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The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
When Navy ensign Billy Grenville, heir to a vast New York fortune, sees showgirl Ann Arden on the dance floor, it is love at first sight. And much to the horror of Alice Grenville--the indomitable family matriarch--he marries her. Ann wants desperately to be accepted by high society and become the well-bred woman of her fantasies. But a gunshot one rainy night propels Ann into a notorious spotlight--as the two Mrs. Grenvilles enter into a conspiracy of silence that will bind them together for as long as they live. . . .
374 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
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About the author
Dominick Dunne
49 books348 followersDominick Dunne was an American writer and investigative journalist whose subjects frequently hinged on the ways high society interacts with the judiciary system. He was a producer in Hollywood and is also known from his frequent appearances on television.
After his studies at Williams College and service in World War II, Dunne moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and became vice president of Four Star Pictures. He hobnobbed with the rich and the famous of those days. In 1979, he left Hollywood, moved to Oregon, and wrote his first book, The Winners. In November 1982, his actress daughter, Dominique Dunne, was murdered. Dunne attended the trial of her murderer (John Thomas Sweeney) and subsequently wrote Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer.
After his studies at Williams College and service in World War II, Dunne moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and became vice president of Four Star Pictures. He hobnobbed with the rich and the famous of those days. In 1979, he left Hollywood, moved to Oregon, and wrote his first book, The Winners. In November 1982, his actress daughter, Dominique Dunne, was murdered. Dunne attended the trial of her murderer (John Thomas Sweeney) and subsequently wrote Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews
August 19, 2018
I had to Google the names of he characters being portrayed in the book. This story has to do with the rich and famous NY socialite William Woodward III, Junior, and his wife, a former nightclub dancer and big time gold digger, Ann Woodward. The story isn't exact but it comes very near close.
The narrator Basil Plant, AKA Truman Capote, tells the story as told through the gossip vine. It is a bit raunchy and very mean spirited but I am guessing this is the way the Uber rich (not KUWTK or movie star rich but no one knows your name and you are very powerful, unimaginable, real swank glamorous rich) is about family secrets and controlling what is theirs. It is just a juicy gossip magazine turned into a book. I like how Dunne explores the dark and twisted world these ppl create through their fortune. He talks about the shallowness, obsession with appearances, names and parties held. The paying off of reporters, police, friends, hired help so as not to turn their little social circle into a zoo.
I think Ann Woodward did it based on her character but her MIL helped her get away with the "accident" to not smear the Woodward name anymore than it was. Google William Woodward Jr. to see the full story and the events after that and how it affected his children after 30 plus years. It is very sad and disturbing. Truman Capote saw his fall from grace and high NY society soon after that as well. He was a great writer but a "sh!t-tee" person. Very interesting how money makes things simple yet very complicated. Lots of drama!!!!
The narrator Basil Plant, AKA Truman Capote, tells the story as told through the gossip vine. It is a bit raunchy and very mean spirited but I am guessing this is the way the Uber rich (not KUWTK or movie star rich but no one knows your name and you are very powerful, unimaginable, real swank glamorous rich) is about family secrets and controlling what is theirs. It is just a juicy gossip magazine turned into a book. I like how Dunne explores the dark and twisted world these ppl create through their fortune. He talks about the shallowness, obsession with appearances, names and parties held. The paying off of reporters, police, friends, hired help so as not to turn their little social circle into a zoo.
I think Ann Woodward did it based on her character but her MIL helped her get away with the "accident" to not smear the Woodward name anymore than it was. Google William Woodward Jr. to see the full story and the events after that and how it affected his children after 30 plus years. It is very sad and disturbing. Truman Capote saw his fall from grace and high NY society soon after that as well. He was a great writer but a "sh!t-tee" person. Very interesting how money makes things simple yet very complicated. Lots of drama!!!!
April 12, 2020
Me ha parecido una lectura exquisita. Me encanta cómo está escrita, la trama es adictiva y los dos personajes principales (las dos señoras Grenville) son todo un filón.
¿Sabíais que los hechos que relata son reales? Hay pequeñas modificaciones para que la novela tenga tirón pero prácticamente todos los detalles ocurrieron en la realidad.
Os lo recomiendo.
¿Sabíais que los hechos que relata son reales? Hay pequeñas modificaciones para que la novela tenga tirón pero prácticamente todos los detalles ocurrieron en la realidad.
Os lo recomiendo.
