Once Upon a Time
Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier
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3.9 • 71 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From master storyteller J. Randy Taraborrelli comes the powerful and moving story of one of royalty's most secretive families.
Grace Kelly was swept away when the handsome Prince Rainier, a man she barely knew, asked for her hand in marriage. After a series of relationships with married co-stars, she was exhausted by the show-business lifestyle. If she married Rainier, she would be more than just a movie star, she would be Her Serene RoyalHighness Princess Grace. Once in the palace, however, Grace found herself trapped in a fairy tale of her own making. Forced to make sacrifices that cut deeply into the core of who she was as a woman, she would then surrender her desires and ambitions for her spouse and her children. Grace and Rainier may have been royalty, but they were also husband and wife, and parents- and, as such, just as vulnerable to the conflicts that can contaminate any household. Drawing upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with family and friends, ONCE UPON A TIME portrays its subjects with passion and sympathy, revealing Grace, Rainier, Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie in ways both startling and compelling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The "happily ever after" marriage of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III of Monaco is explored and demythologized in this fascinating, compelling and well-researched royal biography. After failed romances with married co-stars (Ray Milland and William Holden) and turning down a marriage proposal from Oleg Cassini, Kelly met Rainier, the prince of a popular Mediterranean resort town who was searching for a princess he hoped would become "the manifestation of all that we hope for and dream about in Monaco." Nine months after what was called "the wedding of the century" (watched by 30 million TV viewers) in 1956, Grace gave birth to the first of their three children. Never planning to stop making films, she bowed to her husband's wishes and soon her loneliness and boredom were replaced by severe depression. The prince encouraged her to accept Alfred Hitchcock's offer of the lead in Marnie. But the subjects of Monaco objected and forced her to withdraw. Before her tragic car accident death in 1982, Grace found contentment in the life she chose. As he demonstrated in his 2002 bestseller, Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, Taraborrelli is adept at illuminating political intrigue and complex family dynamics. He smoothly weaves together hundreds of exclusive interviews (in fast-paced, short chapters) to create vivid, full-blooded portraits. This is the definitive book on a marriage that started as an arrangement but ended as a love story. 16 pages of b&w photos. ,Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness,Sinatra: A Complete Life andMadonna: An Intimate Biography Taraborrelli is a familiar commentator on TV bio shows. This should follow the rest of his books up the bestseller list.
Customer Reviews
I loved it!
This is so good! Better than I expected. Written with care and clarity.
Grace was so many things. Many surprising. I loved it!
Lies and false information
If you’d like to read a factual book, Jeffrey Robinson’s is accurate. This is made of lies. The dowry and fertility tests were not used.
Read this book if you enjoy fiction.
Amazing Grace
I found this book to be an incredible way to enjoy a lazy weekend. Though I'm not familiar with the author's previous work, I greatly enjoy the story he tells of this American sweetheart and what life was really like for her after the "fairytale" faded and she was forced to make do with the life she chose.