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From:Wendy Leigh , St. Martin's Griffin ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#161134 |
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Snack Food for the Gossip-Hungry Reader, 2008-06-25
Well, Leigh made have promised her publisher that she would not do a "warmed over" treatment of her subject, but that is exactly how this book comes across. She is proud to make the point that she interviewed over a hundred new sources who were willing to speak on the record about Grace, and even prouder of the fact that she was able to disclose fifteen of her sexual affairs that had never been made public before. (As if that matters.) There were only a few revelations here that caught my attention, like the fact that Grace had a tumble with the husband of one of her bridesmaids and then confessed all--leading to the complete decline of that poor woman's life--and a discussion of the extremely cruel side of Alfred Hitchcock's personality. There was virtually no discussion about Grace's death and too little examination of her complicated relationships with Rainier and the children. Also, there are regrettably few pictures in this book, most of them being publicity shots.
Finally, there is too much emphasis on what seems to be extraneous. One appendix is devoted to Grace's horoscope, and another concentrates on analyzing her handwriting. Leigh also emphasizes in an epilogue about writing the book that she stayed in many of the same hotels that Grace once did, allowing her to "experience and understand her world." But did that contribute to a better book? I don't think so. For a much deeper look into the life of this beloved but controversial princess, read Randy Taraborrelli's 2003 work, Once Upon a Time.
2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Too much dirt and not enough about what Grace was really like, 2008-03-25
This is probably the 6th biography of Grace Kelly that I have read and I felt that it was easily the weakest. In fairness to Wendy Leigh, she had clearly conducted her own research and she did present some new stories and anecdotes. However it felt like she was more pre-occupied with digging up new scandals than with presenting a cohesive picture of who Grace was. She glosses over significant events such as Grace meeting Rainier, why she decided to marry him and barely mentions Grace's death. Instead we get an obsession with every sexual relationship that Grace may or may not have had.
While the book gives the impression of being well researched, when I looked up some of the footnotes it appeared that at least some of these claims were based purely on the word of someone who was the friend of a friend of someone who was now deceased. In a case like that, I feel that a reputable biographer should make it more evident that these are alleged rather than proven facts.
Leigh implies that Grace had a fling with a Paris Match photographer on the ship sailing to Monaco for her wedding. Putting aside the fact that the evidence that this ever occurred is more than weak, if it were true (as Leigh insinuates), it raises all manner of questions about what that says about Grace's feelings towards Rainier and her upcoming wedding. None of those questions are dealt with. The implication throughout is that Grace never particularly loved Rainier and that she was unhappy in her marriage from start to finish. Based on the other books that I have read, this is an over-simplified and unlikely version of events.
Here's a summary of the book: Grace Kelly was a successful actress who had a lot of affairs, sometimes with more than one person at a time. She looked very pretty in all her movies, even though she didn't like her jawline. She decided to marry Prince Rainier even though she didn't love him and she had a last fling only days before the wedding. She was very homesick after the wedding and Rainier started cheating on her almost immediately. She had several more affairs herself, including one with the husband of a friend. She was very unhappy. Some people thought she was icy and some people thought she was warm and friendly. She always believed she'd die in a car crash but she drove her car anyway and then she died.
Doesn't Deliver the Goods, 2008-03-19
best thing about this book is the cover photo. Poorly organized, piece-meal presentation with little new material.
Proofreader/editor needed, 2007-12-31
Some new and interesting material, but I was distracted by the many misspelled words and grammatical errors - needed a good proofreader, not just spellcheck. Also irritating was quoting someone only by a first name, when no one with that name had yet been introduced into the story. Also would have benefitted from a lot more photos. I also think that Grace's charity work got a bit short-changed.
1 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
A good book, but disappointing, 2007-12-23
I enjoyed this book, it was an easy read, but I agree with those who say that it does have its flaws. There were many typos, words left out of sentences, and sentences that could have been structured better. Any good proofreader would have spotted those things. Also, for a person who led as full a life as Grace Kelly did, the picture section was sorely lacking. I have always admired her, and the book was very imformative, but it could have been better.
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