December 7, 2015
3.5 stars.
This book tells the story of Ann Granville and Her mother in law, Alice Grenville.
It's very openly based on the real life story of Ann and Alice Woodward.
When I started reading the book, I thought that the author, Dominick Dunne, tells us the story, from his POV, his own memories/knowledge. But as I kept reading, it was clear that he is telling us not just the characters story, but also Truman Capote's story, because to me, it was obvious that Dunne has made Capote as the one that wrote this story!
I didn't like the way the story was told. It felt like I'm reading a very long gossip column.
It's very interesting to read about the lives of the VERY high-society of NY in the 40's and 50's, but interesting as it was, I didn't like any of the characters.
They are all so shallow, unfaithful, and obsessed with appearances.
They will do everything for money, including murder (Ann Grenville), and they will do anything to keep their high social rank, including protecting your hated daughter-in-law, after she shot your beloved son (Alice Grenville).
I did like how Dominick Dunne sort of "made fun" of them all (the characters, Truman Capote, and I also believe- himself)
It's also, a very sad story of a young girl, from a very poor background, that her only dream was "to make it big", and her ambitious character, along with her extreme beauty landed her one of the richest bachelors in NY.
But she let's her fears and insecurities rule her, and eventually those are why she was left with nothing. (Well that, and the fact that she was a cold bitch as well).
The saddest thing is, the price the couple's two children payed, living in the worst environment for a kid to grow up in.
This book tells the story of Ann Granville and Her mother in law, Alice Grenville.
It's very openly based on the real life story of Ann and Alice Woodward.
When I started reading the book, I thought that the author, Dominick Dunne, tells us the story, from his POV, his own memories/knowledge. But as I kept reading, it was clear that he is telling us not just the characters story, but also Truman Capote's story, because to me, it was obvious that Dunne has made Capote as the one that wrote this story!
I didn't like the way the story was told. It felt like I'm reading a very long gossip column.
It's very interesting to read about the lives of the VERY high-society of NY in the 40's and 50's, but interesting as it was, I didn't like any of the characters.
They are all so shallow, unfaithful, and obsessed with appearances.
They will do everything for money, including murder (Ann Grenville), and they will do anything to keep their high social rank, including protecting your hated daughter-in-law, after she shot your beloved son (Alice Grenville).
I did like how Dominick Dunne sort of "made fun" of them all (the characters, Truman Capote, and I also believe- himself)
It's also, a very sad story of a young girl, from a very poor background, that her only dream was "to make it big", and her ambitious character, along with her extreme beauty landed her one of the richest bachelors in NY.
But she let's her fears and insecurities rule her, and eventually those are why she was left with nothing. (Well that, and the fact that she was a cold bitch as well).
The saddest thing is, the price the couple's two children payed, living in the worst environment for a kid to grow up in.
September 30, 2020
Para ser un libro titulado "Las dos señoras Greenville" no hay mucha relación entre ellas durante la trama y la verdad es que eso me ha decepcionado un poco, porque pensaba que sería un tour de force entre estas dos mujeres y que habría mucha más tensión o puñaladas traperas entre ambas, más "Dinastía", vaya, y resulta que... no. Sobre todo ocurre en el último tercio de la novela, que es cuando también tenemos la parte del crimen que se nos anuncia.
Hasta entonces es la historia de Ann Greenville (de Soltera Arden, aunque ese no sea su nombre) trepa profesional que se casa con un niño bien, un miembro de la súper élite economica de Nueva York, los más ricos entre los más ricos. Se menciona desde el principio que Ann disparó a su marido, pero la mayor parte del libro es una descripción de los ambientes más privilegiados de la Costa Este norteamericana. Una galería de personajes, fiestas y el modo de vida de la jet set retratado de forma mordaz. Es como "La casa de la alegría", pero con algo menos de descripciones sobre lugares, si estuviera contada por Truman Capote. Y esa es la cuestión. Resulta que yo no lo sabía hasta que leí una nota de la traductora, pero este libro se basa en un caso real del que Truman Capote escribió un capítulo en su novela "Plegarias atendidas" (obra póstuma). Resulta que esta ficción es metaficción y yo ni me había enterado.
Una vez conocido este hecho es un experimento interesante y la crítica (o mera descripción) de cómo vive la "beautiful people" estadounidense (con menciones a muchos personajes españoles y latinoamericanos de la época, lo cual me asombró) es muy entretenida. Pero si se empieza a leer este libro esperando encontrar una novela negra (al menos al uso) o una mayor interacción entre las dos señoras Greenville, probablemente se sufrirá una decepción.
