Princess Margaret: A Biography (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Theo Aronson's latest royal book is a model of what a royal biography should be... The problems of being a princess in today's monarchy are vividly implicit in every page... I found the book eminently readable in an easy style that lends itself to wit and irony..." Elizabeth Longford, The Tablet; "Aronson's strength is his style: he is an elegant writer who can handle the broad picture and the telling detail." The Daily Telegraph"

Product Description

This is a biography of Princess Margaret. Her life has been a balancing act; she has spent the greater part of her life torn between meeting the exacting standards of the monarchy and flouting its long-established conventions. She has spent her life surrounded by wealth and all its trappings, but, it appears, despite it all, she has led an unhappy life. She has been described as tragic, a royal maverick, a woman of conflict, and a princess without cause.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd (June 14, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 1854796828
• ISBN-13: 978-1854796820
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,220,324 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars England's Other Rose, June 1, 1998

By	Sandy Douglass ([e-mail]) (Gotham) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess Margaret: A Biography (Hardcover)

Over the course of seven decades she has gone from being the cherubic little princess who captured the hearts of the pre-war public, to the controversial, often badly behaved tabloid darling whose escapades foreshadowed those of her nephews and their wives, to the shadowy figure whose recent stroke would seem to have more or less removed her from the public stage.

In this evenhanded but essentially sympathetic biography, the Princess emerges as both surprisingly interesting and sadly adrift, a woman whose only substantial accomplishment may end up having been the mother of two apparently well-adjusted and happy children (a feat her older sister might well envy).

Having interviewed members of the Royal Family for various other projects over the years (an advantage denied most unauthorized biographers), Aronson weaves first-hand quotes into his narrative to good effect. He effectively discounts some earlier biographers' wilder claims (of inherited madness, for example) while, it must be admitted, adding some of his own (is it really possible that the Princess confessed to having "detested" her grandmother, the formidable but endearing Queen Mary?). All in all, though, a pleasant and worthwhile read for Royal-watchers.