Wendy Holden (1)Reseñas

Re-read of a book I haven't read in ages. Some of the references are kind of dated, and very British, but it's a fun satire.

I don't know what made me buy this at the op shop, I am not a big fan of chick lit but I thought it would be an easy holiday read. I read it on a plane and it was a real dog's breakfast! So many stupid storylines, unbelievable and unlikeable characters and unrealistic situations. 1 star

Diana Spencer seems to have a privileged life but underneath is all she just longs to fall deeply in love like the heroines in her favourite Barbara Cartland novels. When she meets the dashing Charles, Prince of Wales, she thinks she will never meet anyone as wonderful again. Charles loves a woman he can't marry and his family (and the nation) are looking for a suitable bride. Diana ticks all the boxes, she is young, aristocratic and a virgin, so will family pressure and expectations bring together two people for both the right and the wrong reasons.
I was worried when I started this book that it would be a romantic fantasy with both characters portrayed at the ends of the spectrum of good and bad. In fact as historical fiction goes it is fairly frothy but it does seem to give a balanced picture. Diana does come across as a really nice girl, albeit one who was incredibly naive, Charles as a man bowed down by duty. Both parties went into the marriage with the right intentions but a successful relationship is built on more than that as history has shown and this story tries to add the romance to the start of the relationship.

Royal based fiction is always going to be a winner for me and having read Wendy Holden's previous two books about royal outsiders I knew The Princess was going to be right up my street and a rollicking good read.

The Princess of the title is Diana, and this is the story of how she went from shy Lady Di to the Princess of Wales. We begin with a look into her childhood through the eyes of one of her childhood friends, Sandy, and then later we see Diana's rise to become the wife of the heir to the throne through her own eyes and others, such as Prince Charles, his valet and the Queen Mother. We follow Diana's sadness at her parents' divorce, through to her living with her three best friends at Coleherne Court, and the very circuitous route that eventually led to the aisle at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981. It was fascinating to read of the machinations behind the scenes to get Charles and Diana together. Of course, we now know that they would have been better off apart but at the time it was Diana's most fervent desire, especially after reading so many of her beloved Barbara Cartland romances, to meet her fairy prince and live happily ever after.

Holden writes Diana's story sympathetically, one of a young and naïve girl being steered into marriage. It seems almost unbelievable that this was the 1980s and not the 17- or 1880s but it shows how far women have come in the last forty years. I absolutely loved the detail in this book, the behind the scenes glimpses of royal life and tradition, and the girlish fun that Diana found in being with her friends or with the children she worked with. Although clearly a work of fiction, so much of the story is weaved around known facts and the research the author has carried out, and she's managed to create something that is both riveting and truthful. The Princess had me gripped from beginning to end and is my favourite kind of book. In fact, it will easily be one of my favourite reads of this year and one I won't forget. I'm feeling rather sad that this trilogy has come to an end - I'm thinking there's plenty of story potential in other members of the royal family…..! The Princess is absolute perfection for me.

Diana Spencer, is a sweet young lady surviving in a tough world. But, her whole life changes when the royal family puts their sights on her for the wife of Prince Charles.

There is so much I want to say about this novel. First up, I remember all of this taking place. Everyone fell head over heels for Diana, including me! And yes, she was very, very young and thrown into a terrible situation. But, under no circumstances do I believe she was as stupid, insipid, or inane and this novel portrays her. Yes, I believe she was in love with the idea of being in love. But, she had been through her parents divorce, she knew a lot more than the author portrayed.

Now, there are parts of this novel in which I loved. These parts were 4 and 5 star reads. But, then there were parts that I rolled my eyes. Being the royal watcher that I am, I learned quite a few things and y’all know, I love a novel which teaches me a few things.

Need a good tale about Princess Diana…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

A pleasant enough read as chic lit goes, a little dated now in some of the habits of modern life.

When Wallis moves to London with her husband Ernest, her life is not quite what she expected. The two struggle financially and she longs for more. Wallis does everything she can to make connections with the rich and glamorous. One of her connections pays off, and she meets the Prince of Wales.

While the first half of the book was extremely captivating, it seemed Wallis' personality disappeared during the second half of the book. Despite this criticism, I did enjoy the book. Overall 4 out of 5 stars.