Hasta entonces es la historia de Ann Greenville (de Soltera Arden, aunque ese no sea su nombre) trepa profesional que se casa con un niño bien, un miembro de la súper élite economica de Nueva York, los más ricos entre los más ricos. Se menciona desde el principio que Ann disparó a su marido, pero la mayor parte del libro es una descripción de los ambientes más privilegiados de la Costa Este norteamericana. Una galería de personajes, fiestas y el modo de vida de la jet set retratado de forma mordaz. Es como "La casa de la alegría", pero con algo menos de descripciones sobre lugares, si estuviera contada por Truman Capote. Y esa es la cuestión. Resulta que yo no lo sabía hasta que leí una nota de la traductora, pero este libro se basa en un caso real del que Truman Capote escribió un capítulo en su novela "Plegarias atendidas" (obra póstuma). Resulta que esta ficción es metaficción y yo ni me había enterado.
Una vez conocido este hecho es un experimento interesante y la crítica (o mera descripción) de cómo vive la "beautiful people" estadounidense (con menciones a muchos personajes españoles y latinoamericanos de la época, lo cual me asombró) es muy entretenida. Pero si se empieza a leer este libro esperando encontrar una novela negra (al menos al uso) o una mayor interacción entre las dos señoras Greenville, probablemente se sufrirá una decepción.
January 18, 2020
El principio y el final me han gustado muchísimo, son redondos.
El resto deL libro tambiéne ha parecido muy entretenido aunque quizá se hubiera conseguido el mismo efecto con añguna que otra página menos puesto que algunas situaciones son algo repetitivas.
El estilo del autor es claro y directo. Se trata de la novelizacion de un hecho real por lo que nos ayuda a conocer muy bien a la clase alta del Nueva York de los años 40 y 50 con todos sus entresijos y tejemanejes.
El resto deL libro tambiéne ha parecido muy entretenido aunque quizá se hubiera conseguido el mismo efecto con añguna que otra página menos puesto que algunas situaciones son algo repetitivas.
El estilo del autor es claro y directo. Se trata de la novelizacion de un hecho real por lo que nos ayuda a conocer muy bien a la clase alta del Nueva York de los años 40 y 50 con todos sus entresijos y tejemanejes.
May 11, 2023
2023
Now that I understand just who these people were in real life, I am re-reading this book, and I expect that I will be changing my earlier review.
"I read this in hardcover form many years ago, and I can certainly say that my tastes really must have grown a lot!
What should have been a very interesting look at a 'Cinderella' relationship, quickly became a tedious look at the excesses of post-war America of the ultra-rich.
I could not stand smarmy Billy, his Mother (can we say trite?), who excelled at being the martyr, and Ann, who was also a trite character and highly unlikable. I know that Ann was supposed to be written this way, but couldn't she have at least one likable characteristic?
Still, this was an interesting look at how the other half lived at that period in time."
Now that I understand just who these people were in real life, I am re-reading this book, and I expect that I will be changing my earlier review.
"I read this in hardcover form many years ago, and I can certainly say that my tastes really must have grown a lot!
What should have been a very interesting look at a 'Cinderella' relationship, quickly became a tedious look at the excesses of post-war America of the ultra-rich.
I could not stand smarmy Billy, his Mother (can we say trite?), who excelled at being the martyr, and Ann, who was also a trite character and highly unlikable. I know that Ann was supposed to be written this way, but couldn't she have at least one likable characteristic?
Still, this was an interesting look at how the other half lived at that period in time."
March 7, 2011
The first Mrs. Grenville is a triplet from the kind of family that the painter John Singer Sargent captured in portrait. The newly-minted Mrs. Grenville is a former showgirl from a small town in Kansas, lying about her age, sexual and marital history. Dominick Dunne's novel The Two Mrs. Grenvilles chronicles a fictional tug-of-war between these characters, based on a factual tug-of-war between the characters on which they are based.
