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Grace
Through interviews with Grace Kelly's family and friends, the author of Ford: The Men and the Machine penetrates the storybook veneer around Kelly's life to reveal a surprisingly complex, conflicted woman. Lit Guild Main.
463 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Robert Lacey
86 books333 followersRobert Lacey is a British historian noted for his original research, which gets him close to - and often living alongside - his subjects. He is the author of numerous international bestsellers.
After writing his first works of historical biography, Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh, Robert wrote Majesty, his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Published in 1977, Majesty remains
acknowledged as the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which the author continues to write and lecture around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live.
The Kingdom, a study of Saudi Arabia published in 1981, is similarly acknowledged as required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students all over the world. To research The Kingdom, Robert and his wife Sandi took their family to live for eighteen months beside the Red Sea in Jeddah. Going out into the desert, this was when Robert earned his title as the "method actor" of contemporary biographers.
In March 1984 Robert Lacey took his family to live in Detroit, Michigan, to write Ford: the Men and the Machine, a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic which formed the basis for the TV mini-series of the same title, starring Cliff Robertson.
Robert's other books include biographies of the gangster Meyer Lansky, Princess Grace of Monaco and a study of Sotheby's auction house. He co- authored The Year 1000 - An Englishman's World, a description of life at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II, he published Royal (Monarch in America), hailed by Andrew Roberts in London's Sunday Telegraph as "compulsively readable", and by Martin Amis in The New Yorker as "definitive".
With the publication of his Great Tales Robert Lacey returns to his first love - history. Robert Lacey is currently the historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series "The Crown".
After writing his first works of historical biography, Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh, Robert wrote Majesty, his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Published in 1977, Majesty remains
acknowledged as the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which the author continues to write and lecture around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live.
The Kingdom, a study of Saudi Arabia published in 1981, is similarly acknowledged as required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students all over the world. To research The Kingdom, Robert and his wife Sandi took their family to live for eighteen months beside the Red Sea in Jeddah. Going out into the desert, this was when Robert earned his title as the "method actor" of contemporary biographers.
In March 1984 Robert Lacey took his family to live in Detroit, Michigan, to write Ford: the Men and the Machine, a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic which formed the basis for the TV mini-series of the same title, starring Cliff Robertson.
Robert's other books include biographies of the gangster Meyer Lansky, Princess Grace of Monaco and a study of Sotheby's auction house. He co- authored The Year 1000 - An Englishman's World, a description of life at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II, he published Royal (Monarch in America), hailed by Andrew Roberts in London's Sunday Telegraph as "compulsively readable", and by Martin Amis in The New Yorker as "definitive".
With the publication of his Great Tales Robert Lacey returns to his first love - history. Robert Lacey is currently the historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series "The Crown".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
December 13, 2016
The three stars are for the information provided about Grace Kelly, which is the only reason, in my opinion, to read this one. I find this book lacking both in heart and emotional insight. Minus this, the reader feels an emotional distance from Grace, making some of her dalliances seem tawdry rather than wistful or sad.
There has yet to be a truly great bio of this lovely star whose public image of a woman lovely and kind, fiercely loyal, flawless in grace, is accurate, yet terribly incomplete. There is too much of a matter-of-fact tone to the revelations about her various affairs and life-long need for love and acceptance to give the reader anything other than a surface picture of woman behind that famous smile. It is the greatest failing of this biography.
She married a Prince to escape the stifling atmosphere of the studio system, yet found her restless spirit again stifled as her time in Monaco lengthened. Acting in front of the camera had at least given her soul an outlet, a chance to fly. Her life-long quest for praise and acceptance from her father marred her youth, her career and her private life. She hurt easily, loved hard, and needed to be loved in the same way. She settled for tender dalliances to soothe her inward unhappiness, while outwardly being exactly what the public saw her as.
Tackling this lovely woman’s inner frustration behind that million-dollar smile was either beyond this author’s ability, or he was not inclined to do so. For that reason it comes off as remote and distant, making revelations about affairs of the heart seem salacious when in fact they were sad. If you’re looking to get a three dimensional picture of Grace, you won’t find it here. Perhaps one day this fine and lovely woman will get a biography worthy of her, one with insight and understanding, one which isn't boring. This book isn’t it. Yet still, even as lacking in empathy and insight as it is, a vague portrait does appear. If I had to describe Grace Kelly, I would say this:
“Privately unhappy, trapped like a bird in a gilded cage, she sometimes escaped, finding in various arms, brief moments of love and acceptance that made the cage bearable.”
It's unfortunate this book wasn't better, and that with all the various books floating around out there, a real portrait of Grace that goes beyond the surface, and to the heart of her, does not exist.
There has yet to be a truly great bio of this lovely star whose public image of a woman lovely and kind, fiercely loyal, flawless in grace, is accurate, yet terribly incomplete. There is too much of a matter-of-fact tone to the revelations about her various affairs and life-long need for love and acceptance to give the reader anything other than a surface picture of woman behind that famous smile. It is the greatest failing of this biography.
She married a Prince to escape the stifling atmosphere of the studio system, yet found her restless spirit again stifled as her time in Monaco lengthened. Acting in front of the camera had at least given her soul an outlet, a chance to fly. Her life-long quest for praise and acceptance from her father marred her youth, her career and her private life. She hurt easily, loved hard, and needed to be loved in the same way. She settled for tender dalliances to soothe her inward unhappiness, while outwardly being exactly what the public saw her as.
Tackling this lovely woman’s inner frustration behind that million-dollar smile was either beyond this author’s ability, or he was not inclined to do so. For that reason it comes off as remote and distant, making revelations about affairs of the heart seem salacious when in fact they were sad. If you’re looking to get a three dimensional picture of Grace, you won’t find it here. Perhaps one day this fine and lovely woman will get a biography worthy of her, one with insight and understanding, one which isn't boring. This book isn’t it. Yet still, even as lacking in empathy and insight as it is, a vague portrait does appear. If I had to describe Grace Kelly, I would say this:
“Privately unhappy, trapped like a bird in a gilded cage, she sometimes escaped, finding in various arms, brief moments of love and acceptance that made the cage bearable.”
