The Two Mrs. Grenvilles [Mass Market Paperback]

Dominick Dunne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 1998

When Navy ensign Billy Grenville, heir to a vast New York fortune, sees showgirl Ann Arden on the dance floor, it is love at first sight. And much to the horror of Alice Grenville--the indomitable family matriarch--he marries her. Ann wants desperately to be accepted by high society and become the well-bred woman of her fantasies. But a gunshot one rainy night propels Ann into a notorious spotlight--as the two Mrs. Grenvilles enter into a conspiracy of silence that will bind them together for as long as they live. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A LUSCIOUS NOVEL."
--Cosmopolitan

"STEAMY."
--Newsday

"COMPELLING."
--Liz Smith
   New York Daily News

"DIVERTING."
--Glamour

"SIZZLING."
--Copley News Wire

From the Inside Flap

When Navy ensign Billy Grenville, heir to a vast New York fortune, sees showgirl Ann Arden on the dance floor, it is love at first sight. And much to the horror of Alice Grenville--the indomitable family matriarch--he marries her. Ann wants desperately to be accepted by high society and become the well-bred woman of her fantasies. But a gunshot one rainy night propels Ann into a notorious spotlight--as the two Mrs. Grenvilles enter into a conspiracy of silence that will bind them together for as long as they live. . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (November 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345430565
• ISBN-13: 978-0345430564
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dominick Dunne (1925-2009) was the author of five bestselling novels, two collections of essays, and "The Way We Lived Then," a memoir with photographs. His final novel, "Too Much Money," will be published in December 2009. He was a Special Correspondent for "Vanity Fair" and lived in New York City and Hadlyme, Connecticut.

Photo (C) H. Thompson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Anyone Who Goes to Black Tie Balls in New York, May 18, 1999

By 

Allen MacCannell (Walnut Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (Mass Market Paperback)

This book, like the author's book "People Like Us" is a fascinating fictionalized account of the Billy Woodward murder in 1955 by his social climbing wife. The book includes a magnificent account of how Ann Woodward lived with her guilt and ostracism for twenty more years until she and, separately, her offspring finally committed suicide. For New York City residents who are even mildly interested in the New York social scene and its various "levels", this book is a must. It is better than "Bonfire of the Vanities" and crosses the span of four decades, making it a sort of epic novel. Note that William Woodward the 3rd just committed suicide on May 2, 1999 bringing the real-life story to a close, except for the fact that his wife is contesting his will which said that she should get nothing of the vast unlucky fortune.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gossipy and fun, February 17, 2002

By 

Fanoula Sevastos (Lyndhurst, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (Mass Market Paperback)

A quasi-fictional book, this is a delicious story about the higher echelons of New York society in the 1940's and 50's. It was inspired by the real life of Ann and William Woodward, and William's murder in 1955 by his wife. She was acquitted of any wrongdoing. But the murder's way besides the point here. The fun of this book is the insider view of those high society circles. Dunne, a writer for Vanity Fair, dishes about these folks with a giggle and takes great pleasure at exposing them and their snobbish ways. The main focus is Ann Grenville (Woodward), social climber extraordinaire, who sets her sights on Billy and his money and his lifestyle. She's a showgirl and his family wants nothing to do with her. Once they marry, she schemes constantly as to how to get accepted in those tightknit circles that usually don't take kindly to outsiders. And she does get eventually get included, even if she's talked about behind her back. The parties and the hobnobbing and the backstabbing all escalate and get out of hand, of course, and lead to one fateful night. A fun, gossipy, mindless read -- I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dunne's first (and best) novel, July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (Mass Market Paperback)

If you're shaking your head wondering why anyone would ever enthuse over Dominick Dunne after reading his terrible stuff on the OJ trial and the Lewinsky scandal in VANITY FAIR, go back to read this, his first novel. Not only does it feature the tasty gossip about the lives of the superwealthy which made him famous, but it also shows some real psaychological perspective on his characters, and a sense of irony about the pathos of these shallow society lives entirely missing from his more recent work. When I first read this I stayed up all night until I finished it--it's really a fun go.