Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I tend to be one of those readers who picks up a book from his bedside table and reads for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep. This book, though, kept me up for hours the first night I started reading, and the next day I carried it with me, stealing away moments to read more -- and I ended up finishing it before that day was through. "Once Upon a Time" paints a vivid portrait of Grace Kelly's incredible life, taking the reader on a journey through her early years (living for the approval of her dominant father) her whirlwind Hollywood life (that was far more complex than I'd ever realized) and the mysterious marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco (which, while thrilling, in some ways broke her spirit). Taraborrelli's writing style, with short, concise chapters, keeps the reader flying at warp speed through the timeline of Grace's life, without sacrificing the specificity and detail one craves when cracking open a biography. As a Grace Kelly fan, I had been left disappointed by previous attempts to capture her life on paper -- but, thankfully, this book finally gives me a bit of real estate on my shelves devoted to the memory of this enigmatic beauty. The horrific death of Grace had haunted me, as it has many over the years-- but finally, after reading this book, I feel that enough of my questions-- about her life, her career, and even that terrible accident -- have been answered. The clarity of the storytelling in "Once Upon A Time", helped me put perspective on a life that would have otherwise gone misunderstood. I highly recommend it.

To most of the world the wedding of Hollywood star Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco probably had all the makings of a fairy tale. There was a handsome prince in the appropriately luxe setting. As we now know if this particular fairy tale lacked the requisite happy ending. The beginning and middle were not a bed of roses either according to biographer Taraborrelli.

In almost 500 pages there is a great deal according to Taraborrelli, some of which seems questionable. The narrative is rife with assumptions, such as attributing thoughts to Grace with, "She may have been thinking" or "She would have been pleased." Or, his comment regarding a family member's statement, "....that sounds so much like one her mother might have made." All of these conclusions seem to imply an intimacy with his subject that the writer did not enjoy.

Further the dust jacket claims that Grace's thoughts and feelings regarding her wedding are revealed. Another claim to stretch credibility. Lastly, where was Taraborrelli's editor? To mention only one oversight: the wrong year for the death of Princess Diana is an all too obvious mistake.

Aside from those reservations Taraborrelli has done a yeoman's task of assembling the minutia of both subjects lives from Grace's Philadelphia birth to Rainier's loveless childhood to their less than eventful first meeting to the Grimaldi dynasty today.

Born to Jack and Margaret Kelly, a couple who yearned to be a part of the upper echelon of Philadelphia society, Grace was one of four offspring. She would spend her life seeking her distant father's approval. Handsome and gregarious, Jack always wore custom-tailored suits and was known as one of the biggest characters in the City of Brotherly Love. He pinned his Olympic hopes on his son, Kell, and doted on daughter Peggy, who was tough and smart. An outsider in the family circle, Grace sought comfort within herself.

When she was 18 Grace went to New York City and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Through dint of sheer determination and a modicum of luck she became a Hollywood star, eventually winning an Oscar for "The Country Girl." Even this did not impress papa Jack who at the time is quoted as saying that he thought Peggy might have received such an honor but never Grace.

Her movie years were marked by unhappy love affairs with Ray Milland and William Holden. (Taraborrelli claims that there was never a romance between Grace and Clark Gable while other biographers make the opposite assertion.)

In 1955 Grace attended the Cannes Film Festival. For publicity purposes it was suggested that she visit Monaco while in France and have her photo taken with Prince Rainier - a meeting that would dramatically alter the lives of both.

The Grimaldis have ruled the storybook principality of Monaco for over 700 years. One of the most sought after bachelors in the world, Prince Rainier well knew it was time for him to marry and produce an heir to the throne. While Grace, following adverse publicity concerning her affair with the married Ray Milland, concluded, "I hated Hollywood. It's a town without pity."

The pair met briefly, each expressing the wish that they might meet again. They did, indeed. Upon a visit to the United States the following year Rainier, described as a "shy, sometimes moody man," proposed to Grace and she accepted, despite her strong feelings for fashion designer Oleg Cassini.

In later years, when Rainier is asked whether or not it had been love at first sight, he replied, "No....I don't believe in love at first sight anyway." It is a wishy-washy expression, which I don't use."