I love Dominick Dunne, whom I affectionately refer to as "that old coot" in my head. There are the obvious reasons for loving him: The fan fiction about what it would have been like to be a living, breathing light socket during a Thanksgiving dinner that included Dominick and his sister-in-law Joan Didion; The great mythology that is the movie "Poltregeist," which featured his daughter Dominique, who had been murdered before the movie landed in theaters. She being part of a cursed cast in which plenty of the cast expired from unnatural causes. Dunne, himself, was an interesting case. A controversial figure who lived more than one lifetime. And not "controversial" in that stately way, a powerful figure bucking authority. More like a weasel-y figure wrapped in round glasses armed with a poison pen. If it landed in his ear, it was fit for a page. Which is how "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" came to be. A combination of gossip and conversations about Ann Woodword that he masked with mesh.
This is what Dominick Dunne not only does best, but what he only does. And it is delicious.
In the story, a writer stupidly named Basil Plant stumbles upon Ann Grenville long after she has been ejected from the gossip columns. She is traveling on a cruise ship and concedes to tell Basil Plant the story of the night she shot her husband, her rise up the social ranks and immediate plummet in the aftermath -- even though she wasn't found guilty. A case that was called the "shooting of the century" by Time Magazine. She claimed to think she was shooting a prowler, a story the elder Mrs. Grenville coaxed along preferring it to the story she suspected, which would keep the Grenville name in gossip columns forever.
This book is sordid, filled with unrepentant assholedness -- drunken behavior, infidelity, bad manners, the younger Mrs. Grenville damn-near counting dollar bills at the dinner table. When she first meets William Grenville, Junior, and her clothes fall off before she even realizes that his family lives in a castle overlooking Central Park, she thinks back on the night and wonders if maybe it wasn't a little early to sit on his face.
I love picturing Dominick Dunne, celibate for the last 20-or-so years of his life, rumored to be so far in the closet that he'd have to climb past junior high yearbooks and 50-year-old sweaters to reach the doorknob, writing that line and cackling to himself. I can't wait to spend the rest of 2011 reading everything he wrote.
I love Dominick Dunne, whom I affectionately refer to as "that old coot" in my head. There are the obvious reasons for loving him: The fan fiction about what it would have been like to be a living, breathing light socket during a Thanksgiving dinner that included Dominick and his sister-in-law Joan Didion; The great mythology that is the movie "Poltregeist," which featured his daughter Dominique, who had been murdered before the movie landed in theaters. She being part of a cursed cast in which plenty of the cast expired from unnatural causes. Dunne, himself, was an interesting case. A controversial figure who lived more than one lifetime. And not "controversial" in that stately way, a powerful figure bucking authority. More like a weasel-y figure wrapped in round glasses armed with a poison pen. If it landed in his ear, it was fit for a page. Which is how "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" came to be. A combination of gossip and conversations about Ann Woodword that he masked with mesh.
This is what Dominick Dunne not only does best, but what he only does. And it is delicious.
In the story, a writer stupidly named Basil Plant stumbles upon Ann Grenville long after she has been ejected from the gossip columns. She is traveling on a cruise ship and concedes to tell Basil Plant the story of the night she shot her husband, her rise up the social ranks and immediate plummet in the aftermath -- even though she wasn't found guilty. A case that was called the "shooting of the century" by Time Magazine. She claimed to think she was shooting a prowler, a story the elder Mrs. Grenville coaxed along preferring it to the story she suspected, which would keep the Grenville name in gossip columns forever.
This book is sordid, filled with unrepentant assholedness -- drunken behavior, infidelity, bad manners, the younger Mrs. Grenville damn-near counting dollar bills at the dinner table. When she first meets William Grenville, Junior, and her clothes fall off before she even realizes that his family lives in a castle overlooking Central Park, she thinks back on the night and wonders if maybe it wasn't a little early to sit on his face.
I love picturing Dominick Dunne, celibate for the last 20-or-so years of his life, rumored to be so far in the closet that he'd have to climb past junior high yearbooks and 50-year-old sweaters to reach the doorknob, writing that line and cackling to himself. I can't wait to spend the rest of 2011 reading everything he wrote.
November 2, 2009
quasi-fictional book, this is a delicious story about the higher echelons of New York society in the 1940's and 50's. It was inspired by the real life of Ann and William Woodward, and William's murder in 1955 by his wife.The fun of this book is the insider view of those high society circles. Dunne, a writer for Vanity Fair, dishes about these folks with a giggle and takes great pleasure at exposing them and their snobbish ways. The main focus is Ann Grenville (Woodward), social climber extraordinaire, who sets her sights on Billy and his money and his lifestyle. She's a showgirl and his family wants nothing to do with her. Once they marry, she schemes constantly as to how to get accepted in those tightknit circles that usually don't take kindly to outsiders. And she does get eventually get included, even if she's talked about behind her back. The parties and the hobnobbing and the backstabbing all escalate and get out of hand, of course, and lead to one fateful night. A fun, gossipy, mindless read -- I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was.
