe this winter

[Caledor]

I wish she'd write another part of the book after RC was born up until now. So much has happened since the book was written.

 

Definitely !

Another "My story my dream", very intimate and written by herself

[CelineDionFreak]

The two books I really like are "My Story My Dream" and "For Keeps". "My Story My Dream" is up till the 90's, and "For Keeps" is only until mid AND era. I think we need a new one! When's "Beyond the Image" from? And I need to get "Autour Du Monde" still LOL

[dawn]

When's "Beyond the Image" from?

 

From 1997 to Christmas 2006.

 

[CelineDionFreak]

From 1997 to Christmas 2006.

Ah okay, thanks for the clarification.

[contre5nature]

How about The authorised biography? I want to read some books but I can't decide from which one to start! What do you advise?? Is Tour de force the summary / extract of The authorised biography but also with photos, or are different books?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Caledor]

I would recommend "My story my dream", because it is written in her own words, and is very intimate, I love it

[DestinMg5]

Today I actually went ahead and bought the beyond the image book I'm really excited 600 pics. I also have my story my dream and the authorized biography which are really great choices.

[CelinesDIVO5]

I think "For Keeps" is the best Celine book out there. And it's written by one of the nicest ladies around!!

[incognito]

I think "For Keeps" is the best Celine book out there. And it's written by one of the nicest ladies around!!

 

Are you saying that cos you're in the thank you notes?

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

Are you saying that cos you're in the thank you notes?

 

I'm actually not lol...but I am going to Jenna Glatzer's birthday party in 2 weeks :-)

[ryba]

Is the authorized biography and my story my dream not the same book? What exactly is the difference?

[ryba]

 

 

I'm actually not lol...but I am going to Jenna Glatzer's birthday party in 2 weeks :-)

wow, thats really cool! Congratulations! How do you know her?

[APAD]

Is the authorized biography and my story my dream not the same book? What exactly is the difference?

 

I've only just found out about these books, so I may be wrong, but I believe 'My Story, My Dream' was written by Celine herself and goes up to the year 2000. The authorized biography was not written by her and was published in 1998, so we lose some more personal details (though still a great book according to Amazon reviews).

[CelinesDIVO5]

wow, thats really cool! Congratulations! How do you know her?

 

We've been Facebook friends for a few years, and she lives not far from where I grew up. We've kept in touch on a non Celine level over the years lol

[Caledor]

Is the authorized biography and my story my dream not the same book? What exactly is the difference?

 

Here you go !

 

[ryba]

Cool, thanks for your answers! And what about this book? Is it the same as the one with the SSD cover but just in English?

Edited November 3, 2015 at 11:49 PM by ryba

[nuts2you]

that's the 1 I'm reading now

[chocolatechip15]

These are the official biographies:

 

1. Celine - published in 1997, written by Georges-Hebert German. It was released about the same time as LTAL, and has the same cover (what rbya posted above). It is very thorough, and the most complete account of Celine's life and career to that point (over 400 pages long). However, Germain is not the greatest writer in the world - I thought it wasn't written in a very interesting or compelling way, and he didn't make much of emotional or dramatic moments. Germain is married to Francine Chaloult, Celine's longtime press agent, and the tone is pretty much what you'd expect from a PR person: "OMG, Celine is perfect! And everything in her life is perfect too!" (That's a bit of an exaggeration, and I adore Celine, and think she's amazing, but stories that humanize her are much more compelling than those that gush about perfection).

 

Germain followed Celine on a substantial portion of the FIY tour, and in between each chapter, there are a couple of pages with a little story about some aspect of the tour. I found these to be the best parts of the book -- insights into the daily life on tour and behind-the-scenes stories.

 

2. My Story, My Dream - published in 2000. This is my favorite of the official books, because it's written in Celine's voice. This was also done in collaboration with Germain, but it's written in the first person, and Celine has said she read every word, made changes, etc. Of all the official biographies, I think this one works best as a coherent whole, as one story. It's about half the length of the '97 book, but much more emotional and (to me) much more compelling. This was published when she was pregnant with RC (there is a later version with a short epilogue after he was born), so her children don't really figure into it. It's largely the story of her career told through the prism of her love for Rene. The part about Rene's first battle with cancer is particularly touching. At its core, this book is a love story, and that's what Celine does best.