It's unfortunate this book wasn't better, and that with all the various books floating around out there, a real portrait of Grace that goes beyond the surface, and to the heart of her, does not exist.
February 26, 2015
Hmm. What do I think about this book? It's not what I expected. I literally just finished this book and I am inclined to give it four stars. It would not be fair to punish Robert Lacey for not writing some kind of "Princess Diaries" when Grace Kelly's life was so conflicted. This book seems well researched and I found Lacey's writing style to be exceptional. Don't read this book if you don't want to look beneath the surface of Grace the icon because you may be disappointed. I learned so much about her life while reading this book. Whether I am thinking of Grace Kelly, the actress, or Princess Grace of Monaco, she truly surprised me.
A poem her father kept framed in his study that was the inspiration for much of his success also reflects Jack Kelly's influence over his daughter's life:
"Never by many are marvels wrought,
By one or two are the dreams first caught . . .
The dreamer must toil when the odds are great,
Must stand to failure and work and wait . . .
Must keep his faith though he stand alone,
Until the truth of his dream is known."
Driven by a need to gain approval from her father, Grace lived a life most women only dream about, yet from the rose comes the thorn. Sadly, I don't believe she experienced much happiness in her life.
A poem her father kept framed in his study that was the inspiration for much of his success also reflects Jack Kelly's influence over his daughter's life:
"Never by many are marvels wrought,
By one or two are the dreams first caught . . .
The dreamer must toil when the odds are great,
Must stand to failure and work and wait . . .
Must keep his faith though he stand alone,
Until the truth of his dream is known."
Driven by a need to gain approval from her father, Grace lived a life most women only dream about, yet from the rose comes the thorn. Sadly, I don't believe she experienced much happiness in her life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2019
In my view, Grace Kelly was a serviceable, though lackluster, actress. If she hadn’t married a prince and retired at the peak of her career, I doubt she would have been remembered, let alone become an icon.
So what exactly drew me into reading a biography about her? Mainly it was my interest in Classic Hollywood. I only knew the basic facts about Grace Kelly (her marriage into royalty, her premature retirement from acting, her gruesome death in a car accident), and after watching three of her films and reading that she was much more complex than she seemed, I became curious.
Robert Lacey’s book has been criticized for being salacious, and there are indeed some details about Grace’s love life I could have done without and more about her acting career and charity work he should have included (the focus on her affairs irritated me so much that at one point I stamped a note on one of the pages). He almost made it seem as though her career, on which she worked hard, was just an excuse to have sex. Nevertheless, he doesn’t shy away from the ugly truth, like the fact that her father (an Olympic champion) was emotionally abusive, controlling, and anti-Semitic. Grace spent all her life trying to win his approval and was never able to step away from his shadow.
Lacey posits the theory that her film career has endured because she was in the right place at the right time. Ingrid Bergman, the resident cool blonde of Hollywood, had shattered the illusion of inaccessibility by having an affair with director Roberto Rossellini and getting pregnant out of wedlock. Audiences needed a substitute, an actress whose sex appeal was enticing precisely because it was only hinted at, the opposite of Marilyn Monroe. And then Grace caught the eye of Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in Dial M for Murder (1954), the first of the three films they would make together.
Although Grace loved Rainier in the beginning, she hadn’t seen his worst qualities when she married him, and because there was a Grimaldi family law that dictated their children would remain with him if they divorced, she wasted the rest of her life posing as a decorative princess, looking composed in public while struggling with her demons in private (frustrated creativity, loneliness, marital difficulties, the rebelliousness of her daughters, and a possible drinking problem).
Grace Kelly’s life can be summed up with the final speech of her film The Swan (1956), when her character, also a princess, chooses duty over freedom:
Think what it means to be a swan: to glide like a dream on the smooth surface of the lake, and never go on the shore. On dry land, where ordinary people walk, the swan is awkward, even ridiculous. When she waddles up the bank, she painfully resembles a goose. So there she must stay, out on the lake: silent, white, majestic. Be a bird, but never fly. Know one song, but never sing it until the moment of her death. And so it must be for you, Alexandra: head high, cool indifference to the staring crowds along the bank. And the song? Never.
I guess people don’t like it when fairytales are spoilt.
So what exactly drew me into reading a biography about her? Mainly it was my interest in Classic Hollywood. I only knew the basic facts about Grace Kelly (her marriage into royalty, her premature retirement from acting, her gruesome death in a car accident), and after watching three of her films and reading that she was much more complex than she seemed, I became curious.
Robert Lacey’s book has been criticized for being salacious, and there are indeed some details about Grace’s love life I could have done without and more about her acting career and charity work he should have included (the focus on her affairs irritated me so much that at one point I stamped a note on one of the pages). He almost made it seem as though her career, on which she worked hard, was just an excuse to have sex. Nevertheless, he doesn’t shy away from the ugly truth, like the fact that her father (an Olympic champion) was emotionally abusive, controlling, and anti-Semitic. Grace spent all her life trying to win his approval and was never able to step away from his shadow.
Lacey posits the theory that her film career has endured because she was in the right place at the right time. Ingrid Bergman, the resident cool blonde of Hollywood, had shattered the illusion of inaccessibility by having an affair with director Roberto Rossellini and getting pregnant out of wedlock. Audiences needed a substitute, an actress whose sex appeal was enticing precisely because it was only hinted at, the opposite of Marilyn Monroe. And then Grace caught the eye of Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in Dial M for Murder (1954), the first of the three films they would make together.
Although Grace loved Rainier in the beginning, she hadn’t seen his worst qualities when she married him, and because there was a Grimaldi family law that dictated their children would remain with him if they divorced, she wasted the rest of her life posing as a decorative princess, looking composed in public while struggling with her demons in private (frustrated creativity, loneliness, marital difficulties, the rebelliousness of her daughters, and a possible drinking problem).
