Review: The Girl in White Gloves by Kerri Maher

The Girl in White Gloves

by Kerri Maher

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A life in snapshots…

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.


Kritters Thoughts: Grace Kelly is a name that brings to mind images that most anyone could describe.  A woman who was held to an extreme standard for poise and physical appearance, yet I didn't know much about her life.  This book although a fictional tale, pulls back the curtain on Grace Kelly's years before she became a legit princess and then through the transition and into her years as a parent and a full fledged princess.

As much as I loved this book, there were moments where the pacing fell off for me and I felt as though it dragged a bit.  I wouldn't have minded the book being shortened just a little and getting more interesting glimpses into moments in her life.  There were parts that felt repetitive and redundant.  

Reading this book at this moment in time felt ironic with Harry and Meghan's changing of their royal intentions.  Grace made me think of Meghan in her inability to please the people of Monaco due to her "americaness" and just wanting to serve them, but also missing a piece of her life without her ability to pursue the career dreams that she had held for so long.  I really read this book with Meghan in the back of my mind.  

This book made me go and look at my TBR and look for some more Grace Kelly books to see her through a few more perspectives.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.