Jacqueline Du Pre: Her Life, Her Music, Her Legend

A sensitive book on the life of Du Pre as a musician and a person. This book contains detail reviews of Du Pre's playing in concerts. The readers will be Wilson also tell us about her life and struggles apart from her performing life. Good balance biography.

Du Pre-philes are going to be flush with pleasure after reading this. It's a scholarly work that seemingly pins down every concert that Du Pre ever played, often with mini-reviews of the performances. It's far preferable to the trashy "Hilary and Jackie" and does far better service to Du Pre's life and art. Thankfully, the ending segments dealing with Du Pre's illness are short and to the point.American readers should be aware that this is a VERY "British" book. Wilson uses British spelling and grammar throughout, and assumes a knowledge of the local geography. Like many British writers, Wilson has a charming ignorance of America, and even goes as far as to "correct" our spelling - "The Lincoln Centre (sic)", "Pittsburg (sic)", "The Carnegie Hall (sic)". On page 300, a truck stop in the Midwest is hilariously referred to as a "highway transport cafe."Recommended for Du Pre's many fans.

Elizabeth Wilson knew Jacueline du Pre and while such a relationship may not produce a good biography, this is an excellent one. This book is much needed, particularly following the film "Hilary and Jackie." This book answers all the questions about Ms. du Pre and gives us clear insight into who she was and how she came to be the woman who was unquestionably one of the great instrumentalists of the 20th century. I found myself reading this book and listening to recordings of Ms. du Pre play; an unbeatable combination.

Wilson's book about J. DuPre provides a balance to Wilson's and to Hilary DuPre's books. This book is a tribute to her musical genius, her inspiration to female cellists. With the author being both a cellist and a friend of J. DuPre, the depth of the book exceeds what the others pretend to offer. After reading the book, I listened to DuPre's performance of the Schumann and Elgar Concertos and marveled at her talent. The tragedies in her life and her relationship with her family should not overshadow her genius. I am eager now to view the documentaries produced by C. Nupen about this musical treasure whose life was cut short way too early.