Grace Kelly’s life can be summed up with the final speech of her film The Swan (1956), when her character, also a princess, chooses duty over freedom:
Think what it means to be a swan: to glide like a dream on the smooth surface of the lake, and never go on the shore. On dry land, where ordinary people walk, the swan is awkward, even ridiculous. When she waddles up the bank, she painfully resembles a goose. So there she must stay, out on the lake: silent, white, majestic. Be a bird, but never fly. Know one song, but never sing it until the moment of her death. And so it must be for you, Alexandra: head high, cool indifference to the staring crowds along the bank. And the song? Never.
I guess people don’t like it when fairytales are spoilt.
August 16, 2024
"Come tutti, era un essere umano fallibile, ma, a differenza di molti, cercò sempre di imparare dai propri errori"
C'ho messo molto a terminare questo libro, è stata una lettura centellinata nel tempo.
I capitoli sono ricchi di dettagli, nomi e minuzie, il che ha reso la lettura in molti passaggi poco scorrevole, soprattutto la parte della giovinezza.
Nell'insieme però l'ho trovata una biografia completa che prova a delineare la figura di Grace Kelly in maniera quanto più veritiera possibile.
C'ho messo molto a terminare questo libro, è stata una lettura centellinata nel tempo.
I capitoli sono ricchi di dettagli, nomi e minuzie, il che ha reso la lettura in molti passaggi poco scorrevole, soprattutto la parte della giovinezza.
Nell'insieme però l'ho trovata una biografia completa che prova a delineare la figura di Grace Kelly in maniera quanto più veritiera possibile.
October 1, 2007
I found this book to be informative and a mostly sympathetic depiction of Grace Kelly, the Philadelphia-born actress who later married Prince Rainier of the Principality of Monaco in the south of France. Most of what was written in the book was new to me so it held my interest. But ultimately it was a sad story of a girl at first afraid to fight for her freedom from the expectations of her domineering father and later afraid to fight for her independence from her over-bearing and insecure husband.
Grace was at her happiest moments when working as an actress in her three films for Alfred Hitchcock (Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief, all great films) and the book was most enjoyable describing this time in her young life. But it ended sadly with her untimely death at the age of fifty-two, slightly more than twenty-five years ago in September 1982. The descriptions of her three children (Caroline, Albert and Stephanie) as adults was also sad to read.
There is probably no more informative biography of Grace Kelly than this one, but unless you're really interested in her life and times, I can't recommend reading it. It's just too sad.
Grace was at her happiest moments when working as an actress in her three films for Alfred Hitchcock (Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief, all great films) and the book was most enjoyable describing this time in her young life. But it ended sadly with her untimely death at the age of fifty-two, slightly more than twenty-five years ago in September 1982. The descriptions of her three children (Caroline, Albert and Stephanie) as adults was also sad to read.
There is probably no more informative biography of Grace Kelly than this one, but unless you're really interested in her life and times, I can't recommend reading it. It's just too sad.
April 5, 2017
A most revealing biography of Grace Kelly. There was a passionate soul beneath her very proper appearance. Her family--especially her father--were just really awful to her. No wonder she looked for love and approval from older more sophisticated men. Sad that her marriage didn't turn out as she expected and her daughters were such brats. I always admired her and am glad that most people agree she was a kind and caring person. So sad her life ended so young.
February 4, 2015
This was a lovely jaunt of a book. I enjoyed my journey through her life thanks to the painstakingly researched but highly sensitive narrative of the author. From Philadelphia upper middle class family life to a film star and then princess are the ingredients of a fairy tale. However, played out on the world stage she learned quite soon about "the devil's pact with celebrity that famous people can never hope to be 'just a person' again".
Lacey manages to tread that fine line between salacious interest and truth. What comes across is a complicated life brilliantly held together by the immaculate Grace. I had always thought her to be a beautiful woman and remain captivated by the stills that remain of her but I also now have a sense of the woman behind who was considered to be a fairy-tale princess. She was also a product of her time and much of her activities "provided a major stimulus to the modern, mass-market addiction to celebrity"
I also learned a lot about Monaco and the role that Aristotle Onassis played in Monaco's history and fortunes.
I found it to be a bit of a tragedy. There was a time in her life as a princess when it all was too much for her vulnerable self. "it was like having dinner with two different people. Grace seemed to be losing her centre. Her natural, human impulses, the old frank and fallible Grace, would not be suppressed, but she seemed confused and wandering, unable to bring the conflicting components of her spirit together"
She chose to make many compromises in her life, some to please her parents, some to please the prince. In the end these compromises led her to lead quite an isolated and somewhat sterile life on the rock of Monaco. However, she managed to weave her own delights into her life and the shame is, I got the sense that she was truly maturing into a less vulnerable, more independent adult woman when she had the terrible car crash and horrific end of life.
I imagine that the experience for her daughter Stephanie who was in the car with her has proved devastating. Evidence would suggest that Grace's wild child was rebelling against Grace's wishes at the time and they may have even been having an argument at the time of the accident.
A grisly ending to a mythical fairy tale.
Lacey manages to tread that fine line between salacious interest and truth. What comes across is a complicated life brilliantly held together by the immaculate Grace. I had always thought her to be a beautiful woman and remain captivated by the stills that remain of her but I also now have a sense of the woman behind who was considered to be a fairy-tale princess. She was also a product of her time and much of her activities "provided a major stimulus to the modern, mass-market addiction to celebrity"
I also learned a lot about Monaco and the role that Aristotle Onassis played in Monaco's history and fortunes.
I found it to be a bit of a tragedy. There was a time in her life as a princess when it all was too much for her vulnerable self. "it was like having dinner with two different people. Grace seemed to be losing her centre. Her natural, human impulses, the old frank and fallible Grace, would not be suppressed, but she seemed confused and wandering, unable to bring the conflicting components of her spirit together"
She chose to make many compromises in her life, some to please her parents, some to please the prince. In the end these compromises led her to lead quite an isolated and somewhat sterile life on the rock of Monaco. However, she managed to weave her own delights into her life and the shame is, I got the sense that she was truly maturing into a less vulnerable, more independent adult woman when she had the terrible car crash and horrific end of life.
