Wendy Holden
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 416
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: Britain, 1961: A bouncing blond baby is born to Viscount Althorp, heir to the Spencer earldom, and his wife Frances. Diana grows up amid the fallout of her parents' messy divorce. She struggles at school. Moving to London, she takes menial jobs as a cleaner and nanny. Her refuge throughout is romantic novels. She dreams of falling in love and being rescued by a handsome prince.
In royal circles, there is concern about the Prince of Wales. Nearly 30, Charles remains unmarried; the right girl needs to be found, and fast. She must be young, aristocratic and come to the royal family without any past liaisons.
The eighteen-year-old Diana Spencer is just about the only candidate. Her desperation to be loved dovetails perfectly with royal desperation for a bride. But as the ruthless Palace machine starts up, there are challenges for Diana to face plus mysteries she can't fathom, from the strangeness of life within the palace walls to a certain Mrs. Parker Bowles. Can her romantic dream survive the forces that shape her into a global icon?
Kritters Thoughts: The third in a series that I have just adored reading. Each book has focused on a woman that is in one way or another connected to the royal family and I have loved each one - maybe because I am a little obsessed with all things ROYAL!
This book focuses on Princess Diana, but it goes back in time before she was the woman we all fell in love with. And the way in which the author presented her story was just genius - without spoiling too much, Princess Diana is recounting her story to an old friend that she reconnects with and I loved hearing her story from her own point of view.
We all know the Princess Diana story or most of us do, but I even learned a few things while reading this book. I know this is historical fiction and the author may have taken some liberties, but I loved how she presented Princess Diana. For me one of the things that stood out was Diana's age and how young she was when she was thrust into the spotlight and was confronted by the world's opinion. I really thought about her age when it comes to Charles and Camilla and how naive she was and how much she may have not realized until it was just too late to change.
I am sad to say I think this was the last of a trilogy, but I sure hope Wendy Holden has something else up her sleeve because the way she writes these real people is just magical.
Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley. 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.
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