September 2, 2020
Read this about 3-4 times now and I was in the mood again for this engrossing thriller set in the heyday of 1940's high society during World War II. A juicy tale of greed, the secret lives of the rich of the famous and a crime that puts showgirl turned socialite Ann on the hot seat for her husband's mysterious murder.
April 29, 2021
This book takes place mostly in NYC spanning many decades. I read this thru Overdrive (Libby) with my Kindle Oasis. Amazon’s highest ranking for this book is a mystery/suspense/thriller.... well, they were off the target again. I would classify it more as a Saga of the Rich and Famous! Yes, there was a murder, but there certainly wasn’t any mystery about it.
I gave it 4 stars because it was a good read. Being that the Author is now deceased, I know why I liked it so much, it is ol’ school writing, reminds me much of Taylor Caldwell’s books.
This story is told through many eyes, the main one being an Author who is writing about Ann, well, should we say murderous Ann.
This is a tale of the Rich and Famous. Ann Greenville who is the Daughter-in-Law married to Billy Grenville, who is the son of Alice Grenville. Ann wants to be rich and famous at all costs...and Alice Grenville is Rich and Famous and just wants to save the family name at all costs.
I’m warning you right now... you won’t like ANY of the characters in this book, but that’s ok, it is still a great saga to read and many lessons to take to heart by reading it.
This will be a July 2021 BOTM at Snag A Read For Free where 1 Kindle Ebook copy will be raffled off to the lucky winner, come check us out.
I gave it 4 stars because it was a good read. Being that the Author is now deceased, I know why I liked it so much, it is ol’ school writing, reminds me much of Taylor Caldwell’s books.
This story is told through many eyes, the main one being an Author who is writing about Ann, well, should we say murderous Ann.
This is a tale of the Rich and Famous. Ann Greenville who is the Daughter-in-Law married to Billy Grenville, who is the son of Alice Grenville. Ann wants to be rich and famous at all costs...and Alice Grenville is Rich and Famous and just wants to save the family name at all costs.
I’m warning you right now... you won’t like ANY of the characters in this book, but that’s ok, it is still a great saga to read and many lessons to take to heart by reading it.
This will be a July 2021 BOTM at Snag A Read For Free where 1 Kindle Ebook copy will be raffled off to the lucky winner, come check us out.
May 15, 2018
Impacta saber que lo que cuenta Dunne es un caso real. Y qué bien lo cuenta, el maldito... Cómo te va envolviendo en su tela de araña. Lo malo es el contenido de esa tela de araña, cotilleo, chisme, miserias; todo ello referido a personas que a mí no me interesan nada. Así que me quedo con el artefacto literario, pero me faltó contenido.
November 21, 2020
"THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES" was one of the most entertaining and engaging novels it has been my pleasure to read for some time. It is a novel that shows the power and influence people with "old money" exerted both within their circle and in wider society a century ago, as well as the effects it played on the life of a woman who grew up poor in Kansas during the Depression and made her way to New York, where she remade herself (as Ann Arden, showgirl and aspiring actress) and drew the eye one night in a club of a young naval ensign and millionaire 10 times over (i.e. William Grenville, II aka 'Junior' by his mother Alice and beloved sisters) during World War II. A whirlwind romance culminated in a quick, hushed marriage before 'Junior' went to war. But all that glittered between Ann and 'Junior' would change over the following decade -- with tumultuous results for them both and 2 generations of the Grenvilles.
For anyone with a fascination about how wealth can enhance - as well as corrupt and destroy - the lives and destinies of families, I highly recommend reading "THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES."
For anyone with a fascination about how wealth can enhance - as well as corrupt and destroy - the lives and destinies of families, I highly recommend reading "THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES."
June 23, 2020
This was my first book by Dominick and now I can see why he has such an illustrious career. This was an excellent novel that tears away the veil of the upper class world he created, exposing motives for love, murder, and cover-ups. I'll definitely be reading more!
June 12, 2025
Una radiografía minuciosa que de la alta sociedad neoyorquina. Al igual que en el libro Una temporada en el purgatorio, esta es una historia real.