I imagine that the experience for her daughter Stephanie who was in the car with her has proved devastating. Evidence would suggest that Grace's wild child was rebelling against Grace's wishes at the time and they may have even been having an argument at the time of the accident.
A grisly ending to a mythical fairy tale.
October 23, 2013
As should be evident by the fact that this is the fifth book of his I have read, I have such affection for Robert Lacey.
He is a skilled wordsmith, painting portraits of his subjects (both the titular ones and the supporting characters) with a wonderful mix of deference and levity, beauty and skepticism, intrigue and self-awareness.
And, of course, Grace continues in this fine literary tradition of Mr Lacey's. He is at his best when presenting royalty with a fair deal of frankness, and this subject allows him to once again showcase his abilities. At the same time, his usual routine in this regard is, naturally, disrupted by the fact that Grace was not always an aristocrat (in the true sense of the word), and it is when describing her life pre-Monaco that the book truly shines.
In fact, the more brilliant passages come from the first half, which deals with Philadelphia and the Kelly family, with Hollywood and Alfred Hitchcock. It seems that Grace The Actress was a more interesting subject for Mr Lacey than was Grace The Princess, because the first half of the book is more detailed, better-structured, and overall more indicative of the admirable style of his which melds together reverence and realism. Once the USS Constitution docks in Monte Carlo for the Wedding of the Century, however, the story becomes far more shallow and ridiculously un-selfaware. The straightforward, linear thread of the first half becomes a tangled mess of yarn with which a kitten must have played, because the book loses something once Grace becomes royal. Which, if it were a novel, would probably be a very clever, Virginia Woolf-esque stylistic choice (in which the writing style mirrors the aimless feeling of the protagonist), but instead serves only to weaken this Robert Lacey Biography.
But overall, it is a beautifully-written text, a fairly objective survey of a great and shining life. It is delicate, and detailed, and a delight to read - just another example of why Mr Lacey is one of the more excellentroyal biographers.
He is a skilled wordsmith, painting portraits of his subjects (both the titular ones and the supporting characters) with a wonderful mix of deference and levity, beauty and skepticism, intrigue and self-awareness.
And, of course, Grace continues in this fine literary tradition of Mr Lacey's. He is at his best when presenting royalty with a fair deal of frankness, and this subject allows him to once again showcase his abilities. At the same time, his usual routine in this regard is, naturally, disrupted by the fact that Grace was not always an aristocrat (in the true sense of the word), and it is when describing her life pre-Monaco that the book truly shines.
In fact, the more brilliant passages come from the first half, which deals with Philadelphia and the Kelly family, with Hollywood and Alfred Hitchcock. It seems that Grace The Actress was a more interesting subject for Mr Lacey than was Grace The Princess, because the first half of the book is more detailed, better-structured, and overall more indicative of the admirable style of his which melds together reverence and realism. Once the USS Constitution docks in Monte Carlo for the Wedding of the Century, however, the story becomes far more shallow and ridiculously un-selfaware. The straightforward, linear thread of the first half becomes a tangled mess of yarn with which a kitten must have played, because the book loses something once Grace becomes royal. Which, if it were a novel, would probably be a very clever, Virginia Woolf-esque stylistic choice (in which the writing style mirrors the aimless feeling of the protagonist), but instead serves only to weaken this Robert Lacey Biography.
But overall, it is a beautifully-written text, a fairly objective survey of a great and shining life. It is delicate, and detailed, and a delight to read - just another example of why Mr Lacey is one of the more excellent
Read
August 31, 2016Added 8/31/16. (first published January 1st 1994)
TITLE: Grace: Her Lives - Her Loves: The startling royal exposé BY Robert Lacey
Grace Kelly's life is very interesting to read about. She wasn't always the reserved, dignified figure she presented to the public! I am currently reading (bit by bit) my Kindle edition.
3/12/17 - I finally finished reading this Kindle edition.
I found the following interesting quote in the book:
"Poetry reading is the chamber music of the actor's craft."
[found at Location 6035 in the Kindle edition]
A good analogy. Grace Kelly did poetry readings later in her life.
Another good quote from the book is as follows:
"It's the love you had that matters, isn't it, not the pain."
From location #5630 of the Kindle edition of _Grace, Her Lives, Her Loves_ by Robert Lacey.
**********************************
PS-On the last pages of the book, we find the following poem by Edgar Guest:
DREAMS
Never by many are marvels wrought,
By one or two are the dreams first caught. . .
The dreamer must toil when the odds are great,
Must stand to failure and work and wait.
Must keep his faith though he stand alone,
Until the truth of his dream is known.
Following the above poem, the last sentences in the book (about where Grace is buried) are:
"It could be the resting place of some medieval saint. She dreamed so hard. She earned her glory."
*********************************
TITLE: Grace: Her Lives - Her Loves: The startling royal exposé BY Robert Lacey
Grace Kelly's life is very interesting to read about. She wasn't always the reserved, dignified figure she presented to the public! I am currently reading (bit by bit) my Kindle edition.
3/12/17 - I finally finished reading this Kindle edition.
I found the following interesting quote in the book:
"Poetry reading is the chamber music of the actor's craft."
[found at Location 6035 in the Kindle edition]
A good analogy. Grace Kelly did poetry readings later in her life.
Another good quote from the book is as follows:
"It's the love you had that matters, isn't it, not the pain."
From location #5630 of the Kindle edition of _Grace, Her Lives, Her Loves_ by Robert Lacey.
**********************************
PS-On the last pages of the book, we find the following poem by Edgar Guest:
DREAMS
Never by many are marvels wrought,
By one or two are the dreams first caught. . .
The dreamer must toil when the odds are great,
Must stand to failure and work and wait.
Must keep his faith though he stand alone,
Until the truth of his dream is known.
Following the above poem, the last sentences in the book (about where Grace is buried) are:
"It could be the resting place of some medieval saint. She dreamed so hard. She earned her glory."
