Once upon a Time: A True Story

by Gloria Vanderbilt

Gloria Vanderbilt has written a memoir like no other -- as engaging and unlikely as if a storybook figure were suddenly to speak, revealing at long last events of which we have only dreamed. The metaphor is appropriate, for Vanderbilt had indeed been a storybook figure, the object of intense curiosity and speculation since her birth.

From Newport to Paris, Monte Carlo, Biarritz, London and New York, young Gloria traveled with her mother. It would seem to be the life of a fairytale princess. Then scandal and a bitter suit for her custody shattered the dream world in which she lived.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Womens, Biography Memoir

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. She was a member of the Vanderbilt family of New York and the mother of CNN television anchor Anderson Cooper. Wikipedia

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was the author of four memoirs and two novels. She contributed to various publications, including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle, and has received two honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts. She lived in New York City.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's books like this one that make you want to swear off reading for a while. This was about the same pay off you'd get if you took the time to pick the lock on your 11 year old niece's diary...

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spoiled rich kid, like so many lived a life of challenges far beyond what we might expect. Her memoir shows a vivid recall of life in that period including the UGLY CUSTODY BATTLE, a far cry from the anticipated wealth has privilege. They suffer like the rest of us. I have the hard cover.

[Baranie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really intriguing. It is an autobiography and really captures the way a child views their world based on their experience. I have heard of her, but really was able to understand the history of the country during the 1930s. It did leave me with questions, so I read a biography of Gloria as well.

[Terri Durling · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely interesting story about families divided, money and what power it can yield. This is a well written account of the heiress, Gloria Vanderbilt's early years as she remembers them and how she dealt with the battle for custody of her by her aunt Gertrude (her dead father's very rich sister) and her distant (in terms of intimacy) socialite mother, Gloria. It was hard to believe that she could remember many of the details and her feelings at the time at such a young age. She does an extraordinary job of portraying this from the eyes of a very young impressionable child through to being a teenager. She draws a pretty good picture of her relationships and the personalities involved especially those of her mother; her grandmother and her devoted & loving caregiver, Dodo. You feel her pain when they are separated, something she struggles with deeply as Dodo was her rock and she never really gets over that loss. Most of the other key figures in her life, her mother and aunt Gertrude were distant and aloof - not motherly and nurturing by nature, which would have been hard to deal with. Gloria did survive and was a successful person In her own right.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how this book got on my kindle. I was sickish last week and felt like reading something easy, fun and light so I put aside the stuff I should finish and started reading this.

Gloria writes like she is referring to contemporaneous journals. You really feel like you're in the moment with her as she's going through her childhood and young adulthood.

This was a fun read about another era. I would like to read the next installment.

[Cheryl P]

The best thing I can say is; I'm glad I finished this book. Why I continued to struggle to try and read this book is beyond me. I thought after visiting Newport Rhode Island and touring the Vanderbilt home, this book would give me more insight into the Vanderbilt family but from a different perspective; it did not. Torture to read.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from the viewpoint of a little girl growing into a teenager, this book is filled with vignettes of Gloria Vanderbilt's childhood. So very sad that she never found the parental love or guidance that she truly needed and craved.

[Billie Rae Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it as a teen in the '80s and just reread it last year. Really good perspective of this little girl of the famous custody battle -- a good illustration of how there's always another side of the story, and it was especially interesting to read this right after reading her mother's own memoirs.

[Zachary Ibarra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gloria wrote this in a interesting way. She writes about her childhood from her point of view as the events happened, never adding context or clarifications for things she learned later in life. I love reading about old money and old families, but I don’t think the book is for everyone.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria's life told in her own voice. A glimpse into the circles Gloria and her mother travelled in amongst the rich and powerful.

[Fran Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about Gloria Vanderbilt, a rich girl who was born in 1925. Her father dies and her trend setting mother is ruled incompetent to care for her because she's too busy socializing. She stays with relatives, rich relatives and sees her mother on weekends. The story of her life during the 20's and 30's is interesting even if one doesn't have money. It's a coming of age story during the roaring 20's.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read if painful at times. Vanderbilt tells the story of her childhood and early adult years. Vanderbilt describes her relationship with her dear nanny and grandmother, her mostly absent mother--strained at best--and her yearning for information about her dead father. She reverts to a child's voice, so that we view it all as she might have. Insights into the life and expectations of the upper crust, very funny in spots.

[Robyn Neilsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting view of her life during the custody trial between her aunt and mother and into her teenage years. She writes in a child's voice, which can get a little annoying sometimes. But, overall, it was good.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

She certainly had the material for an extraordinary tale. And there are moments of decent writing. But it would have benefitted from the coherence and perspective of her adult voice. The choice to stick to the child’s perspective was confusing narratively and rang false.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very hard to keep reading.... very boring
Seemed to be written from a child's perspective but seemed to be all over the place, boring and dull.
Had higher hopes for this book!

[Annette Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Kate]

New York Times - selection of autobiographies of rich famous

[Sandy Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to read due to writing style, confusing nicknames and word repetition.

What a strange upbringing!

[Lisa Kamhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria Vanderbilt was such an amazing woman. This book covered her childhood up until she was 17. I found it interesting that it was written from the perspective of a young child.

[Shauna Colbath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take it or Leave it

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

27 1985 Of course, I was never going to get the salacious details of the upper class - but I was hoping. Again, one of those books you should not be reading on the brink of a recession. Recommended to the history buffs among the normal crew.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did love this book, her story is amazing to me as I am intrigued with the power, love, talent and money that this family has embraced.

[Lucile Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

163. Once upon a Time by Gloria Van der Bilt
As someone who missed “Little Gloria, Happy at Last,” I was hoping to get some real insights into Gloria and how her childhood affected her. However, in many ways, she has mythologized her childhood. There are few details of her court testimony and the horrendous Whitney/van der Bilt feud and custody battle where her mother was declared unfit and lost custody. Her portrait of Gertrude Whitney in slacks and green high heels is amazing as well has how many wealthy old New York family names show up in her life. There is the shock of finding out that she has an older half-sister. The connections with European families also come out; there is a lovely picture of Gloria as a child sitting with Edward, the Prince of Wales. The book only goes until she is seventeen and chomping at the bit for a life of her own and freedom. It seemed very superficial and I wanted a lot more depth.

[Barbre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book very difficult to read. Whether it was the authors intent or not to instill the idea that this was spoken in a child's voice or not I never did figure out. Being that I also was used as a pawn in my childhood I forged on till the end. Of course the vast wealth of this family and the power of those who held the majority of it was interesting in of itself. An unusual read it was

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It is written as those she was in still in that head space that she was as a child. I had to wikipedia some things because I had no idea what she was talking about (I was not familiar with her history very much) and it ends very randomly. The last half of the book also feels rushed. It is a good read but be prepared to be confused at times.

[Cathy Zahner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a life. These fabulously rich parents had no idea how to connect with, or show love, to their kids. Makes me very very thankful for my normal life.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stream of consciousness style.