In 1933, twenty two year old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring their Royal Highnesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she brings some doses of normalcy into the sheltered and privileged lives of the two young princesses. I really loved this book - it was interesting and the story was well told. I have read quite a bit about Princess Elizabeth’s early life but liked this perspective about her and her sister. In my opinion I did feel that Marion Crawford was treated quite shabbily by the Royal Family - it seemed that she gave so much of her life to serving them and, when no longer needed, was just pushed aside.

Escaping from a violent first marriage, ambitious Wallis Warfield marries a solid, safe shipping broker and moves to London. Money is tight but Wallis craves the limelight and eventually she enters the orbit of the impossibly glamorous Prince of Wales. Rejected by the Royal Family Wallis tries to extricate herself from the relationship, even though she loves the man.
This is a romanticised version of the story of Edward and Mrs Simpson which is told from a sympathetic viewpoint which contrasts with most versions of the tale. For this reason I really liked the book. It's very lightweight but works well as a piece of populist fiction. No-one really knows the truth of the affair and this is a different take.

We all know about Wallis Simpson. She was the woman, hated by everyone, who manipulated King Edward VIII into giving up the throne. But what if what we were always led to believe wasn't true? Wendy Holden's fictionalised account of real life events gives us an alternative historical narrative.

The Duchess takes us from 1928, when Wallis and her new husband, Ernest Simpson, arrive in England, right up to 1936, the year of the abdication. Interspersed throughout are chapters following Wallis as she returns to England in 1972 for the Duke of Windsor's funeral when she comes up against the might of the Royal establishment once again. It's a fascinating read and one I enjoyed very much.

Wallis ascends the social ladder quite slowly. She longs for excitement but this is a tale of caution and being careful what you wish for. She falls in with the Prince of Wales' crowd and I loved her interactions with Cecil Beaton, Coco Chanel and various members of the Royal Family. Her refreshing honesty catches the Prince's eye and Wallis loves that, but she's a married woman and she knows that eventually the Prince will find himself a suitable wife, one who isn't once or even twice divorced. Knowing the way this story was going to pan out made the reading of it feel quite bittersweet.

It's now thought that Wallis wasn't the big bad wolf after all and that David, as Edward VIII was known, wanted a way out of taking the crown, having always known he wasn't King material. It's nice to read an alternative account, one which offers a view of a woman perhaps in a little too deep and of a man desperate for escape. Neither expected to be ostracised for the rest of their lives.

Wendy Holden must have done a lot of research for this book and it shows. It all felt so authentic, whether based on known fact or imagined conversations and events. I was transported to 20s and 30s London, to Fort Belvedere on the Windsor estate, to energetic Charlestons around the room, cocktails, extravagant lunches at the Ritz and so much more.

I'm really enjoying Holden's series of books about royal outsiders and am very excited about the next one, which will be about Diana, Princess of Wales. In the meantime, I recommend The Duchess for those who enjoy historical fiction based around real events.

I read this one for my library book club. Chosen because of Prince Philip's death last month. I think the majority liked it but found the protagonist unlikeable and questioned some of her decisions. Also, some who had read [The Little Princesses] thought this novel was basically a rewrite of that one.
As for me, I rather liked it, somewhat interesting but also sometimes rather contrived. Funny how the troubles of today's Royal Family mirror circumstances in the 1930's.½

I love historical fiction that introduces you to someone you knew nothing. Being a fan of The Crown TV series, i am always looking for great historical fiction based on the Royals.
"In 1933, twenty-two-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring the little Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she bring some doses of normalcy into their sheltered and privileged lives."
This is exactly what Marion sets out to do and we get a rare glimpse into the life of Queen Elizabeth as a child.
We also learn that being that close to the Royals comes with sacrifices to one's own life. This is truly a fascinating story that I really enjoyed. #edelweiss #Berkley #penquinrandomhouse

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Twenty two year old Marion Crawford is determined to become a teacher in the slums. She wants to educate the poor and help them live a better life. Instead she is summoned by the Duchess of York to become the governess of her daughters. What she initially thought to be a temporary position ended up a lifetime role, bearing the huge responsibility of tutoring the two little princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, one of which was destined to become the Queen of England.

The Scottish woman goes from her little house to the Buckingham Palace, the Windsor Castle and Balmoral, defying court protocol and trying to bring some sense of normality into the princesses lives, especially that of little Elizabeth. A ride on the tube, a visit at the museum, Christmas shopping at Woolworth’s maybe be something of the ordinary for the average citizen, but it was more than extraordinary for the princess. And Marion Crawford did her best to show all this to her young little princess!

