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Synopsis (from Goodreads):
A life in snapshots…
Grace knows what people see. She’s the Cinderella story. An icon of glamor and elegance frozen in dazzling Technicolor. The picture of perfection. The girl in white gloves.
A woman in living color…
But behind the lens, beyond the panoramic views of glistening Mediterranean azure, she knows the truth. The sacrifices it takes for an unappreciated girl from Philadelphia to defy her family and become the reigning queen of the screen. The heartbreaking reasons she trades Hollywood for a crown. The loneliness of being a princess in a fairy tale kingdom that is all too real.
Hardest of all for her adoring fans and loyal subjects to comprehend, is the harsh reality that to be the most envied woman in the world does not mean she is the happiest. Starved for affection and purpose, facing a labyrinth of romantic and social expectations with more twists and turns than Monaco’s infamous winding roads, Grace must find her own way to fulfillment. But what she risks--her art, her family, her marriage—she may never get back.
Review:
I have always found Grace Kelly to be fascinating. She was so impossibly glamorous, first as a movie star, and then as an actual princess! Plus one of her daughters (Stephanie) is my age. So when I saw an historical fiction about her life, you bet I requested it!
I found this book to be quite enjoyable, with many references to all the many lovers, and famous people in Grace Kelly's life. But I couldn't give this a perfect rating. It must be really difficult making a story out of someone's actual life. And everything leading up to her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco was filled with tension and drama. But after that, the "story" had nowhere to really go.
What I Liked:
A Look at Old New York & Hollywood:
I was right there with Grace when she was a young girl in big old NYC. The author catpured how exciting it was to be young and full of promise in a big city.
When she goes to Los Angeles to film movies, she also sees the particular charm of Southern California. The warm weather, and the more relaxed atmosphere, must have been such a breath of fresh air for a young woman like Grace.
Social Limitations for Women:
The novel also did a very good job of showing how women navigated the sticky world of men in power. Grace learned from a young age to not make a fuss when talking to a man. She saw (sadly) how fragile men's egos were, and that it did no good to directly demand what she wanted. But she found other ways to assert herself. She insisted on reading all her contracts, and carefully negotiated on the parts that mattered to her the most. And while she was affected by her parents strict Catholic morals, she didn't let that stop her from letting love into her life.
What I Was Mixed About:
Historical Details:I really didn't get a sense of the historical time periods in this book. Yes, there were many references to the clothing of the time (after all, Grace Kelly was a fashion icon). And there were plenty of references to how women were treated by men. These were explored thoroughly.
But this story spans from 1949 to 1982. I never got the sense that anything changed in those 32 years. Think of all the innovations, and social changes that happened during that time. I would have really liked to have seen Grace react to some of those changes.
What I Didn't Like:
Story:As I said in the introduction, everything leading up to her marriage to the Prince was filled with excitement and tension. But then...
via GIPHY
The only tension was in her marriage with Rainier, because they had grown apart over the years. We all know that she never made another film after she became a Princess. Why toy with the reader to make us believe she would make another movie? It made Grace look naive to say that she didn't know what she was giving up. And after creating such a portrait of a strong-minded woman, I found this hard to accept.
Rating:
Release Date: February 25th, 2020
Author: Kerri Maher
Publisher: Berkley Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Length: 384 pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation:
An entertaining look at the life of legendary film star, Grace Kelly. Very enjoyable, but I wish there were more historical details.
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