 

3. For Keeps - published in 2005, by Jenna Glatzer. I find this one a bit "fluffier" than the others, but there's a lot of good stuff and interesting stories in it. I'd guess that's it's the shortest in terms of word count, but what's special about it is that it comes with several little pockets filled with reproductions of items from Celine and Rene's life -- RC's birth certificate, their wedding invitation, etc. There are also interesting quotes from Patrick, Michel, David Foster, and others who've worked with her (as well as lots of quotes from Celine and Rene, of course). RC was 4 when this came out, and much of it centers around how important motherhood is to her. There's also a fair amount about the first Vegas show. It's arranged more thematically than chronologically

 

4. Le Maitre de Jeu (Master of the Game, Rene's biography), published in 2009. It's available only in French, but I made my way through it slowly. It borrows heavily from Germain's earlier work, which I found disappointing, but there is also lots of interesting new material about Rene's life before Celine, and post-2000 stories not in Germain's earlier books.

 

5. Beyond the Image. Released in 2012, but includes photographs from 1997-2006, all by Laurent Cayla. There's a small amount of written content, but mostly the photos tell the story -- and they are amazing.

 

Sadly, none of the books include the twins -- we need a new biography!

[ryba]

Many thanks for this summery!

 

Do you remember any kind of promotion for these books? I havent seen any videos or read any interviews with Celine where she promotes them or speaks about them. Are there any videos or interviews?

Edited November 4, 2015 at 11:07 PM by ryba

[CelinesDIVO5]

These are the official biographies:

 

1. Celine - published in 1997, written by Georges-Hebert German. It was released about the same time as LTAL, and has the same cover (what rbya posted above). It is very thorough, and the most complete account of Celine's life and career to that point (over 400 pages long). However, Germain is not the greatest writer in the world - I thought it wasn't written in a very interesting or compelling way, and he didn't make much of emotional or dramatic moments. Germain is married to Francine Chaloult, Celine's longtime press agent, and the tone is pretty much what you'd expect from a PR person: "OMG, Celine is perfect! And everything in her life is perfect too!" (That's a bit of an exaggeration, and I adore Celine, and think she's amazing, but stories that humanize her are much more compelling than those that gush about perfection).

 

Germain followed Celine on a substantial portion of the FIY tour, and in between each chapter, there are a couple of pages with a little story about some aspect of the tour. I found these to be the best parts of the book -- insights into the daily life on tour and behind-the-scenes stories.

 

2. My Story, My Dream - published in 2000. This is my favorite of the official books, because it's written in Celine's voice. This was also done in collaboration with Germain, but it's written in the first person, and Celine has said she read every word, made changes, etc. Of all the official biographies, I think this one works best as a coherent whole, as one story. It's about half the length of the '97 book, but much more emotional and (to me) much more compelling. This was published when she was pregnant with RC (there is a later version with a short epilogue after he was born), so her children don't really figure into it. It's largely the story of her career told through the prism of her love for Rene. The part about Rene's first battle with cancer is particularly touching. At its core, this book is a love story, and that's what Celine does best.

 

3. For Keeps - published in 2005, by Jenna Glatzer. I find this one a bit "fluffier" than the others, but there's a lot of good stuff and interesting stories in it. I'd guess that's it's the shortest in terms of word count, but what's special about it is that it comes with several little pockets filled with reproductions of items from Celine and Rene's life -- RC's birth certificate, their wedding invitation, etc. There are also interesting quotes from Patrick, Michel, David Foster, and others who've worked with her (as well as lots of quotes from Celine and Rene, of course). RC was 4 when this came out, and much of it centers around how important motherhood is to her. There's also a fair amount about the first Vegas show. It's arranged more thematically than chronologically

 

4. Le Maitre de Jeu (Master of the Game, Rene's biography), published in 2009. It's available only in French, but I made my way through it slowly. It borrows heavily from Germain's earlier work, which I found disappointing, but there is also lots of interesting new material about Rene's life before Celine, and post-2000 stories not in Germain's earlier books.

 

5. Beyond the Image. Released in 2012, but includes photographs from 1997-2006, all by Laurent Cayla. There's a small amount of written content, but mostly the photos tell the story -- and they are amazing.

 

Sadly, none of the books include the twins -- we need a new biography!

 

I found "For Keeps" a bit grittier in comparison to the other books. Mostly because it really is a book told from a "girl talk" point of view. I could actually envision Celine and Jenna hanging in Celine's living room, shooting the breeze, sipping some wine as Jenna takes notes and just have a girls' night in.