As Wendy Holden writes in her author’s note, she once came across with Crawford’s memoir , “The Little Princesses”. That book is said to be written after Crawford was retired and under encouragement by her husband, a bank manager who seemed to have expected more for his wife from the royal family. It seems though that Holden has done her research well and has managed to create a wonderful fiction novel based on true historical events and figures.

The main character in the book is Marion Crawford and all the story is told from her point of view. We therefore get to know all her deepest thoughts, all her secrets, everything that she ever wanted and ever tried for. She considered herself a modern woman, with a modern haircut, wearing modern cloths, made by her mother. She was studying to become a teacher in a patriarchal society, where schools were only for boys and teachers were men with dusty minds. She wanted to change that. She wanted to bring much more change than that to her country. So she was convinced that the best way to do that, was to shape the minds of those in high places. She thought she could do it. She really fought for it! She had achieved quite so many things, until war broke and Elizabeth grew and she understood she could not fight royal protocol and win all the fights.

I really loved how I got to see that insight on the royal family and the early age of Queen Elizabeth II. It may be a work of fiction, but still, the character built is so unique, giving every bit of information possible about the real people. Queen Elizabeth II is protruded as a very clever child, one that understood more than the people around her realized. She was so keen on getting any kind of information she could and she would use that information to understand how the world spins. Always on a good way and always appreciating what was given to her. Or at least to some point. People that were raised up having everything and a unique social status, sometimes fail to understand a few basic things in life.

I really loved Marion, the main character of the book, as well as I loved little Elizabeth. Holden’s writing style is captivating and if you like historical fiction of royal stories, you are bound to love this one too!

“The Governess” is coming out in Britain on August 20, 2020, by Welbeck!

Auch wenn ich nicht unbedingt ein Fan des englischen Königshauses bin, so kann man sich doch kaum der Berichterstattung entziehen und ich fand es interessant, einmal eine andere Perspektive auf die Royals zu sehen als die der Yellow-Press.
Marion Crawford ist erst 22 Jahre alt, als sie die Schwestern Elisabeth und Margaret unterrichten soll. Sie ist recht schockiert, als sie feststellt, dass das Leben bei den Yorks so anders ist als das Leben, wie sie es kennt. Sie möchte, dass die Mädchen das reale Leben kennenlernen. Ihr Einfluss nimmt ständig zu und sie ganz besonders Lilibet ist ihr ans Herz gewachsen. Doch dann wird aus dem Herzog von York der englische König Georg VI. und aus Lilibet die künftige Königin.
Dieses Buch, das Fiktion und Wirklichkeit miteinander verknüpft, hat mir ganz gut gefallen. Allerdings hätte ich am Ende ganz gerne gewusst, was nun wirklich Fiktion war. Es hätte auch einiges etwas gestrafft werden können.
Man hat beim Lesen den Eindruck, als wäre da eine Kamera, die alles aufnimmt, so dass ich es betrachten kann.
Über die Charaktere rund um die königliche Familie braucht man wohl nicht viel zu sagen. Also bleibt die Lehrerin und Gouvernante, die sich um ihre Schützlinge kümmert. Sie steht mit beiden Beinen im Leben und will, dass diese Schützlinge nicht nur das abgeschottete Leben hinter Schlossmauern kennenlernen; sie nimmt sie mit raus ins wahre Leben. Aber auch Crawfords Leben verändert sich gewaltig, denn man erwartet, dass sie der Familie treu ergeben und verschwiegen ist. Allerdings erhält sie dafür nichts zurück, denn Anerkennung und Dankbarkeit bleibt aus. Sie gehört weder zur Familie noch zur Dienerschaft. Ihr Privatleben verläuft auch nicht wirklich gut. Wirklich warm geworden, bin ich mit der Protagonistin nicht.
Insgesamt habe ich nicht unbedingt etwas Neues erfahren, dennoch hat mich das Buch gut unterhalten.

The first two-thirds of the book alternated between--it appeared to me--a recap of Marion Crawford's tell-all book and the risque way Crawford fell into bed with every man she seemingly met. Of course that is an exagerration, but Holden really did not write a "novel," she played upon the misfortune of Crawford and the Windsors. Being the glutton for punishment that I can be, I have just purchased a copy of Crawford's _The Little Princesses_, which I will review as soon as I wade through it.