*********************************
September 21, 2020
Grace Kelly was known to me as this glorious movie actress who did only a few movies but managed to flame and really leaves an impression as an actress in some great movies which I really enjoy until today, I showed my mother a remastered bluray of Hitchcocks Rear Window and she really loved and was surprised she's never seen this movie. She kept her fame by marrying European royalty and become a princess who rebuild the little fiefdom into a wealthy place everybody wants to live.
Anyhow this book tells the origins of Grace Patricia Kelly, also known as Grace of Monaco, it does show where she comes from and tells about her family and their drive. Her story in the world of modeling and acting, how she met a prince and what happened after. She remains perhaps famous because she then died too early and left a legacy in her movies and her children.
I am sure that people want a more respectful biography but the writer delivers a far more human picture of somebody who really wanted to be special and do special thing, and she did manage this without any doubt. But this peoples princess was not without her flaws of troubles, which makes her interesting. The little stories from her moviestar days are really insightful of the dying studio system that worked well for a long time in Hollywood. The post Hollywood fairytale from a beautiful girl from humble beginnings becomes a princess, has its scandal and dark spots too, interesting to read about.
Grace Kelly is a beautiful figure frozen in time as an actress that did some really amazing movies and became the figurehead of a little fiefdom at the French Mediterranean coast. The drama would make a great movie but it never could match the leading lady in real live.
Grace Kelly will remain an icon and it was nice to read she was human with her weakness and needs too.
Very well written and very easy to read, well worth your time if you enjoy tales of cinema history.
Anyhow this book tells the origins of Grace Patricia Kelly, also known as Grace of Monaco, it does show where she comes from and tells about her family and their drive. Her story in the world of modeling and acting, how she met a prince and what happened after. She remains perhaps famous because she then died too early and left a legacy in her movies and her children.
I am sure that people want a more respectful biography but the writer delivers a far more human picture of somebody who really wanted to be special and do special thing, and she did manage this without any doubt. But this peoples princess was not without her flaws of troubles, which makes her interesting. The little stories from her moviestar days are really insightful of the dying studio system that worked well for a long time in Hollywood. The post Hollywood fairytale from a beautiful girl from humble beginnings becomes a princess, has its scandal and dark spots too, interesting to read about.
Grace Kelly is a beautiful figure frozen in time as an actress that did some really amazing movies and became the figurehead of a little fiefdom at the French Mediterranean coast. The drama would make a great movie but it never could match the leading lady in real live.
Grace Kelly will remain an icon and it was nice to read she was human with her weakness and needs too.
Very well written and very easy to read, well worth your time if you enjoy tales of cinema history.
May 4, 2023
I grew up with an older father; he was 42 when I was born. So, I grew up watching old movies, the movies none of my friends had ever even heard of! Many of the people in this book from Cary Grant and David Niven to Clark Gabel and Alfred Hitchcock I grew up with and have seen much of their work. However, I have never seen a single, solitary thing of Princess Grace’s! Not a one! I have heard of some of her movies; I just haven’t seen any of them!
I am sorry to say that Grace Kelly was a slut! Can that even be said nicely? That surprised me! “For a girl who was so concerned with looking respectable, Grace Kelly conducted her private life with extraordinary recklessness” (142).
If I had been asked prior to this book how she died, I would have said her death was caused by driving drunk. After reading this book, that does not seem to be the case at all…so that was another surprise to me. She may have had a stroke which then led to her fatal accident. (She also may have had a stroke as a result of the accident.) There may be much more information available today. This book was written in 1994, and it is the only Princess Grace biography I have read.
“When fairy tales do not finish happily, their ending often tends to be cruel” (382).
This was a sad read…just tragic in so many ways. I feel somewhat hollow now… 😢
I am sorry to say that Grace Kelly was a slut! Can that even be said nicely? That surprised me! “For a girl who was so concerned with looking respectable, Grace Kelly conducted her private life with extraordinary recklessness” (142).
If I had been asked prior to this book how she died, I would have said her death was caused by driving drunk. After reading this book, that does not seem to be the case at all…so that was another surprise to me. She may have had a stroke which then led to her fatal accident. (She also may have had a stroke as a result of the accident.) There may be much more information available today. This book was written in 1994, and it is the only Princess Grace biography I have read.
“When fairy tales do not finish happily, their ending often tends to be cruel” (382).
This was a sad read…just tragic in so many ways. I feel somewhat hollow now… 😢
December 10, 2021
Pretty good, written thoroughly and with kindness and care. I learned a great many things about both Monaco and her. It means a lot to me that Duchess Grace had time to approve of this book being written before her passing. On the other hand, the structure was a little jumpy and I feel like the emphasis placed on religion went a little overboard at times.
January 21, 2024
I felt rather sorry for Grace Kelly. Life with her family was hard. Life in her marriage was hard. Her multiple love affairs were sad to me. I would hate to live her life. What a tragic end.
September 12, 2018
A pretty comprehensive biography of Grace Kelly, leaves one with a sense of sadness over her early death and the emptiness of the latter part of her life
January 22, 2022
Grace Kelly is a wonder. This book, although some could consider goosip-y, paints Grace Kelly as a human. And what a wonderful human she was.
November 18, 2024
She was a masterpiece the world mistook for porcelain
💭 Initial Reaction:
Reading this felt like walking through a museum of silk and shadow. Grace Kelly wasn’t just beautiful—she was strategic. Lacey gives us the fairy tale and the fracture lines underneath it. Every chapter feels like peeling off a glove that was always too tight.
👑 Vibes:
Hollywood ice queen. Monaco glamour. Soft-spoken rebellion. Suppressed ambition. The performance of perfection. Elegance as armor.
💔 Line That Stayed With Me:
“Grace did not stop acting. She simply changed the stage.”
🩸 Final Thoughts:
This isn’t just a biography—it’s a quiet dissection of what happens when a woman is turned into a symbol, then expected to live up to it forever.
Grace is haunting in its restraint. Beautiful in its loneliness. And deeply sobering for those who know what it’s like to be adored, but never known.
💭 Initial Reaction:
Reading this felt like walking through a museum of silk and shadow. Grace Kelly wasn’t just beautiful—she was strategic. Lacey gives us the fairy tale and the fracture lines underneath it. Every chapter feels like peeling off a glove that was always too tight.