Un rico heredero se enamora de una corista y se casa con ella y años después acaba muriendo en extrañas circunstancias.
Este es el hilo en el que Dunne va tejiendo una crónica de sociedad minuciosa, retratando a esa sociedad que pelea por sus privilegios. En paralelo, la intriga de la muerte del heredero.
Me ha gustado pero la parte de los socialités se me ha hecho un poco bola.
Un rico heredero se enamora de una corista y se casa con ella y años después acaba muriendo en extrañas circunstancias.
Este es el hilo en el que Dunne va tejiendo una crónica de sociedad minuciosa, retratando a esa sociedad que pelea por sus privilegios. En paralelo, la intriga de la muerte del heredero.
Me ha gustado pero la parte de los socialités se me ha hecho un poco bola.
July 27, 2008
Ah, Dominick Dunne, you never disappoint! At the end of this book, I decided that I hated both Mrs. Grenvilles. Actually, I hated almost everyone in this book, with the exception of Billy's childhood friend, but I can't remember what that guy's stupid nickname was. Anyway, DD is great because he writes books about people who have basically no redeeming qualitites, and yet, you are hooked. This makes me want to re-read A Season In Purgatory, which I think is his best one!
October 21, 2011
Reminded me a bit of "American Eve" another "crime of the century" however this woman shot her husband for spite rather than abuse as Florence Evelyn Nesbit did.
That aside this is based on true events, told from a reporters point of view. I wish Dunne had a better name for him, Basil Plant, really, although there maybe something to read into that name. This is a fun, gossipy, mindless novel about a woman (a gasp show girl from rural Kansas) trying desperately to social climb in the NY Society of the 1940's and 1950's. The true socialites of those decades thrived on scandal. Unfortunately Ann (Woodward) Grenville was WAYYYYY to scandalous for them!
The ending wasn't unexpected, however her daughter's reaction intrigued me.
That aside this is based on true events, told from a reporters point of view. I wish Dunne had a better name for him, Basil Plant, really, although there maybe something to read into that name. This is a fun, gossipy, mindless novel about a woman (a gasp show girl from rural Kansas) trying desperately to social climb in the NY Society of the 1940's and 1950's. The true socialites of those decades thrived on scandal. Unfortunately Ann (Woodward) Grenville was WAYYYYY to scandalous for them!
The ending wasn't unexpected, however her daughter's reaction intrigued me.
July 20, 2023
3'5⭐
Acostumbramos a que la riqueza se presente en las series y películas actuales como algo positivo y deseable, como esa meta a la que todos deberíamos aspirar. Grandes casas con piscina, lujos obscenos, fiestas con la alta sociedad...
Por eso me gustan tanto los libros de Dominick Dunne, porque arrojan luz sobre las sombras de ese mundo lleno de boato y brillo para demostrarnos que, como decía Anguita, nadie se hace rico siendo honrado. Pero también para mostrar cómo el dinero y el poder pervierten hasta tal punto que la línea que separa lo ético y lo moral de lo ilegal se desdibuja con una facilidad pasmosa.
En este libro, una joven de origen humilde se enamora de un joven millonario miembro de la alta sociedad neoyorquina. Ante el fuerte rechazo de su madre y sus hermanas, tendrá que desarrollar estrategias varias para poder mantenerse en un mundo al que no pertenece. Incluso cuando el amor ya ha desaparecido, se resistirá a abandonar ese mundo, al precio que sea necesario.
Dunne vuelve una vez más a atrapar en una historia sobre la clase alta norteamericana y sus estercoleros. No obstante, y a pesar de mantener el interés durante todo el libro, flojea más que los anteriores. La tensión entre las dos señoras Grenville no está explotado, y el personaje de Ann, la protagonista, podría haber dado más de sí.
Con todo, siempre es una delicia leer a este autor.
Acostumbramos a que la riqueza se presente en las series y películas actuales como algo positivo y deseable, como esa meta a la que todos deberíamos aspirar. Grandes casas con piscina, lujos obscenos, fiestas con la alta sociedad...
Por eso me gustan tanto los libros de Dominick Dunne, porque arrojan luz sobre las sombras de ese mundo lleno de boato y brillo para demostrarnos que, como decía Anguita, nadie se hace rico siendo honrado. Pero también para mostrar cómo el dinero y el poder pervierten hasta tal punto que la línea que separa lo ético y lo moral de lo ilegal se desdibuja con una facilidad pasmosa.