I've mixed feelings about this novel. It took a while before I got into the story and I had to summon a certain determination to finish it. While it had its moments, I felt disconnected from the characters and the characterization of some well-known historical figures just felt off. I spent a good portion of the novel frustrated with the narrator, Marion Crawford, who often feels overwhelmed by events rather than taking an active role in them. While this may be close to the truth, it makes for a certain degree of frustration after 400 pages of it. The gem of the story is good, but I just couldn't love this book as I have others set in this period.

The minute I heard about this book I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. As a lifelong royalist I enjoy anything relating to the Royal Family and this fictionalised account of the life of Marion Crawford, who for 17 years was governess to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, fascinated me from the start.

It's rather a sad story. I suppose it's inevitable that nannies and governesses will be outgrown by their charges and that is what happened to Marion. After being indispensible for many years, suddenly she found that she was cast aside. She then made a terrible error of judgement by agreeing to write about her time with her royal charges.

Wendy Holden's retelling is sympathetic towards Marion, rightly so in my opinion. She sacrificed her best years for the princesses. It wasn't just a job, it was her life. The author also beautifully turns fact into an appealing story, plumping out characters and events to make this an utterly engrossing novel. It's absolutely clear, however, that she has done a huge amount of research. As a royalist I know a reasonable amount of facts but this book is chock full of detail, expertly and intricately woven into the fabric of the story. Did you, for instance, know that Buckingham Palace had its own postman amongst its 400 employees in the 1930s. I was agog at times.

This book took me longer than I expected to read, not because I didn't like it or because it was dull, far from it. I wanted to savour every word and fully immerse myself in the royal world, which is as far removed from normal life as you could imagine. Holden has written something so incredibly special with The Governess and I was thrilled to learn in the acknowledgements that she's now writing a novel about the much-maligned, Wallis Simpson. I can't wait for that!

What a treat reading this book has been. I have loved every second of it. It's right up my street but will appeal to any fans of 20th century historical fiction.

Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me. It was an ARC I was really looking forward to, as I love all things royal and enjoyed getting little glimpses of Lilibet while reading The Queen's Secret earlier this year. The book clocks in at about 420 pages and really could have been much shorter. The pace of the book is fairly slow and reads almost like non-fiction with the level of detail. The foreshadowing of future issues royal family members would face in the future was a cute and funny nod initially, but was used too often and became a bit overdone and obvious. If you're interested in the history of the royal family and learning about the people that work for them, this would be a good book for you. If you prefer a lighter read, this isn't one for you.

Many thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This one just didn't do it for me.

Two London couples pick the same small village as their get-away-from-it-all destination. Largely unlikeable or clueless characters and an author who is inordinately pleased with her "inside" jokes drag everything down.

I read this one by accident. I wasn't paying attention to what I was ordering for school and this is what I bought instead of the right one.
But I read it anyway! And it was entertaining. Made me laugh.

This book was silly and funny. The silly comes from names used here and there, oh those British peers have strange names. And there were more things too. But it worked and it was charming.

The story itself is about Polly, the nice and sweet girl who you have to like. She is specialized in toilets, that is her field in archaeology. She meets Max, a really sweet guy too who is a vet, but he has secrets. Now what can those secrets be?

The other POV is Alexa, first I found her amusing, then she was pathetic and then she turned into one big B#¤%&. She was a golddigger with a big G, she wanted money, she wanted a title. But in the the end she was pathetic and miserable. The last 100 pages I gritted my teeth and wanted to smack her over the head. It got scary there for a moment. And then I do not mean scary as in ohhh danger! But in scary because she is not nice in the end.

Silly, fun and a cute little Cinderella story. One thing though, they were all so young, 18-21. I would have wanted the bunch a bit older. Now I just couldn't take it seriously all the time. But like I said, it was funny and silly.

Conclusion:
A nice little chick-lit book with a Cinderella twist to it.

First of all, do not read this book if you are on a diet!!! I mean, I love food, especially Italian, but the second half of the book it is an endless boring blabber about food. Not what I look for in a chick lit.
Plus the story is a bit far-fetched

DO NOT GO FURTHER IF YOU STILL WANT TO READ IT

I mean the protagonist, an aspiring actress, being happy when the blockbuster movie where she was the lead female character is cancelled? That in my opinion is going a bit too far….

I thought this book could have been much better. The main character was unrealistically stubborn, and I didn't get why - it didn't contribute to the plotline in any way. The book's back cover blurb is a little misleading.

Cute, humorous.

Cute, humorous.