Rating: 
Summary: I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYONE THINKS THIS IS A GREAT BOOK
Review: This book is not only poorly written but contains so many inaccuracies it boggles the mind. I will just name three 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. 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 because she was eluding police) that by all accounts, Cary Grant "turned white beneath his tan." 3. He has the world mourning Princess Diana's death in 1996. Mr. Taraborrelli, Princess Diana died in 1997. Either this is a typo of the sloppiest kind, or the author (as usual) doesn't have his facts straight. I found error after error in this book. Princess Grace's life is so well chronicled through other books and television biographies, that any knowledgable 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not Again!
Review: This book is rather long (nearly 500 pages) and recently published (2003) so one has every right to expect some new information or insights on the colourful history of the Grimaldi family. Regrettably, there is none. Mr. Taraborelli retells the same story of the "fairy tale gone wrong" that has been related in countless other books and magazines that have appeared in the decades following the death of Grace de Monaco. Further, the author's plodding, amateurish and hackneyed style, not to mention numerous factual errors, make the task of searching for revelations a tedious one indeed. A boorish waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Narration
Review: This book on tape is four tapes long in length and was very well done. The author starts the narrative with his reasons behind publishing the story. The story then unfolds in a chronological fashion highlighting Princess Grace's life from her birth until untimely death. The lives of her husband and three children were also mentioned frequently and gave insight into the entire royal fmaily. Overall I found it to be interesting and well-thought-out with attention to detail. While listening to the tapes I learned more about the historical figure and gained a better understanding of the Monaco principality.
The narrator, a Hollywood actor, never stumbled over words and had an excellent speaking voice that was nice to listen to. The tapes flowed well into each other and were well timed so that you didn't have to keep fast-forwarding to make up for bad editing on the publisers part.
Overall a good recommendation for anyone who is interested in learning more about Princess Grace of Monaco.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but not a serious biography
Review: This is typical Taraborelli -- affectionate, juicy, fun to read, and at times so impossible to believe that you have to giggle. As with the last of his books I read (JACKIE, ETHEL AND JOAN), Taraborelli regularly quotes specific conversations that he could not possibly have been privy to, nor was anyone else but the principals. (My favorite: the one where Grace tells Ranier to behave more like Louis B. Mayer. Gee, Randy, which one told you that? Gracie or the Prince?) Still, what he lacks in journalist integrity, he makes up for with honest affection for his subjects. He consistently looks at the Grimaldi family in the best possible light, which encourages the reader to care more about them -- even the embarrassing Stephanie and her sojurn with a circus are treated with more empathy than I thought possible. While you may not learn anything of substance from this book that you didn't know when you picked it up, you will come away with a new fondness for this sad, lovely Princess and her family.
Rating:
Summary: Once Upon A Time: Behind The Fairy Tale of Princess Grace
Review: This shows the more human side of royalty, and the troubled times of Princess Grace. At times the book got a little detailed on events and places, but it was still a very interesting read. I would definately recommend this book if you are interested in the Rainier family or if you enjoy a good autobiography.
Rating:
Summary: Once Upon A Time: Behind The Fairy Tale of Princess Grace
Review: This shows the more human side of royalty, and the troubled times of Princess Grace. At times the book got a little detailed on events and places, but it was still a very interesting read. I would definately recommend this book if you are interested in the Rainier family or if you enjoy a good autobiography.
Rating:
Summary: Looks for the best in Grace and Rainier
Review: This was a really great book; I read it twice. I may read it again in paperback. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this truly wonderful story, especially the way the author has written it, here. I cried and laughed...Good for the author, and for us, that he was able to relay such a moving story, and that he loved Grace and Rainier enough to do it without slinging dirt. This is a terrible time for biographies. In order for them to sell, they have to find the worst in people. This book strives to find the best in Grace and Rainier, and also in us. It's like a breath of fresh air. I'm looking forward to reading other books by this same writer.
Rating:
Summary: A FAIRY TALE WITHOUT A HAPPY ENDING
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: I CRIED, TOO!
Review: What a tearjerker this book is. Kudos to the author for bringing so much emotion out of his readers for this story. I think we all loved Grace Kelly, and wondered how it worked out for her in Monaco. She is of my generation; boy oh boy, those were the years! All of this was news to me, I must say. Back then, we didn't get all of the details as we do today, about anything. The world was a different place. You had to wonder what your favorite stars were thinking, you never really knew. Not like now, when it's all on the TV. Anyway, I loved Princess Grace even more after I read "Once Upon a Time." It's so nice when a book can make you feel stronger about a person you already hold in high regard, isn't it? That's what this book did for me. I hope her children, Stephanie, Caroline and Albert, have an opportunity to read this book. They will feel so close to their mother, and their father too, through the words on these pages. I give this book five stars. I'd recommend it to anyone.
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