“Perfect for fans of Grace Kelly, royal-watchers, and fans of biographical fiction alike.”—PopSugar A Library Reads Pick and Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choice!A life in snapshots… perfection. The girl in white gloves.
A woman in living color…
But behind the lens, beyond the panoramic views of glistening Mediterranean azure, she knows the truth. The sacrifices it takes for an unappreciated girl from Philadelphia to defy her family and become the reigning queen of the screen. The heartbreaking reasons she trades Hollywood for a crown. The loneliness of being a princess in a fairy tale kingdom that is all too real.
Hardest of all for her adoring fans and loyal subjects to comprehend, is the harsh reality that to be the most envied woman in the world does not mean she is the happiest. Starved for affection and purpose, facing a labyrinth of romantic and social expectations with more twists and turns than Monaco’s infamous winding roads, Grace must find her own way to fulfillment. But what she risks–her art, her family, her marriage—she may never get back.
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The Girl in White Gloves offers a tantalizing, behind-the-scenes look at Grace Kelly’s life. An absolute treat — I loved it!
[A] fascinating, deeply researched novel of the extraordinary Grace Kelly… establishes Maher as a true force in biographical fiction.
The Girl in White Gloves is a captivating novel of love, family, and the cost of regret. I devoured it one sitting!
Daring and deep. Maher successfully lifts the curtain of mystery that surrounded a princess and a movie star, revealing a headstrong, complex woman with a riveting story to tell.
A captivating look behind the scenes at the life of the iconic Grace Kelly… as she searches for authenticity in a world clamoring instead for a picture-perfect princess.
I knew that Grace Kelly was a movie star and a princess and that’s about all I knew about her. I figured that she must have been happy with her life — I mean who doesn’t dream at some time of being a movie star or a princess and she was both! The Girl in White Gloves is a fictionalized version of Grace Kelley’s life but is full of factual information. After reading it, I understand the real person behind the actress and the princess and see that having those titles didn’t being her as much happiness as I had believed.
This book is about Grace Kelley at two times in her life – the younger Grace who in 1949 defied her family and moved to New York to try to become a stage actress and the older Grace who at 40 years old is the Princess of Monaco and the mother of three children.
Grace Kelley searched for happiness her entire life from her wish to be a Broadway actress to her eventual role as a princess, she struggled to find the life that would bring her fulfillment and happiness. Just as she was finally finding happiness, her life ended in a tragic accident. This is the story of a search for happiness through love and family and friendship. Even though this was a fictionalized version of her life, I feel that I understand Grace Kelly the person.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
As a huge Grace Kelly fan, I could not put this book down. I loved it. It was like reading about her life through her eyes.
Anyone who loves the glamour of classic movies will love The Girl in White Gloves. Kerri Maher transforms Grace Kelly from a legendary screen idol into a real and relatable woman. I was captivated by Grace’s struggle for personal and professional acceptance, and her search for balance between ambition and family.
The Girl in White Gloves by Kerri Maher is Historical Fiction about the Life of Grace Kelly. What may have been the real life story of Princess Grace of Monaco. A life that all Royal families may have to live before the public. Never being able to live as you wish or have private celebrations and moments with just family. Every action and behavior is staged for publicity and must present the desired image.
This Grace Kelly book includes numerous personal aspects of her life before marriage, her work, friends, family, love, joys and fulfillment are shared in detail. Well researched and written, reads more like a biography or her diary rather than fiction. If you ever wondered about the life of a princess or why royal families behave the way they do read this very enlightening book. I felt the author opened Grace Kelly’s life and heart to the reader.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 4 Stars
I, too, hail from Philadelphia. Regardless of where in the city you are from, the city makes you strong and have the ability to see a different perspective. I am proud to be an Irish, Catholic from Philadelphia and can relate to Grace’s aspirations.
I remember how enthralled my mother and her friends were when Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco. And I remember how upset they were when Grace was killed in a car accident.
So I was drawn to “The Girl in White Gloves, hoping to learn more about this woman who captivated so many.
Unfortunately, I found the book boring, skimmed through much of it, and then gave up. I did read the ending, but it offered little more than what I already knew.
In my opinion, Mayer made the mistake of relating a list of information that does not engage the reader on an emotional level. She included too many unnecessary details that become repetitive. Tensions and emotions between the characters are non-existent. I guess it boils down to “telling,” not “showing.”
BLURB:
Grace knows what people see. She’s the Cinderella story. An icon of glamor and elegance frozen in dazzling Technicolor. The picture of perfection. The girl in white gloves.
A woman in living color…
But behind the lens, beyond the panoramic views of glistening Mediterranean azure, she knows the truth. The sacrifices it takes for an unappreciated girl from Philadelphia to defy her family and become the reigning queen of the screen. The heartbreaking reasons she trades Hollywood for a crown. The loneliness of being a princess in a fairy tale kingdom that is all too real.
Hardest of all for her adoring fans and loyal subjects to comprehend, is the harsh reality that to be the most envied woman in the world does not mean she is the happiest. Starved for affection and purpose, facing a labyrinth of romantic and social expectations with more twists and turns than Monaco’s infamous winding roads, Grace must find her own way to fulfillment. But what she risks–her art, her family, her marriage—she may never get back.
http://www.darlenejonesauthor.com
Loved it
Loved it. Learned a lot about Grace Kelley.
I would call it historical fiction,On the other hand I don’t know what was true and what wasn’t.On the other hand I don’t know what was true and what wasn’t.
It was depressing to me. I always thought Grace Kelley was a happy go lucky lady but not according to this writer.
Interesting read about Princess Grace Kelly-
This was a page-turner. I loved this glimpse into the life that was perceived as fairy-tale perfect. It was relatable and readable. Loved it!
Excellent book about Grace Kelly. Seemed very realistic, although it was partially fictionalized. She seemed to have it all, but in reality, her full potential was never realized. She was the victim of her parents’ and society’s expectations for women of that era.
I grew up when Grace Kelly was a star, but I was busy having my own life when she became a princess. It is great to see behind the scenes and follow an interesting life, seeing that all that glitters is not a fairy tale, but involves real people with real problems and triumphs.
Let me start by saying that I loved Maher’s first novel, The Kennedy Debutante.
In The Girl in White Gloves, I expected a novel more about Grace’s romance with and marriage to Prince Rainier with a little of her past as an actress thrown in. This novel was just the opposite. It relied heavily on telling about her acting career with snippets of her life as Princess Grace thrown in. She doesn’t even meet Prince Rainier until chapter 22, which is more than halfway through the book.
It was slow, bogged down with details about movies and sets. I think the author spent too much time on that part of her life and not enough time on her life as a wife and mother. Yes, being an actress was a very important part of who Grace Kelly was, but it just went on too long for me. That said, I did learn a little about her as an actress. I didn’t know that her parents highly disapproved of her career or that she got her start on Broadway and in television.
Here’s where I had my biggest problem. Grace is always complaining, always feeling sorry for herself, never happy. Like ever. Surely Grace Kelly had happy times in her life and in her marriage. I’m not sure why the author chose to portray her in this way. This isn’t the Grace Kelly I always envisioned and I’m not sure I liked her very much. I can imagine how difficult it must be to write a novel about a real person, and that is made even harder when most of your research involves sorting out what “seems like fact from the vast amount of tabloid fodder and speculation.”
Maher’s first novel, The Kennedy Debutante, is much better. I highly recommend that one over this.