18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
T H E.....G R A C E.....K E L L Y.....F I N I S H I N G.....S C H O O L --I N --A..-B O O K, May 30, 2010
This review is from: A Touch of Grace: How to Be a Princess, the Grace Kelly Way (Hardcover)
This book, "A Touch of Grace -- How To Be A Princess, The Grace Kelly Way", by Cindy De La Hose, could easily be called "The Grace Kelly Finishing School-In-A-Book", or "The Big-Little Book of Grace Kelly." I truly believe, that, had Grace Kelly NOT become an actress, and NOT become a Princess, that she probably would have used her money to open up a finishing school for under-priviledged girls, (and boys), so that they, too, could have the social graces and advantages that would help them in life. This book outlines, (with topic headings, examples from Grace's life, and many, many, many wonderful photos, a summation of Grace's philosophies of life: what she believed, and how she acted on those beliefs. It is a small, though thick book, (5 1/2" x 7 1/2" x 1' thick), and thus also earns the title, "The Big-Little Book of Grace Kelly". It packs a lot into a small space. It doesn't show everything about Grace Kelly's life, (for instance, she once left a famous New York City restaurant, when that restaurant would not allow the Black entertainer, Josephine Baker, to enter its premises, and she did come back, several times, to Hollywood, to see old friends, taking her children with her to see what her former life had been like) -- but there is definitely enough here to at least begin to grasp what went on inside the head and mind of Grace Kelly, both before and after she became a Princess. For anyone wanting to emulate Grace Kelly and her way of life, this book shows there is a lot of hard work one must do to do this! The very real Princess Grace, (like the fictional heroine, 'Dagney Taggert', of Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead'), was quite definitely, "as delicate as a steel spring -- and as strong as one." Beneath the classic, almost icy beauty of Grace Kelly/Princess Grace, was a warm, fun-loving woman, with dedication to many old values, (motherhood, breast-feeding, a belief in no sex before marriage, strong family ties, etc.), a devotion to the Catholic Church, (with which she agreed completely -- except for rhe still-controversial opinion that she thought it might be better if priests could marry, that a husband-and-wife-team could do so much good), but who also quite definitely thought for herself, and was an indpendent individualist, (coming from a rich family, she could easily have become a society matron -- but she chose not only an acting career, but to support herself, whilst she studied it, without using any of her parents' money).
In this book, main characteristics and ideas are written in large, pink script, with examples given below in text. These "lessons" are highlighted/made easier to grasp, by the many copious illustrations throughout the volume. For instance, in the chapter:
WORK ETHICS, MAKE IT A JOB WELL DONE, the Main Ideas, (written in large, Pink Script), are as follows:
Accept accolades graciously
Be pragmatic
Work well with others
Take the good with the bad
Choose your battles
This particular chapter encompasses 25 pages! Along with the explanations and exmples in Grace's life, for each of the above characteristics, and numerous, mostly in-colour photographs, are
telling quotes from others about her character. Page 111, (opposite a picture of Grace wearing a sari, with the caption: "Experimenting with an exotic look. She was a great subject, and photographers and makeup artists enjoyed trying out different things with her"), are four quotes, one of which runs as follows:
"Grace doesn't throw everything at you in the first five
seconds. Some girls give you everything they've got all at
once, and there it is. But Grace is like a kaleidoscope: one
twist, and you've got a whole new fascet."
- George Seaton, director of "The Country Girl".
The pictures. The quotations. The ideals, the traits, and their explanations, This book LOOKS to be just another pretty picture book about Grace Kelly/ Princess Grace. But if you look deeply within it, you will find it is actually a very well-presented, and delightfully easy-to-read, yet extremely penetrating book about the inner CHARACTER of Princess Grace/ Grace Kelly. There was far more to this regal, yet fun-loving woman than met the eye. The same is true for this book. It may seem like pretty fluff. But it is actually a very penetrating view into the mind-set, and heart-set, of Princess Grace/ Grace Kelly.
Highly recommended!!!!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Touched by Grace, July 1, 2011
This review is from: A Touch of Grace: How to Be a Princess, the Grace Kelly Way (Hardcover)
This is not a good book if you are looking for a biography of Grace Kelly. This is not it. This is a very breezy, yet beautifully done hardbound book with tips on how to be like the effortlessly elegant Princess Grace.
And since this is just what I want to be, I bought this book. It has some lovely, wonderful shots of Grace. There is a good balance of text, quotes, and pictures... so that it is not a serious read but more than a coffee table book. Nice split between verbal and visual by Cindy de la Hoz (I've been familiar with some of her previous work, such as "Lucy at the Movies," which I also own).
I can also sincerely say that this book can help you learn how to be like Grace, how to be just that "lovely lady." If you are familiar with Grace Kelly and a fan of hers, you must get this book for your collection and you'll enjoy it. (As I did). If you don't know that much about the Princess of Monaco, go out and buy a biography of hers first, then come back and read this and you'll have a much better experience.
A Classic Hollywood collector (of books, movies, pictures, etc.) should indeed have this in their line up.
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