Nonetheless, to the world theirs was a fairy tale romance capped by a fairy tale wedding. However, few in the world knew about the fertility test Grace was required to take, the dowry required, and the marriage agreement in which she relinquished all rights to any children the couple may have should the marriage end in divorce.

As if scripted, nine months following what was dubbed "The Wedding of the Century" Grace gave birth to Princess Caroline. Prince Albert and Princess Stephanie would soon complete the family circle. Of Prince Albert's birth Rainier said in a radio address: "Let us thank God for this new happiness, this proof of His special blessing."

Albert, called "Albie," may well have been a special blessing as in future years the girls would prove challenges to both parents as the princesses entered into short-lived marriages or bore children out of wedlock. Fodder for world tabloids their escapades brought embarrassment to Monaco's rulers.

It is said that throughout her marriage Grace yearned to return to acting, hoping to do so despite being told that was an impossibility for a Princess. It does seem that much later she derived great satisfaction from her poetry readings which received accolades.

At one time the Prince relented in the hope of relieving Grace's depression and encouraged her to play a role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie." However, the citizens of Monaco did not share his view and Grace reluctantly withdrew from the film.
As the couple shared over twenty years of marriage we are told that Grace had accepted her position in Monaco, and grew to care for the people as they cared for her. Rainier, too, grew to appreciate the woman he had married, thankful for her companionship, wise counsel, and listening ear. Tragically, this happiness came to an abrupt end with her death in a car accident. It is said that Rainier has never recovered from his loss, saying at her funeral, "My life will never be the same.....Without Princess Grace none of it matters for me now. It's all meaningless. My God, it's all meaningless.

So ended not a fairy tale but a very human story.

- Gail Cooke

I have read every Grace biography available to me and own many of them. This one gave a very unique perspective, interviewing several of her "non-star" friends that I hadn't read about previously. The format of the book (short chapters) really was effective and relatively fast-paced. The treatment of her marriage was very deep and made you feel like you were inside her mind. I thought that the author was quite dignified, skimming over the early affairs instead of giving every gory detail. The only thing I did not like was, at times, it seemed like he was merely paraphrasing others' material, and he gave short shrift to some of Grace's girlfriends, referring to them only as "New York girlfriends" or "show business friends."
I am an English teacher, so I may be more picky than most. For example, I nearly screamed when I saw he placed Diana's death at 1996. THat's something that any fact checker should've found.

I didn't know what to expect of this book. I loved Taraborrelli's "Jackie, Ethel, Joan" book, but I thought it was because of the subject, not the writing. Can you go wrong with the Kennedys? Not to discredit the author, but the Kennedys story tells itself, I thought. But with this book you see the true talent of the author, who brought so much to the story. J. Randy Taraborelli seems to be a nice person, and you sense that in his telling of Grace's story with such empathy and emotion. I truly felt her highs and her lows. It was personal to me, and I raced through this book. I love the way the author breaks his chapters down into little pieces, instead of long drawn out essays. For me, it moves the pace along. At first, I thought this should have been a Grace Kelly biography and am perplexed as to why it is a Grace and Rainier book, but in the end I felt so bad for Rainier I figured, yes, give him his due and put the ol' boy on the cover. I loved this book. It was so good. Thanks Amazon for giving me a chance to write about it.

Looking back to when I visited Monaco as a teen and toured the Pink Palace grounds, I remember hearing about what a fairytale life this American woman was having living as the Princess of Monaco. Well, this book put all those beliefs to rest. The late Grace Kelly may have been an American Princess, but happy ever after was not part of the deal. Princess Grace married Prince Rainier of Monaco merely to make her father proud. Supposedly, the "ugly duckling" of the family, Grace Kelly sought refuge in the movies by becoming an actress. Part publicity stunt and part need for attention Grace married a man she barely even knew. The few times the two were together prior to marrying they were never alone. Grace became trapped in life that didn't provide an outlet such as her acting, the love she was always seeking or the happiness that seem to escape her. Her greatest solace was her three children although three others died do to miscarriage. Princess Grace was beautiful and elegant, but very much a bird in a cage.

