Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess [Hardcover]

James Spada (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 346 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (April 8, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385192991
• ISBN-13: 978-0385192996
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,968,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > History > Europe > Monaco

More About the Author

James Spada is an author, publisher and photographer who has produced two dozen books over the past thirty-five years. He has had three New York Times bestsellers, including his biographies of Grace Kelly and Peter Lawford. He has written both intimate text-only biographies and illustrated coffee-table books.
In September 2010 he will have two new books on the market. His first work of fiction, "Days When My Heart Was Volcanic," is a historical novel about six months in the life of Edgar Allan Poe. His third collection of male nude images, "Eye Candy," comprises over seventy photographs.

Jim lives in Boston with his husband and two cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A ground-breaking book about Grace, March 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess (Hardcover)

James Spada was the first Grace Kelly biographer to reveal that she was anything but "the girl in the white gloves" that the Hollywood myth machine insisted she was. Every other Grace biographer since owes him a debt. Spada's interviews with Grace's sisters, a niece, and several former lovers paint a sympathetic picture of a yong woman torn between conflicting loyalties and conflicting ideas of propriety. She was in many ways a libertine, but always she felt guilty because of her strictly Catholic upbringing. After she finally got free of her restrictive parents, she married a man whose position and lifestyle restricted her even more. In many ways Grace Kelly seemed a one-dimensional figure before Spada wrote his book. You'll never think of her in that way again.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Love Lives of a Princess"?, September 6, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess. An Intimate Biography of Grace Kelly (Mass Market Paperback)

James Spada aspires to create a shattering and shocking biography of the late Princess Grace Grimaldi, nee Grace Kelly. Unfortunately his biography reads less like a biography than like a listing of the affairs and miserable times she had.

It covers the background that Grace Kelly came from, and her rapid ascent into the Hollywood spotlight, where she became an adored and talented actress. She won the hearts of the public anew when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco, helped pull his small principality back into the spotlight -- and died tragically in a car crash at a relatively young age.

Spada certainly had the material for a good book in his hands, but like many other so-called biographers of famous and beloved personages, he descends to essentially repeating every little tabloid report and insinuation. Every one of Grace's lovers is listed, with Spada showing especial glee when the man in question was married. Literally half the book is taken up by descriptions of who she slept with and, very briefly, the movies she made. After reading this book, readers will be hard-put to remember the plots of her movies, but they will be able to remember her mother's argument with Oleg Cassini. Additionally, the only interactions in her life in Monaco that he focuses on are negative; one would think that Grace didn't have a satisfying five seconds after she married Rainier.

Similar treatment is given to her family. Rainier is a nebulous presence at best -- what little we hear is never enough to let us form a real picture of him as a person. Virtually no attention is paid to Caroline's role as First Lady, but plenty is paid to her tempestuous love life. Albert's adult life is summed up in a listing of his lovers, and Stephanie's accomplishments are crammed into a page and a half, in comparison to the pages dedicated to rebellion and, yes, her love life. To add insult to this amalgation of tabloid rumors, Spada even presents the assertion of a tabloid stringer that Grace's death was an attempted murder/suicide.

His writing style is dry and rushed. It is also repetitive; he often restates items such as the fiery personality under the ice queen exterior, or Grace's beauty, or how she only became involved with men if she believed they would marry her. Rather than grouping relevant quotes together, he allows them to crop up at random through the book.

For a better look at Grace's life, her flaws and gifts, and the lives of her family, try "Royal House of Monaco." If you're looking for a pointless listing of Grace's lovers, this is the book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grace Kelly,Lovely Book, January 3, 2011

By 

Monique Lewis "Monique Lewis" (Jackson,Ms) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grace - The Secret Lives of a Princess. An Intimate Biography of Grace Kelly (Hardcover)

I did not buy this book on Amazon,but from a Library sale when I was 15,lol.I became such a huge fan of hers after I read it,at first,I did not know she was an actress,and I thought this was a fictional story! I couldn't believe this was real,marrying a Prince and you're from Philly(albeit,High Society Philidelphia,no pun intended,lol)It is a fantastic book,very fair,wonderful insights and facts.He told the complete story,and even some tidbits most Kelly fans weren't aware of.I only wish there were more pictures of this beautiful sensational woman,I still can't get enough of!