👑 Vibes:
Hollywood ice queen. Monaco glamour. Soft-spoken rebellion. Suppressed ambition. The performance of perfection. Elegance as armor.
💔 Line That Stayed With Me:
“Grace did not stop acting. She simply changed the stage.”
🩸 Final Thoughts:
This isn’t just a biography—it’s a quiet dissection of what happens when a woman is turned into a symbol, then expected to live up to it forever.
Grace is haunting in its restraint. Beautiful in its loneliness. And deeply sobering for those who know what it’s like to be adored, but never known.
April 10, 2022
An unauthorized biography of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco written by historian Robert Lacey, who has written numerous royal biographies. The book is well written and engaging to read and is particularly detailed regarding her early life. I found the author was very focused on her relationship with her parents and her love life, however, and I would have been interested to read more about her activities in Monaco - her charity work, art, poetry readings etc. are discussed more quickly than her childhood and relationships. The book was written in 1994 and the final chapter about where the Grimaldis are now is out of date though an interesting snapshot of the time.
November 5, 2016
Really good biography of Grace Kelly. There are more details about her life before becoming a princess, then after. It describes her personality in a lot of details, and also touches upon the times she lived in. The book is easy to read, and even though it's a bit lengthy it doesn't take long to finish it.
May 25, 2022
De titel zegt dat het de definitieve biografie is van Grace Kelly. Daar kun je een discussie over voeren, want in mij ogen is het dat zeer zeker niet. Het verhaal blijft oppervlakkig en soms heb je het gevoel een roddelblad te lezen, de ene na de andere nieuwe liefde van Grace Kelly met wie ze ook maar meteen het bed zou hebben gedeeld. Dit is een oudere biografie van Grace Kelly, geschreven in 1994, dus het laatste hoofdstuk is nu behoorlijk verouderd omdat Rainier toen nog leefde, Albert ongehuwd was enzovoort.
Grace Kelly is van jongs af aan al iemand geweest waar ik bewondering voor had en heb. Ze had iets magisch, iets mysterieus…Uiteraard haar films gezien, boeken gelezen, boeken die over het algemeen niet dat mysterie wat ze uitstraalde wisten te ontrafelen.. Er moest toch meer schuil gaan achter die glimlach… Ik was dus best nieuwsgierig naar dit boek : Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves..
Dit boek is geschreven zonder de medewerking van de familie, wat voordelen heeft (het is niet nodig om het verhaal te vergoelijken en te verbloemen) en nadelen (geen echt inzicht van de mensen die kennis over haar hadden hoe ze als persoon was.)
Robert Lacey’s boek is veel bekritiseerd omdat het wellustig was, en er zijn inderdaad enkele details over Grace’s liefdesleven die ik had kunnen missen, het is totaal niet relevant. Ik had graag meer over haar acteercarrière en liefdadigheidswerk gelezen.
Hij liet het bijna lijken alsof haar carrière, waaraan ze hard werkte, slechts een excuus was om romantische relaties te hebben. Desalniettemin schuwt hij op sommige gebieden de lelijke waarheid niet, zoals het feit dat haar vader (een Olympisch kampioen) emotioneel beledigend, controlerend en antisemitisch was. Grace heeft haar hele leven geprobeerd zijn goedkeuring te krijgen en is nooit in staat geweest om uit zijn schaduw te stappen.
Haar huwelijk met Rainier leek gelukkig ( na haar overlijden oogde hij tot zijn dood als een gebroken man.).Als we het boek moeten geloven was de liefde in het huwelijk gauw over en had Grace te stellen met de Grimaldi-familie wet die zegt dat bij een scheiding de kinderen bij Rainier zouden blijven. Dus zou Grace voor de buitenwereld de schijn ophouden maar privé worstelde met haar demonen (gefrustreerde creativiteit, eenzaamheid, huwelijksproblemen, de opstandigheid van haar dochters etc.) Ja in hoe verre is dat waar….
Samengevat : Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves is niet de biografie die je verwacht te lezen, het geeft je geen beeld van wie Grace nu echt was, het merendeel wat je leest is over haar zogenaamde liefdesleven.. Terwijl Grace voor Monaco , haar gezin en haar goede doelen zo veel meer was….
Grace Kelly is van jongs af aan al iemand geweest waar ik bewondering voor had en heb. Ze had iets magisch, iets mysterieus…Uiteraard haar films gezien, boeken gelezen, boeken die over het algemeen niet dat mysterie wat ze uitstraalde wisten te ontrafelen.. Er moest toch meer schuil gaan achter die glimlach… Ik was dus best nieuwsgierig naar dit boek : Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves..
Dit boek is geschreven zonder de medewerking van de familie, wat voordelen heeft (het is niet nodig om het verhaal te vergoelijken en te verbloemen) en nadelen (geen echt inzicht van de mensen die kennis over haar hadden hoe ze als persoon was.)
Robert Lacey’s boek is veel bekritiseerd omdat het wellustig was, en er zijn inderdaad enkele details over Grace’s liefdesleven die ik had kunnen missen, het is totaal niet relevant. Ik had graag meer over haar acteercarrière en liefdadigheidswerk gelezen.
Hij liet het bijna lijken alsof haar carrière, waaraan ze hard werkte, slechts een excuus was om romantische relaties te hebben. Desalniettemin schuwt hij op sommige gebieden de lelijke waarheid niet, zoals het feit dat haar vader (een Olympisch kampioen) emotioneel beledigend, controlerend en antisemitisch was. Grace heeft haar hele leven geprobeerd zijn goedkeuring te krijgen en is nooit in staat geweest om uit zijn schaduw te stappen.
Haar huwelijk met Rainier leek gelukkig ( na haar overlijden oogde hij tot zijn dood als een gebroken man.).Als we het boek moeten geloven was de liefde in het huwelijk gauw over en had Grace te stellen met de Grimaldi-familie wet die zegt dat bij een scheiding de kinderen bij Rainier zouden blijven. Dus zou Grace voor de buitenwereld de schijn ophouden maar privé worstelde met haar demonen (gefrustreerde creativiteit, eenzaamheid, huwelijksproblemen, de opstandigheid van haar dochters etc.) Ja in hoe verre is dat waar….