[DionFanAlways]

I found "For Keeps" a bit grittier in comparison to the other books. Mostly because it really is a book told from a "girl talk" point of view. I could actually envision Celine and Jenna hanging in Celine's living room, shooting the breeze, sipping some wine as Jenna takes notes and just have a girls' night in.

Didn't Jenna did say in her blog about the book that they really hit it off.

[CelinesDIVO5]

Didn't Jenna did say in her blog about the book that they really hit it off.

 

She did

[chocolatechip15]

Many thanks for this summery!

 

Do you remember any kind of promotion for these books? I havent seen any videos or read any interviews with Celine where she promotes them or speaks about them. Are there any videos or interviews?

 

I can't remember any promotion specifically for the books. She was on hiatus when My Story, My Dream came out, but I don't remember her doing anything specific for the others either. When the first one came out in '97, there was some controversy because several unauthorized biographies came out at the same time, so she and Rene answered questions about that a few times . . . I remember her saying that the people who published the unauthorized biographies had never even talked to her, whereas Germain had followed her for a year . . .It's a question in the press conference in this magazine article (first full page of text; I don't have time to translate the question & answer now, but will try another time): http://www.celinedionforum.com/topic/41730-scans-de-magazines-mega-post/#entry1417739

[scielle]

These are the official biographies:

 

1. Celine - published in 1997, written by Georges-Hebert German. It was released about the same time as LTAL, and has the same cover (what rbya posted above). It is very thorough, and the most complete account of Celine's life and career to that point (over 400 pages long). However, Germain is not the greatest writer in the world - I thought it wasn't written in a very interesting or compelling way, and he didn't make much of emotional or dramatic moments. Germain is married to Francine Chaloult, Celine's longtime press agent, and the tone is pretty much what you'd expect from a PR person: "OMG, Celine is perfect! And everything in her life is perfect too!" (That's a bit of an exaggeration, and I adore Celine, and think she's amazing, but stories that humanize her are much more compelling than those that gush about perfection).

 

Germain followed Celine on a substantial portion of the FIY tour, and in between each chapter, there are a couple of pages with a little story about some aspect of the tour. I found these to be the best parts of the book -- insights into the daily life on tour and behind-the-scenes stories.

 

2. My Story, My Dream - published in 2000. This is my favorite of the official books, because it's written in Celine's voice. This was also done in collaboration with Germain, but it's written in the first person, and Celine has said she read every word, made changes, etc. Of all the official biographies, I think this one works best as a coherent whole, as one story. It's about half the length of the '97 book, but much more emotional and (to me) much more compelling. This was published when she was pregnant with RC (there is a later version with a short epilogue after he was born), so her children don't really figure into it. It's largely the story of her career told through the prism of her love for Rene. The part about Rene's first battle with cancer is particularly touching. At its core, this book is a love story, and that's what Celine does best.

 

3. For Keeps - published in 2005, by Jenna Glatzer. I find this one a bit "fluffier" than the others, but there's a lot of good stuff and interesting stories in it. I'd guess that's it's the shortest in terms of word count, but what's special about it is that it comes with several little pockets filled with reproductions of items from Celine and Rene's life -- RC's birth certificate, their wedding invitation, etc. There are also interesting quotes from Patrick, Michel, David Foster, and others who've worked with her (as well as lots of quotes from Celine and Rene, of course). RC was 4 when this came out, and much of it centers around how important motherhood is to her. There's also a fair amount about the first Vegas show. It's arranged more thematically than chronologically

 

4. Le Maitre de Jeu (Master of the Game, Rene's biography), published in 2009. It's available only in French, but I made my way through it slowly. It borrows heavily from Germain's earlier work, which I found disappointing, but there is also lots of interesting new material about Rene's life before Celine, and post-2000 stories not in Germain's earlier books.

 

5. Beyond the Image. Released in 2012, but includes photographs from 1997-2006, all by Laurent Cayla. There's a small amount of written content, but mostly the photos tell the story -- and they are amazing.

 

Sadly, none of the books include the twins -- we need a new biography!

 

Thanks for this! Very useful and on point.

 

I only own 3/5 and though I haven't read them cover to cover, I'd agree with your assessment.

While informative, I can't help feeling they only tell part of the story. The PR-approved part. Doesn't really make for a thrilling read. (If you want a good music autobiography, read Dylan's or Elvis Costello's - now those are awesome pieces of writing regardless whether or not you care for the subject!) While I enjoyed a lot of the personal stories and anecdotes, there's far too much fawning in these and I'd much prefer something more objective.