En este libro, una joven de origen humilde se enamora de un joven millonario miembro de la alta sociedad neoyorquina. Ante el fuerte rechazo de su madre y sus hermanas, tendrá que desarrollar estrategias varias para poder mantenerse en un mundo al que no pertenece. Incluso cuando el amor ya ha desaparecido, se resistirá a abandonar ese mundo, al precio que sea necesario.
Dunne vuelve una vez más a atrapar en una historia sobre la clase alta norteamericana y sus estercoleros. No obstante, y a pesar de mantener el interés durante todo el libro, flojea más que los anteriores. La tensión entre las dos señoras Grenville no está explotado, y el personaje de Ann, la protagonista, podría haber dado más de sí.
Con todo, siempre es una delicia leer a este autor.
October 13, 2009
Our book club decided to read The Two Mrs. Grenvilles upon learning of Dominick Dunne's recent passing. I just finished it, and found it a total, trash, page turner. I'm sure it is based on actual events, as Dunne was a wanna be in the upper class NYC scene, and he has a well-known fascination for crime, and the wealthy's ability to "get away with it." The characters in this story are, sadly, spoiled, mostly amoral, and sadly negligent parents, but I found it hard to put down. Immediately read the Vanity Fair profile on him in the October issue . . .
September 13, 2017
I am a big fan off Dominick Dunne, and this is the third time I have read THE TWO MRS GRENVILLES. The first time was in the '80s, the second in the '90s. It's an interesting read that is both fun and smart. He's a great writer with a terrific attention to detail. He deftly skewers rich people and social climbers and does a brilliant job of weaving crime, class, motive, and wagon-circling. 5 stars for me.
February 10, 2024
Admito que no sabía que contaba una historia real, aunque con los nombre cambiados, hasta que no lo miré en google. ¡Y qué historia!
Para seguir con ella, ahora tengo ganas de leer “Plegarias atendidas” de Truman Capote.
Me ha encantado, aunque en algún punto quizás me ha parecido que se repitiera un poco. No sería un 10/10, pero casi.
Para seguir con ella, ahora tengo ganas de leer “Plegarias atendidas” de Truman Capote.
Me ha encantado, aunque en algún punto quizás me ha parecido que se repitiera un poco. No sería un 10/10, pero casi.
June 16, 2021
It's fitting I was circling JFK, the landing delayed by heavy weather, while reading The Two Mrs. Grenvilles.
This novel also circles to a landing. Its first two-thirds are very engaging. It's not great literature, but it's certainly better than average; Dunne is a competent stylist and an immersive storyteller. The last third drags a little. The episode involving the young English bartender could have been cut, I think, since it doesn't move the plot, and it really doesn't provide any fresh insight into Ann's comprehensive awfulness and self-absorption.
Nothing about this novel elevates, or is meant to. Billy is a good-looking cipher who -- think Aristotle Onasis and Maria Callas -- pursues a woman because she's alien to his set only to find she wishes to disappear into it, a choice that makes her, to him, more ordinary. Alice, the family matriarch, is capable of love, or at least of a self-annihilating class loyalty, but in the absence of martyrdom and a reliable appearance in the Social Register, nothing would have made her life special. Ann is Jay Gatsby without the infinite capacity for romantic hopefulness. Having moved heaven and earth to present herself a woman without a history and to ascend to the heights of New York society and wealth, she has no Daisy; she loves Billy at the beginning, after a fashion, but her moral trajectory is pretty much an unbroken negative slope.
The rich are monsters, and this novel is full of them, but it's entertaining and it requires nothing of you but your attention.
This novel also circles to a landing. Its first two-thirds are very engaging. It's not great literature, but it's certainly better than average; Dunne is a competent stylist and an immersive storyteller. The last third drags a little. The episode involving the young English bartender could have been cut, I think, since it doesn't move the plot, and it really doesn't provide any fresh insight into Ann's comprehensive awfulness and self-absorption.
Nothing about this novel elevates, or is meant to. Billy is a good-looking cipher who -- think Aristotle Onasis and Maria Callas -- pursues a woman because she's alien to his set only to find she wishes to disappear into it, a choice that makes her, to him, more ordinary. Alice, the family matriarch, is capable of love, or at least of a self-annihilating class loyalty, but in the absence of martyrdom and a reliable appearance in the Social Register, nothing would have made her life special. Ann is Jay Gatsby without the infinite capacity for romantic hopefulness. Having moved heaven and earth to present herself a woman without a history and to ascend to the heights of New York society and wealth, she has no Daisy; she loves Billy at the beginning, after a fashion, but her moral trajectory is pretty much an unbroken negative slope.
