Grace (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Robert Lacey (Author)

Book Description

Series: G K Hall Large Print Book Series | Publication Date: March 1995

From one of the world's most renowned biographers, a revealing and poignant portrait of the fabled Grace of Monaco reveals intimate details of her affluent upbringing, her early days before the camera, how she met her prince, her struggles as a parent, the truth about Rainier, and details of her death. b&w photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Proper, demure and wholesomely beautiful, Grace Kelly was quite the opposite of what she seemed, according to this seductive biography. Lacey (The Kingdom) writes of "the eruptions of sexuality that she usually managed to conceal behind her virginal exterior." The book is likely to be much discussed, less for the story of Kelly's family background, film career and marriage to Monaco's Prince Rainier than for its startling details of sexual promiscuity before and after her marriage. Lacey captures the pageantry of the 1956 marriage, then focuses on the somewhat sleazy reality behind Monaco's charming facade and its easily bored, practical-joking ruler. The author's description of Princess Grace's passivity before her unappreciative husband and spoiled daughters will also surprise readers. "When fairy tales do not finish happily," he writes, "their ending often tends to be cruel." In his examination of the road accident that led to the princess's death in 1982 at age 51, he turns up some unpleasant possibilities. Photos. 100,000 first printing; major ad/promo; first serial to Vanity Fair; Literary Guild main selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

After Hollywood stardom in the Fifties, Grace Kelly, daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia businessman, retired while still glamorous to become Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco. Her death in a 1982 automobile accident has never been explained. The fairy tale that was-or seemed to be-Kelly's life has already served as the basis of several popular biographies; the only well-written, critical biography available is James Spada's Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess (LJ 5/1/87). Historian and journalist Lacey (Ford: The Men and the Machine, LJ 9/1/86) owes much to Spada, but Lacey's own prestige as a writer has shaken loose many new interviewees around the world. The serious work that results is rich in anecdote yet captures the broad story of an outwardly controlled "ice princess" whose promiscuous habits were the natural result of the affection withheld by the men she loved. Public libraries should expect demand.
Joyce Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 557 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0783811993
• ISBN-13: 978-0783811994
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,368,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > History > Europe > Monaco

More About the Author

"It's all here," says Tom Brokaw " - Islam, the family tree, a sea of oil and money to match, palace intrigue and the place of Osama Bin Laden. This is high drama and an epic tale. Dazzling - on every level". Robert Lacey is an historian and biographer whose research has taken him from the Middle East ("The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Saud") to America's Mid-West ("Ford: the Men and the Machine"). "Majesty", his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II, is the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which Robert lectures around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live. To research and write his latest book, "Inside the Kingdom", he went to live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for three years. You can read more about Robert's new book - and also view his acclaimed TV film report for PBS NOW on Saudi extremists - on his website www.insidethekingdom.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Told Me Just What I Wanted to Know About Her, November 11, 2001

By 

Imperial Topaz (Marrakesh, Morocco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace (Paperback)

I wanted to know all about the men in Grace Kelley's life, both before and after her marriage. This book told me everything, but in a classy, well-researched way. I learned a lot about Monaco, and just the things I would have wanted to know about her family members, too. After reading this excellent book, I plan to read more of Robert Lacey's works.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Biography of Princess Grace of Monaco, August 1, 2000

By 

Crystal (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace (Paperback)

'Grace' tells the life story of Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly the movie star Grace Kelly. It seems Grace had some problems adjusting to royalty, including the fact that her mother-in-law, Princess Charlotte, despised her. But as years went by, it seems Grace and Rainier became closer. The fact that Rainier is still a widower and always poses for pictures in front of her portrait shows he will always love her!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Grace, August 4, 2003

By 

Natalie (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace (Hardcover)

I picked up "Grace" about a year ago when I found it in my mom's old book closet. Although I am relatively young, something about the stars of yesteryear attracts me more than the glitz surrounding contemporary celebrities. Grace Kelly is no exception. I knew nothing about this icon, except that she was an American princess and a Hitchcockian heroine. Mr. Lacey certainly did his share in informing me about this classic movie star. I enjoyed how he provides us with immense background on the Kelly's, a prominent family in their own right. Mr. Lacey also does a fine job in giving us the "low-down" on Monaco and its interesting history.
Also of note would be the fact that Lacey attempts (and succeeds) at presenting the seemingly ethereal Grace as a person, not the sex symbol or ice queen she is usually remembered as. He does give a lot of insight into her love life and various affairs, but you never lose sight that Grace had this innocence about her. It seemed as if she could do no wrong.
Aside from being a talented actress, Grace was a true beauty and a dedicated mother and wife. She will always be remembered as our very own princess.