This book gets 5 stars for research, 5 stars for presentation (simply a photo of Grace in THAT wedding dress justifies a book existing) and 4 stars for a good read; It's not that it could have been any better, it's just that the story is ultimately sad. However, I think the subject matter was taken very seriously by the author, and unlike other reviewers here, I consider the thoughts expressed to be well thought out and supported by the material that was uncovered in the process, including that from interviews. What other material is ever likely to be uncovered on this subject?? This book is better than 3.5 stars.

Let's be honest here, when Grace Kelly accepted Rainier's marriage proposal, she had no idea what life was going to be for her in Monaco, not to mention that she hardly knew the man she was marrying. The words that strucked me the most is when she gave that answer to a friend who was asking her if she was really in love with the man, Grace said: "I will LEARN to love him" hmmm... that says it all. She would have been happier with Oleg Cassini, because I am positive that she was REALLY in love with him, and she would have lived like a princess anyway, and a happy one! And I will go further by saying that her parents are partly responsible for her unhapiness because they absolutely forbade her to marry Cassini because he was divorced and they did everything they could to ruin her hopes of becoming his wife. Imagine a thing like that happening today! And, frankly, din't Oleg Cassini have a lot more class than that prince who was acting like a spoiled child! In my opinion, she married the wrong guy, a selfish, egocentric prince who expected everybody to obey his orders (Grace included) One doesn't marry a prince to please a father. No wonder she has been miserable and unhappy with that man. At one point, I am sure she regretted her decision, but being the great lady that she was, she decided to make the best of her situation. What really went on behind the "Pink Palace" is revealled in that wonderful book and I am appalled at what Grace Kelly went through in that marriage, she deserved better, really. To be married to a prince is not a key to happiness, it can be hell and in this book we have another example.

anyone interested in the life of grace kelly or the principality
of monaco should definitely read this book.
the author goes in depth about the joys and sorrows of her
(the princess') life to the point that it makes the reader feel
like you personally knew her;a very emotional book to read.
the small independent state of monaco came rather close to losing its sovereignty to france
but thanks to the story in this book it maintains its unique identity in todays modern world.

This book is not only poorly written but contains so many inaccuracies it boggles the mind. I will just name two off the bat:

1. Taraborrelli states that Grace never had an affair with Clark Gable. Anyone who has read other books about her or watched A&E's Biography of Grace knows that not only did she have an affair with Gable, but according to friends was devastated when he broke it off after they finished shooting Mogambo. According to her SISTER Lizanne, Grace saw a therapist to help her get over Gable.

2. He goes into great detail about how deathly afraid Grace was when being driven to Monaco to meet Prince Rainier for the first time. She was frightened of the twisting and turning roads, etc. He seems to forget that she drove those same roads during the making of "To Catch A Thief" a year earlier. Not only did she drive by the same cliff that she would go off of in 1982, but she drove so fast (the scene called for her to drive fast in the film as she was eluding police) that by all accounts, Cary Grant "turned white beneath his tan."

I found error after error in this book. Princess Grace's life is so well chronicled through other books and television biographies, that any knowledgeable person would realize that this author has written a very poor book. Read James Spada's book on Princess Grace. Not only is it better written, but is much more factual then this mess. For those of us who are Grace Kelly aficionados -- you have to do your research or you will get called on it every time.

Mr. Taraborelli has written a number of other books on celebrities. Based on how badly this was written as well as the sloppy research -- I won't be reading any others.

Update 2011: I notice that this book has received 4 stars. If you are looking for a book on Grace Kelly, this is not one I would suggest buying.

Biography's, in general, are kind of odd- who knows how much truth you're actually getting?

I didn't know much about Grace Kelly before reading this book, aside from the fact she died in a car crash & was luminous & charming in Hitchcock's 'Rear Window'.

The book was interesting- I learned more than I had expected about what it means to be royal- and less than I had hoped about Grace Kelly. I wish there had been more about her life before Monaco. There was so much 'talk' throughout the book about how much Grace changed once she became part of the principality & I wanted to be able to contrast that more thoroughly with the earlier part of her life.

I found myself becoming much more interested in the crazy lives of her daughters, than the formalities of the palace (which were gone into ad naseum).

Overall, I'd say if you're a huge Grace Kelly fan you'll probably want to read this- although be warned, the overall tone is pretty depressing. If you're like me, and don't know much about her, the first 26 years of her life, which are skimmed over in this book- sound like they might be more fun to read about.