The rich are monsters, and this novel is full of them, but it's entertaining and it requires nothing of you but your attention.
October 7, 2010
I really don't know why this was a celebrated book (best seller lists etc etc)? It is badly written, predictable, repetitive. I thought it would be a good page turner vacation read - it was like bad fast food that you take one bite of then throw it away wishing you hadn't wasted the money
July 8, 2024
Started reading this because I was watching Feud : Capote v.s. The Swans. Loved about half of this, then it became a chore to get through. I hated everyone one in this book, which is the point, but Ugh!!
February 3, 2009
I read this book probably 15 years ago! I really liked it while hating many of the characters! I do enjoy Dominick Dunne's writing....great summer read.
October 18, 2009
Dominck Dunne is one of my favorites for deliciously bad weathly people. He can really skewer them.
July 20, 2015
Una novela escrita por un cronista social que parte de un hecho real
Más aquí
Más aquí
September 7, 2020
This is a disturbing story inspired by the real lives of William Woodward, Jr and his wife Ann. It seems unthinkable what Anne Grenville (Woodward) did to move into high society circles and to maintain her privilege. I really did not like Ann, not only was she a social climber and self absorbed, but sadly a negligent parent. Even though I felt disgust for much of the story, I couldn’t seem to put the book down.
April 8, 2021
A truly tragic story, closely based on events that really happened, by the dean of High Society gossip (I've been a long-time fan).
Uninspired writing, except for the character of Mrs Alice Grenville. Mr Dunne perfectly captured the withering demeanor of a haughty matriarch superb at putting people in their places and keeping them there. And maintaining appearances at all cost. Her dialogue is magnificent.
Uninspired writing, except for the character of Mrs Alice Grenville. Mr Dunne perfectly captured the withering demeanor of a haughty matriarch superb at putting people in their places and keeping them there. And maintaining appearances at all cost. Her dialogue is magnificent.
June 16, 2021
Cualquier novela de Dominick Dunne es maravillosa, y en esta, se luce con el personaje protagonista. Las descripciones de los circulos sociales y las referencias culturales, hacen de este libro un novelón de esos que te tienen enganchado.
February 2, 2023
It's hard to give this book a fair review because it's just not a book I'd ever choose to pick up. So why read it? When someone gives me a book that they liked and suggests I read it, I do. So thanks to Adam's grandma, I went down a rabbit hole of rich, bratty, entitled people living in 1940s New York City.
Apparently, this book is based on the lives of Alice and Ann Woodward. Their last name is changed to Grenville in the book. I'd google more, but this story wasn't good enough to make me any more curious than the 370-something pages I've already endured. Ann comes from a poor family, becomes a showgirl, captures the heart of the extremely rich Junior Grenville, and then marries him quickly. We find out early on that she will at some point murder him, and then we learn what leads up to that, and what happens after. Alice, her mother-in-law, never liked Ann (who was of a different social class) but ends up helping her.
Most of the book is about Ann's relentless social climbing, her nasty treatment of everyone in her life (including her children), and her obsession with being the most beautiful, finely-dressed woman in society. I HATED her. And it made me really struggle through this one. It does get some momentum at some point, and if you like the gossip and lifestyles of the rich and famous, you'll enjoy this.
Apparently, this book is based on the lives of Alice and Ann Woodward. Their last name is changed to Grenville in the book. I'd google more, but this story wasn't good enough to make me any more curious than the 370-something pages I've already endured. Ann comes from a poor family, becomes a showgirl, captures the heart of the extremely rich Junior Grenville, and then marries him quickly. We find out early on that she will at some point murder him, and then we learn what leads up to that, and what happens after. Alice, her mother-in-law, never liked Ann (who was of a different social class) but ends up helping her.
Most of the book is about Ann's relentless social climbing, her nasty treatment of everyone in her life (including her children), and her obsession with being the most beautiful, finely-dressed woman in society. I HATED her. And it made me really struggle through this one. It does get some momentum at some point, and if you like the gossip and lifestyles of the rich and famous, you'll enjoy this.
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