Diana: The Secret Years

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look into the post Charles world of Diana
Review: After having read several books on the subject of Diana, I found this one to be quite good, and believable as well. Ms. Simmons claims to have been Diana's sort of healer, spiratual consultant, and therapist. They spent a lot of time together, and the author describes these times, as she tells us what she did for the late princess and how she tried to help her. She also tells us how the Princess grew during the time she knew her, emotionally and spiritually and in other ways. I found the book to be at once credible, poignant and fascinating, if you can get past all the new age stuff. For example, the princess asks the author to come over and rid the rooms in Kensington Palace of evil spirits, something like this. And there is much talk about Diana's love of aromatherapy, etc. however, I have no doubt that the things written about are true, simply because the author states at the outset that she was an employee, and not one of Diana's best friends. Because she was not among Diana's exclusive circle, she seemed to see more of what really happened than others. It is clear she cared much about the Princess, and was a confidante. SHe tells much about Diana's relationships with Charles, Dr. Kahn and James Hewitt. SHe writes intelligently, and I think this is as close as the everyday person could actually come to being friends with Diana. Though I question her loyalty to the memory of Diana ( SHOULD she have written it?) I did find it very interesting and credible, especially compared with the many other blatently exploitative books out now. I found her description of how she preferred to remember Diana at the end especially moving (when she talked about Diana's running habits)- I cried again for the woman the world lost at such a young age, and at a time when she seemed to finally be able to really help others. Who knows what she could have done and become? Anyway, I liked this book, and I have read Many other bad ones.

Rating:
Summary: The Private Diana
Review: I had vowed never to read, much less buy, another book about Diana, but I read the excerpts and decided I wanted to read more.

The author tells us about the problems Diana had in her everyday life in a matter-of-fact way. She is not overly sympathetic, but relates what happened. Unfortunately she was one of the friends/helpers Diana had turned away from by the time of her death and Ms. Simmons describes why. I think if the accident hadn't happened they'd have made up by now.

This book doesn't praise or bash a very sad and mixed-up young woman. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Diana.

Rating:
Summary: load of bunkum
Review: I own practically every book ever written about Diana, Princess of Wales, but I think this has to be the most interesting account ever written. I loved it - it's very well-written, very insightful into her personality, and contains information I had never known before. It truly does explore "the secret years" of Diana's life in the 1990s. As a healer and close friend of Diana's, Simone Simmons had access to knowledge and personal details of Diana's life. But rather than seeing this account as a betrayal, I see it rather as a healer's insight into a unique personality. Much of what is written here is a healer's psychoanalysis of Diana's mind. I continue to be a great fan of Princess Diana's and am thrilled to have come across this book. You won't be able to put it down!

Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Book
Review: I was full of anticipation when Diana: The Secret Years arrived in my mailbox. I was not disappointed.

This book provides firsthand detailed insight into the private life of a princess who captivated the hearts and imagination of people all over the world.

It gives those people a chance to know the human side -- imperfect as it maybe -- of this lovely human being.

Ironically enough though the only aspect of Diana's life that receives only a small mention in this book was the relationship that had the greatest impact on her life: her relationship with Dodi Fayed. This was rather disappointing because I thought this book would provide us with a close friend's views on such controversial relationship.

The lack of inside details about Diana's last affair was because the late princess had a fall-out with the writer a short time before she took off with Fayed. Unfortunately it was too late for them to make up.

This book tells us that indeed Diana was no saint; she had all the flaws of a human character. Yet deep inside she was a very kind, generous, thoughtful, caring and compassionate human being. May she rest in peace.

Simone, thank you for a very good book.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating insight into the REAL woman
Review: On the one hand, it was nice to be able to read something about Diana written by someone who apparently was a close friend of Diana's, yet on the other hand, this book portrayed Diana as someone with serious psychological or mental problems. It is difficult to know who had the greater problems, the author, or Diana.

Rating:
Summary: A
Review: The Secret Years was a respectful portrayal of Diana's triumphs and trials, between her divorce and death.The book revealed the paranoia and mistrust Diana struggled with towards the end of her life; as-well-as the never ending love and service she gave to those in need. How like so many other individuals of noteriety through the centuries, her grandiose popularity not only had to hidden behind disguise, but added to the torment that continually plagued her. I believe Ms. Simmons depictions were written with sincerity. Confessing with sadness of the erosion of her relationship to Diana shortly before her death, left this close friend and comrade without the closure so many others were left with on August 31, 1997.

Rating:
Summary: A sweet little memoir
Review: This may be to biography what PEOPLE magazine is to journalism, but I enjoyed it all the same. It is by no means definitive, nor does it pretend to be. It's the memories of a friend -- someone who actually knew who knew the POW, but knew her in a very narrow, particular way. The author keeps remind us of this throughout the book and I appreciated it. While it won't shed any light on who Diana the woman really was, I enjoyed the little details of what her every day, "off duty" life was like at KP.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, insightful and under-rated
Review: What an under rated book this is. I've just finished reading it, after Paul Burrell's book in which he speaks so well of Miss Simmons' friendship with Princess Diana. Although I'd heard of the book, but not Ms. Simmons, I took Burrell's mention of her as a recommendation.

I was surprised that some of the so-called "new" revelations in our newspapers and on our TV, were first written about in this book which was published in 1998.

I found this a genuine and very warm account of a close personal friendship between the author and the Princess. I'm just sorry I never read this earlier.

Rating:
Summary: From Trash to Tuth
Review: When I first heard about this book I thought what a load of rubbish, but since it has been written, far too many people have come forward and confirmed everything that Ms. Simmons had been the first to write about. Leading world figures and close friends of Diana have spoken out in TV interviews and other books about the Princess, which now gives this book total credibility and shows it to be 100% truthful. All the facts about Diana's private life have been revealed here and it's very sad that so few people appreciated this book when it was first written.

The fact is that this book is the story of a friendship between two women who shared many emotional experiences, helped each other and grew together - despite obvious class differences. The way in which Ms. Simmons remembers Diana is very touching indeed. She was obviously a true friend whom I believe Diana did ask to write a book and "tell it like it is".