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True Grace : the life and death of an American princess
Leigh, Wendy.
Adult Nonfiction 921 G742
From Publishers' Weekly:
Grace Kelly's public persona sounds glam: a Hollywood star marries royalty. But behind the cameras were decades of unhappiness and a lonely death. And in this well-researched biography, Leigh (Prince Charming: The John F. Kennedy, Jr., Story) presents Kelly as the daughter of a self-made millionaire known for his philandering and emotional indifference. Yet she was eager to impress him and longed for attention. She found it onscreen and in a series of affairs with older, married men: Ray Milland, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper and the Shah of Iran. In fact, according to Leigh, she had affairs before and after her marriage. Kelly looked cool, but she was sexually aggressive-a subject that Leigh doesn't shy away from. The mystery is why the Oscar winner chose Prince Rainier, the ill-tempered, cash-strapped ruler of a tiny principality. It wasn't a love match: Rainier got a $2 million dowry, while Kelly's glamour turned a dissolute country into a playpen for the rich and famous. Kelly hoped to keep her career and was crushed when she realized marriage had trapped her. She could divorce-but she couldn't take her children. Leigh makes certain to note Rainier's infidelities-along with chronicling Kelly's history, acting career and charitable work in Monaco. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
The Grace Kelly story has been told so many times, one wonders, "Why again?" Kelly was the daughter of a wealthy, self-made man from whom she could never get the love she craved. Her beauty and talent propelled her into acting, a career she pursued until she met her prince (Rainier, of Monaco). Many biographers have documented Kelly's life, and Leigh (Prince Charming: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story), who broke the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger's womanizing and his father's Nazi past in her 1990 biography of the now "governator," acknowledges the works that preceded hers, most notably, J. Randy Taraborelli's Once Upon a Time. But she insists hers stands apart because, of the 125 named sources she interviewed, 98 had not talked to previous biographers. She also details 15 romances not previously disclosed (e.g., with Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis). One cannot dismiss Leigh's research, but her book has a decidedly tabloid feel (e.g., she includes Kelly's astrological chart and an analysis of her handwriting). While Taraborelli's book remains the definitive portrait of Princess Grace, this is a good addition to the oeuvre for gossip mavens.-Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Leigh, Wendy.
Adult Nonfiction 921 G742
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From Publishers' Weekly:
Grace Kelly's public persona sounds glam: a Hollywood star marries royalty. But behind the cameras were decades of unhappiness and a lonely death. And in this well-researched biography, Leigh (Prince Charming: The John F. Kennedy, Jr., Story) presents Kelly as the daughter of a self-made millionaire known for his philandering and emotional indifference. Yet she was eager to impress him and longed for attention. She found it onscreen and in a series of affairs with older, married men: Ray Milland, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper and the Shah of Iran. In fact, according to Leigh, she had affairs before and after her marriage. Kelly looked cool, but she was sexually aggressive-a subject that Leigh doesn't shy away from. The mystery is why the Oscar winner chose Prince Rainier, the ill-tempered, cash-strapped ruler of a tiny principality. It wasn't a love match: Rainier got a $2 million dowry, while Kelly's glamour turned a dissolute country into a playpen for the rich and famous. Kelly hoped to keep her career and was crushed when she realized marriage had trapped her. She could divorce-but she couldn't take her children. Leigh makes certain to note Rainier's infidelities-along with chronicling Kelly's history, acting career and charitable work in Monaco. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
The Grace Kelly story has been told so many times, one wonders, "Why again?" Kelly was the daughter of a wealthy, self-made man from whom she could never get the love she craved. Her beauty and talent propelled her into acting, a career she pursued until she met her prince (Rainier, of Monaco). Many biographers have documented Kelly's life, and Leigh (Prince Charming: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story), who broke the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger's womanizing and his father's Nazi past in her 1990 biography of the now "governator," acknowledges the works that preceded hers, most notably, J. Randy Taraborelli's Once Upon a Time. But she insists hers stands apart because, of the 125 named sources she interviewed, 98 had not talked to previous biographers. She also details 15 romances not previously disclosed (e.g., with Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis). One cannot dismiss Leigh's research, but her book has a decidedly tabloid feel (e.g., she includes Kelly's astrological chart and an analysis of her handwriting). While Taraborelli's book remains the definitive portrait of Princess Grace, this is a good addition to the oeuvre for gossip mavens.-Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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