Samengevat : Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves is niet de biografie die je verwacht te lezen, het geeft je geen beeld van wie Grace nu echt was, het merendeel wat je leest is over haar zogenaamde liefdesleven.. Terwijl Grace voor Monaco , haar gezin en haar goede doelen zo veel meer was….
May 12, 2026
I have read many books on Grace Kelly, and I will say this one goes into a different approach that one may expect. The writer doesn't write a biography as more than he does a gossipy piece.
Throughout, he constantly states that Kelly had limited to no skills as an actress and was just had a photogenic face due to her modeling. He also writes that she had the skill to make men believe she needed taken care of, and with her many love interests comes off as a home wrecker, not stating that if she was dating men/or her co-stars who were in the midst of divorce, the men had no blame for their parts in it.
The author is clearly not a fan of Kelly, and it comes through in the writing, which after reading it, made me ask these questions: if she wasn't skilled as an actress, how did she have the skill to connive her way to get men to fall for her and do what she wanted? Is that acting? Secondly, he isn't a fan of her acting or life, why write a book about it?
The writer makes Kelly living two lives; one that is a sweet girl who follows her parents' wishes (several times they intervene with her dating choices, use racial comments even for the days in the 60s), and yet comes off as a sex craze person by hiding it from the cameras (as if other actresses/actors didn't). As a mother and wife of the Prince, he writes that she was not happy and having outside relationships within her marriage, and a bad mother to her kids when they were in their teen years.
I got this at a book sale cheaply, and will add it to my collection of other books on her. Some of us are fans of her acting (keep in mind, she had a short run in Hollywood, so that needed to be taken in account-trying to compare her to those who had decades of time to create their skills). Kelly and Natalie Wood are still my favorite of all time, and they both had fates that are still questioned , which makes any book about them a read for me (although this one is very biased of NOT liking her)
Throughout, he constantly states that Kelly had limited to no skills as an actress and was just had a photogenic face due to her modeling. He also writes that she had the skill to make men believe she needed taken care of, and with her many love interests comes off as a home wrecker, not stating that if she was dating men/or her co-stars who were in the midst of divorce, the men had no blame for their parts in it.
The author is clearly not a fan of Kelly, and it comes through in the writing, which after reading it, made me ask these questions: if she wasn't skilled as an actress, how did she have the skill to connive her way to get men to fall for her and do what she wanted? Is that acting? Secondly, he isn't a fan of her acting or life, why write a book about it?
The writer makes Kelly living two lives; one that is a sweet girl who follows her parents' wishes (several times they intervene with her dating choices, use racial comments even for the days in the 60s), and yet comes off as a sex craze person by hiding it from the cameras (as if other actresses/actors didn't). As a mother and wife of the Prince, he writes that she was not happy and having outside relationships within her marriage, and a bad mother to her kids when they were in their teen years.
I got this at a book sale cheaply, and will add it to my collection of other books on her. Some of us are fans of her acting (keep in mind, she had a short run in Hollywood, so that needed to be taken in account-trying to compare her to those who had decades of time to create their skills). Kelly and Natalie Wood are still my favorite of all time, and they both had fates that are still questioned , which makes any book about them a read for me (although this one is very biased of NOT liking her)
September 7, 2017
Of all the acting talents in history, Grace Kelly is my favorite.
In 1954, she starred in "Rear Window" with James Stewart. That wonderful film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. "Rear Window" is in my personal top three of favorite movies...ever. The film's story always captivated me, as did the way it was masterfully crafted in such a timeless and almost otherworldly way by Hitchcock.
Aside from that particular film, there was also the truly fantastic, twisting and turning plot of "Dial M for Murder" and the picturesque caper film "To Catch a Thief." These films are all tremendous, and were representative of the superb, relatively few films Grace Kelly made over the course of her all too brief, but stunning acting career.
Jimmy Stewart was quoted as saying, "Grace brought into my life, as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of it's own." When I read this, I connected with it as I recalled how much I enjoyed and cherished the films of Grace Kelly.
It can be a strange experience for a person to read the biography of their favorite celebrated person. "Will the biographer's story capture the wonderful qualities of that person? Will I be able to relate to what is written from the standpoint of a fan?" In the case of "Grace" by Robert Lacey, I was very pleased with what I read.
Lacey takes us into the life and times of Grace Kelly, showcasing his talent for presenting his "subjects" in a living, breathing way with a mixture if intrigue, honesty, reverence and celebration of the exceptional life lived. And Grace Kelly's life was truly exceptional.
Lacey captured my imagination with "Grace." The book is a impressive achievement.
In 1954, she starred in "Rear Window" with James Stewart. That wonderful film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. "Rear Window" is in my personal top three of favorite movies...ever. The film's story always captivated me, as did the way it was masterfully crafted in such a timeless and almost otherworldly way by Hitchcock.
Aside from that particular film, there was also the truly fantastic, twisting and turning plot of "Dial M for Murder" and the picturesque caper film "To Catch a Thief." These films are all tremendous, and were representative of the superb, relatively few films Grace Kelly made over the course of her all too brief, but stunning acting career.
Jimmy Stewart was quoted as saying, "Grace brought into my life, as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of it's own." When I read this, I connected with it as I recalled how much I enjoyed and cherished the films of Grace Kelly.
It can be a strange experience for a person to read the biography of their favorite celebrated person. "Will the biographer's story capture the wonderful qualities of that person? Will I be able to relate to what is written from the standpoint of a fan?" In the case of "Grace" by Robert Lacey, I was very pleased with what I read.
Lacey takes us into the life and times of Grace Kelly, showcasing his talent for presenting his "subjects" in a living, breathing way with a mixture if intrigue, honesty, reverence and celebration of the exceptional life lived. And Grace Kelly's life was truly exceptional.
Lacey captured my imagination with "Grace." The book is a impressive achievement.
