Although she is most recognised for her many hits in French, Dalida was raised in Egypt to Italian parents; her unique accent was a defining characteristic of her catalogue. Even those who achieve either or both continue to be met with societal scrutiny, as they can be construed as being only an approximation of a reality that was never built with them in mind.

We All Have Our Secrets - Penguin Books UK

Jane Corry is masterful in weaving the stories of individual characters together so it all comes together in the end. It is not that our own path as queer people does not bring us feelings of joy, but that it has been firmly asserted that our choices as queer people are labelled unhappy because they defy heteronormativity.To the extent that you are never quite sure whether to believe the character you are currently reading or not. I loved Billy- he reminded me of one of my own children at that age and that's what Jane does so well. Dalida’s life was not a work of fiction, but her success as a woman and subsequent loneliness was seen by some as a cautionary tale to ambitious women listening to her music in the 50s and 60s.

We All Have Our Secrets by Jane Corry | Goodreads

That said, Dalida’s impact as a phenomena is easy to look over by English-speaking audiences, despite her being one of the best-selling recording artists of all time and performing in eleven different languages. I enjoyed this book so much the prologue is the advert for the home help it is one of the funniest adverts I've ever read, i was actually laughing out loud!

Running away from her problems, she goes to her father's house, which is her safe place, or so she thought. I actually preferred Francoise’s character to Emily’s - she was a quirky and unique individual, I think I’d have liked to learn even more about her, given the chance. And with all due respect to the enormity of your tidy achievements, all you’re really doing is standing in a very long line of angry little men. I was flip flopping backwards and forwards as to which one I liked Emily or Francoise as I read parts of Emily’s story I found her selfish and spiteful, but then I changed my mind and saw her as gentle and caring.