Customer Reviews

Diana & Dodi: A Love Story

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A supremely sycophantic book "written" by Dodi's boy Friday (butler, valet, masseure, personal trainer, gofer...). All the perfumed prose cannot hide the skeleton of the story: two people who'd seen each other for about six weeks, dated seriously for about four of those, and were united in their stuffed animals and living well off of other people's money. No mention is made of Dodi's fiance, who was stashed on a nearby yacht during the first two weeks of D&D's six week "love" affair. This is definitely the Fayed public version of what happened between mid July and August 31, 1999.

I found this book to be the best Diana book I have read. I do belive this story. I think Diana and Dodi did care for each other and I think Rene is telling it like he saw it. the book lets you see the personal side of Diana as well as Dodi.the book also tells you what happened the night of the crash. this book is the only book on Diana that I did not get bored with.a great love story.

This book was very warm, discreet and also revealing of a mgical romance. Anyone that loves Diana will be extremely happy with this book.

In this book you can feel that Diana is being a real person- happy, smiling, laughing, eating, and falling in love, relaxing- an image she never got by hundreds of people- it is sad that her life was cut so short. She was a lovely, gracious woman who left way to early in life. Her time with Dodi- was to start a lifetime of romance that was ever so sweet. that was cut very short too.Now we will never know if they were to ever marry or not.

I am a greatful of Rene for sharing his memories with the world of Diana- allowing people to see and to hear about her romance.

A starry-eyed account of the doomed pair's romance by Dodi's butler. So protective is Delorm of his late boss that he never mentions model Kelly Fisher, whom he must have known Dodi was two-timing after Diana came along.

But Delorm's devotion can be touching. "You left me," he wrote in the condolence book at Dodi's funeral, and then dissolved into tears.

A very one-sided look into a doomed duo's romance.

I've probably read all or nearly all the books on Diana. Somehow I'd missed this one until a friend gave it to me as a gift. While I didn't give it 5 stars for its great literary qualities, I thought that for Diana fans, it delightfully delivered the goods - it is a pleasing intimate portrait with plenty of detail (food, clothes, toiletries, habits) yet with a real sense of affection, humor and respect.

Setting this apart from most Diana books is the uniquely likeable voice of the narrator. Delorm is a class act, a man who respected and liked his boss, Dodi Fayed, and who seems to view everyone from his wealthy employer to his fellow cooks, butlers and masseuses with generosity of spirit and an open mind. This is a refreshing contrast with the self serving busybody tone of Patrick Jephson's Diana book, or any of the royal "experts" who simultaneously envy, fawn and snipe.

The author's joie de vivre and eye for detail turn this book into a lovely little vacation on a yacht, along with two people we might have enjoyed knowing very much. And unlike many books published after their deaths, it does not lay on the pathos, but instead is more of a celebration.

All in all, this is an intimate book you can enjoy without feeling like a voyeur, and a very welcome read for anyone who misses Diana. She sounds like a lot of fun.

A great escape read in these glamour-free times. Highly recommended.

Rene Delorm, Dodi Fayed's former Butler, was clearly devoted to his former employer and this affection shines through these memoirs.

The scene is well set with a brief thumbnail sketch relating how his and Dodi's paths originally crossed, before the more eagerly-awaited period is focussed upon. Never overstating his case, Delorm recounts the beginnings of Dodi's affair with the Princess of Wales with disarming candour and seems to me conscious of the temptation to embroider upon his recollections or, worse still, hypothesise on what the future for the couple may have held. This temptation he scrupulously avoids and it is to his credit that he refers only to what he saw and heard and shies away from hearsay and speculation.

While necessarily anecdotal in content, the book gives a charming, if simplistic, insight into their last days together and makes an interesting addition to the huge library of titles dealing with the demise of Diana and Dodi, by one who was well-placed to observe their intimacies. Paul Burrell, Diana's Butler, (whom she referred to as her "rock") is arguably in a better position to reveal her state of mind in these last weeks but has, to date, sensitively deferred from comment. Delorm's book, though, is an affectionate and poignant recollection and his grief on hearing the devastating news is tangible.

For someone who supposedly knew Dodi well, and spent time with Dodi and Diana during their romance, the author tells very little about their romance, beyond just some general comments about how happy they seemed to be together. Much of this story could be found in more detail in the tabloid newspapers. This book was probably written only to make Dodi's father Mohammed Al Fayed happy about this fairytale romance. No mention about Dodi's supposed engagement to marry Kelly Fisher at the time he was romancing Diana. Hardly to be expected to be the source for the truth about Dodi and Diana.

I expected this book to be some tell all book about Dodi and Diana and instead I found a book that brought out the human side of Dodi.

I bought this book hoping to learn a bit about the romance watched around the world, scrutinized particularly because of its tragic end. I thought with Rene being the butler, it would be very informative. I found myself with each turn of the page being annoyed at how "perfect" he seems to find himself. Example is the following couple of sentences:

"As I left, I had conflicting feelings. On the one hand, I was glad to help ease any worriess the princess might have had about Dodi...On the other hand, I felt uncomfortable speaking behind his back. But if I didn't tell the princess the truth about what a fine person he was, who would? ...In this one instance, I felt sure that he wouldn't mind my personal revelations about him." (page 135)

And yet he goes on to write this book. Unbelievable.

Don't bother if you haven't already.

I should have known better! Sort of like the James Hewitt tell-all, from the butler's view. Obviously a big way to cash in. The glamour of it all- who wouldn't fall in love with all that. I'd be curious if Diana or the bitler would have the same feelings if all that money wasn't involved. I'll tell you one thing- the rich aren't like you and me- and I'm glad!