March 31, 2021
This was a contrast from the last book about Grace Kelly I read. Rather a sad look and in reality hard to know if this was an accurate view into her life. This book paralleled the other but had additional details that were not as positive about her life.
She was young, stunning and sadly ended her career just when it began and married a person who was a prince of whom she barely knew. A recipe for a lot off issues. On top of that, my perception of people who were so beautiful is that they seem to have a hard time aging - regardless of in the public view or not.
There is a lot of me that feels that we really don’t need to know the inner workings of another person, so you may wonder why I read the book. I suppose like everyone else, curiosity of course and I do love old movies and I am especially fond of the films Grace Kelly was in.
She was young, stunning and sadly ended her career just when it began and married a person who was a prince of whom she barely knew. A recipe for a lot off issues. On top of that, my perception of people who were so beautiful is that they seem to have a hard time aging - regardless of in the public view or not.
There is a lot of me that feels that we really don’t need to know the inner workings of another person, so you may wonder why I read the book. I suppose like everyone else, curiosity of course and I do love old movies and I am especially fond of the films Grace Kelly was in.
July 20, 2025
An inquisitive examination of the life of someone who wasn’t quite what she seemed on the surface. I love the way it picks apart the reality Grace wanted the world to see, and the accounts from the people that knew her, now that we can observe her with the kind of objectivity that only comes from hindsight.
I think if she were around to read this book she would be horrified. But as a reader it allowed me to see her private and maybe shameful moments with (sorry for the pun) grace. She was just a girl who wanted to feel loved. She did lots of things that were scandalous for the time (or for our time honestly). But she had a good heart. It’s such a tragedy that, just as she was becoming brave enough to show her true self to the world, her life ended.
I think if she were around to read this book she would be horrified. But as a reader it allowed me to see her private and maybe shameful moments with (sorry for the pun) grace. She was just a girl who wanted to feel loved. She did lots of things that were scandalous for the time (or for our time honestly). But she had a good heart. It’s such a tragedy that, just as she was becoming brave enough to show her true self to the world, her life ended.
October 14, 2020
I am not quite sure what to make of this book, or its subject! It felt like an authorized biography but it wasn't. It felt like it was salacious gossip at times. And Grace Kelly seems to me like a chameleon who adapted to whatever her circumstances required. Published in 1994, it all seems so long ago and a lot of the peripheral information in it about what is happening "now" to the Grimaldis and Monaco, of course are vastly out of date. I also wonder if the author was in two minds about how he felt about his subject. An interesting book.
August 23, 2021
So Sad
In my opinion, Grace Kelly was one of the most beautiful women who ever lived. She was talented, intelligent, came from money and married a prince. But she never stopped being the little girl who didn't get enough of her father's attention, possibly the cause of so many men in her life. Fathers of daughters should read this as a cautionary tale. Beyond that, I found little to recommend it. In fact, it is a blight on the name of a good woman...much like the books about Lady Diana's sex life. There are just some things we don't need to and shouldn't know.
In my opinion, Grace Kelly was one of the most beautiful women who ever lived. She was talented, intelligent, came from money and married a prince. But she never stopped being the little girl who didn't get enough of her father's attention, possibly the cause of so many men in her life. Fathers of daughters should read this as a cautionary tale. Beyond that, I found little to recommend it. In fact, it is a blight on the name of a good woman...much like the books about Lady Diana's sex life. There are just some things we don't need to and shouldn't know.
March 15, 2025
This was a tough book for me to read, but once I’m a chapter, or even just a few pages into a book, I finish it. I think I started this shortly after Christmas, or early January. Some of the chapters were interesting but most were not, especially the history of the Grimaldi family and the war(s) in Momaco. It just wasn’t the biography of Princess Grace I thought it was going to be! I love to read books that pull me in right away and I can’t put them down. This was not one of those books!
April 8, 2026
W końcu bliżej poznałam sylwetkę Grace, a ta biografia w tym pomogła – chronologicznie, bez zbytniego chaosu, co zawsze jest na plus. Czuję jednak, że wciąż pozostaje nieco odległą postacią.
Brakowało mi więcej słów od samej Grace, jak i głębszego przybliżenia czasów jako księżna Monako.
Z jednej strony doceniam autorskie analizy, łączenia wpływów rodziny na Grace, a z drugiej mam wrażenie że momentami autor zbytnio wybiegał ze swoimi opiniami. Mimo to, jest to całkiem dobra biografia.
Brakowało mi więcej słów od samej Grace, jak i głębszego przybliżenia czasów jako księżna Monako.
Z jednej strony doceniam autorskie analizy, łączenia wpływów rodziny na Grace, a z drugiej mam wrażenie że momentami autor zbytnio wybiegał ze swoimi opiniami. Mimo to, jest to całkiem dobra biografia.
June 26, 2026
Although written as an exposé (as the book's cover page boldly points out), I would say that overall this biography does an admirable job of pointing out both the achievements and flaws of an individual, Grace Kelly, who impacted millions in her brief life. Definitely came away respecting her intelligence, skills and desires, albeit while trying to balance the demands of a strict upbringing and life in the public eye.
September 11, 2018
“Ancora una volta fu l’acuto Alfred Hitchcock a cogliere il punto - Sono felice che Grace si sia trovata un’ottima parte”
L’autore guarda a Grace con affetto, ma non per questo le risparmia qualche critica. Ne emerge il ritratto di una donna ambiziosa che ha saputo dare molto, ma anche un po’ infantile e alquanto infelice. Non ha intenti agiografici, ma non scalfisce il mito
L’autore guarda a Grace con affetto, ma non per questo le risparmia qualche critica. Ne emerge il ritratto di una donna ambiziosa che ha saputo dare molto, ma anche un po’ infantile e alquanto infelice. Non ha intenti agiografici, ma non scalfisce il mito
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2025
This book is so odd. It's VERY surface level, and contradicts itself multiple times. You learn very little about the films Grace made, and the book seems much more interested in "exposing" her private life. Not the worst book on Grace I've read in terms of gross rumors, but it's just so bland and not worth reading.
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