 

I was also disappointed by how much of the Rene book is basically a re-write of the other G.H. Germain book. I mean, it's not just the same anecdotes. There are entire passages here that are essentially the same. It was a bit of a letdown.

 

My favourite Celine book is actually Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste. It's super entertaining, reasoned and ultimately quite validating for a Celine fan - so don't be thrown off by the title. At the core, it's really a book about aesthetics but it very eloquently uses Celine as an example. And if, like me, you often find yourself trying to explain Celine to hipster friends, this book is full of ammunition. Despite the writer's initial distaste for Celine and her brand of music, this book ends up being very pro-Celine and has clearly succeeded at converting many-a-skeptic.

I particularly enjoy the author's various public appearances about this, where he talks about how much he's grown to respect her. See:

https://soundcloud.com/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/carl-wilson

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17158023

 

And lots more on the book page here: http://thisiswhatwetalkabout.blogspot.com/

It's fascinating stuff.

 

I'd recommend the 2014 edition (rather than the original one) because it includes a series of essays about the original book from various prominent academics, artists and writers - including the likes of author Nick Hornby, actor James Franco, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, and I found these great.

 

The updated version also includes an afterword which talks about what happened after the 1st edition, including several pages devoted to, for example the

YouTube video (which was apparently made in direct response to the original book).

 

Anyway, I love this book. Love that it gives the political and cultural backdrop to Celine's Quebec youth, love that it talks about the often misguided definitions of what's 'tasteful' and 'cool', love that it gives Celine the respect she's due, and love that it's become somewhat of a staple in academic circles.

 

I hope Carl gets to meet her!

[chocolatechip15]

Thanks for this! Very useful and on point.

 

I only own 3/5 and though I haven't read them cover to cover, I'd agree with your assessment.

While informative, I can't help feeling they only tell part of the story. The PR-approved part. Doesn't really make for a thrilling read. (If you want a good music autobiography, read Dylan's or Elvis Costello's - now those are awesome pieces of writing regardless whether or not you care for the subject!) While I enjoyed a lot of the personal stories and anecdotes, there's far too much fawning in these and I'd much prefer something more objective.

 

I was also disappointed by how much of the Rene book is basically a re-write of the other G.H. Germain book. I mean, it's not just the same anecdotes. There are entire passages here that are essentially the same. It was a bit of a letdown.

 

My favourite Celine book is actually Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste. It's super entertaining, reasoned and ultimately quite validating for a Celine fan - so don't be thrown off by the title. At the core, it's really a book about aesthetics but it very eloquently uses Celine as an example. And if, like me, you often find yourself trying to explain Celine to hipster friends, this book is full of ammunition. Despite the writer's initial distaste for Celine and her brand of music, this book ends up being very pro-Celine and has clearly succeeded at converting many-a-skeptic.

I particularly enjoy the author's various public appearances about this, where he talks about how much he's grown to respect her. See:

https://soundcloud.c...orn/carl-wilson

http://www.npr.org/t...toryId=17158023

 

And lots more on the book page here: http://thisiswhatwet...t.blogspot.com/

It's fascinating stuff.

 

I'd recommend the 2014 edition (rather than the original one) because it includes a series of essays about the original book from various prominent academics, artists and writers - including the likes of author Nick Hornby, actor James Franco, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, and I found these great.

 

The updated version also includes an afterword which talks about what happened after the 1st edition, including several pages devoted to, for example the

YouTube video (which was apparently made in direct response to the original book).

 

Anyway, I love this book. Love that it gives the political and cultural backdrop to Celine's Quebec youth, love that it talks about the often misguided definitions of what's 'tasteful' and 'cool', love that it gives Celine the respect she's due, and love that it's become somewhat of a staple in academic circles.

 

I hope Carl gets to meet her!

 

I love the Carl Wilson book, too. It's very thoughtful and probably the most intellectual look at Celine out there. He comes at her music from a rare angle -- most people are either gushing, huge fans or say they can't stand their music. Carl didn't like the few songs he had heard, but he set out to seriously try to understand why fans do.

 

I loved the responsive essays, too - this one was my favorite: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/04/excerpt_from_carl_wilson_s_let_s_talk_about_love_celine_dion_by_mary_gaitskill.html

 

The book is much more about Celine's music (and about theories of music and taste, generally) than about Celine the person or about life -- but what I loved most about this book is that -- though Carl will never be a huge fan of Celine's music, he did seem to begin to really like Celine as a person. And Celine as a person is the biggest reason I'm a fan, too.