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Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, and Six Intimate Friends
One of Grace Kelly's bridesmaids offers an intimate portrait of the Princess of Monaco, from her rise to Hollywood stardom to her spectacular wedding, providing vivid details about Grace Kelly and her bridesmaids.
498 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 28, 2009
OK, first of all, this book is NOT about Grace Kelly and her bridesmaids. Considering the title, I thought it would be and, seeing how I like a biography every now and then, I decided to read it. It is actually the autobiography of Judy Balaban. And my guess is Judy sat with her Thesaurus as she was writing. Now I'm fairly articulate and I have a decent vocabulary, but I had my dictionary (seriously) at hand as I read this. I'm sure Judy intended to sound intellectual, but to me she sounded pretentious. If you're looking to get any insight into Grace Kelly, forget it. But if you want to know about all the famous people Judy Balaban knows or about her and her husband's Karate Association , then this is the book for you.
January 23, 2018
I can see why this book is so beloved. It is both a very loving tribute and an insider’s view of Princess Grace’s life (especially her wedding and her funeral). Quine has a lovely, readable writing style and, if all her anecdotes and recreated conversations are accurate, a remarkable memory.
I have trouble ranking it highly though, because I wasn’t sure whether she writing a biography of Grace (it kind of is), a portrait of the 6 bridesmaids (it really isn’t — I was still mixing them up at the end), or an autobiography (it really is).
None of these approaches is bad, but it’s difficult if you are just interested in one approach and not the others. If you’re just interested in what it was like to be a close friend and bridesmaid of Grace Kelly, you’re going to have to slog through about 400 pages of other stuff to get it. The entire book is 497 pages, which became tedious and I started skipping over huge chunks that didn’t interest me.
Still, I enjoyed much of this. Especially the tenderness she has for Grace. This isn’t a “warts and all” biography, or a scandal sheet, but she does point out that Grace, like everyone, was a human being with foibles and weaknesses as well as tremendous strengths and goodness. For me, the book came most “alive” in her descriptions of the wedding and the funeral, which alone are worth reading this book for.
I have trouble ranking it highly though, because I wasn’t sure whether she writing a biography of Grace (it kind of is), a portrait of the 6 bridesmaids (it really isn’t — I was still mixing them up at the end), or an autobiography (it really is).
None of these approaches is bad, but it’s difficult if you are just interested in one approach and not the others. If you’re just interested in what it was like to be a close friend and bridesmaid of Grace Kelly, you’re going to have to slog through about 400 pages of other stuff to get it. The entire book is 497 pages, which became tedious and I started skipping over huge chunks that didn’t interest me.
Still, I enjoyed much of this. Especially the tenderness she has for Grace. This isn’t a “warts and all” biography, or a scandal sheet, but she does point out that Grace, like everyone, was a human being with foibles and weaknesses as well as tremendous strengths and goodness. For me, the book came most “alive” in her descriptions of the wedding and the funeral, which alone are worth reading this book for.
June 23, 2018
Love Grace, couldn't get into this book for the life of me. disappointing.
July 8, 2024
Princess Grace of Monaco by Judy Balaban Quine is too much about the author than the subject
September 25, 2013
On the pure surface, I don't have any complaints about this book. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what the title and subtitle advertise. In that way, there are no surprises. It is a look at seven women who were joined, briefly, for one glorious moment in time - and then, before and after that, went their separate ways.
In that sense, it is, while attempting to be both biographical and autobiographical (though it is better at the latter than at the former), much more a cross-section of history than a simple linear memoir. By taking a look at seven vastly different women, and detailing the progression of their vastly different lives, it gives the reader a rich historical document, a bit of a microcosmic view of history and the rather turbulent decades that changed the world (from the mid-1950s, in which Grace married the Prince of Monaco, to the late 1980s, in which the book was written). And it does so rather well, with exquisite prose and a sensitivity regarding the mores and the mentalities of each generation.
At the same time, it is at once provocatively self-aware and maddeningly pretentious. It is a book of many moods, and at any moment, at any point in any chapter, those moods can shift violently and unexpectedly. On one page the author (known affectionately by Grace as "Judybird") can be recovering from the premature birth of her second daughter, and on the next dropping acid (the early days of LSD experimentation) and enjoying it. But maybe, in that, it is very much a product of its time, and better - and more truthful - for it.
The highlight, the centerpiece, the foundation of this book, as well as the most beautiful part of it, was the lengthy section in which Grace Kelly, in her iconic and timeless dress, married Prince Rainier II. It upholds the myth of the moment while simultaneously (and perhaps a bit irreverently) placing faces and tempers/temperaments behind the fairytale. This chapter detailing the wedding and the entire wedding week was magic. Pure, breathtaking, irreplaceable magic - and the reason I briefly flirted with the notion that I would award the book four (or more) stars rather than the mere three I ended up going with.
That all being said, perhaps the greatest reason this doesn't get a full complement of stars is because of the extreme, profound effect it had on me. It either trigged or accompanied me through an existential crisis, and I will never again be able to see or read this book without remembering the paralyzing, inescapable fear and pain and internal horror of the past week. The author's philosophically introspective passages, touched with nostalgia and benefitting greatly from hindsight, were useful literary tools (foreshadowing and all that) but were also monumentally detrimental to my peace of mind. And for all its beauty and historic relevance, I don't think I can forgive this book for that.
In that sense, it is, while attempting to be both biographical and autobiographical (though it is better at the latter than at the former), much more a cross-section of history than a simple linear memoir. By taking a look at seven vastly different women, and detailing the progression of their vastly different lives, it gives the reader a rich historical document, a bit of a microcosmic view of history and the rather turbulent decades that changed the world (from the mid-1950s, in which Grace married the Prince of Monaco, to the late 1980s, in which the book was written). And it does so rather well, with exquisite prose and a sensitivity regarding the mores and the mentalities of each generation.
At the same time, it is at once provocatively self-aware and maddeningly pretentious. It is a book of many moods, and at any moment, at any point in any chapter, those moods can shift violently and unexpectedly. On one page the author (known affectionately by Grace as "Judybird") can be recovering from the premature birth of her second daughter, and on the next dropping acid (the early days of LSD experimentation) and enjoying it. But maybe, in that, it is very much a product of its time, and better - and more truthful - for it.
The highlight, the centerpiece, the foundation of this book, as well as the most beautiful part of it, was the lengthy section in which Grace Kelly, in her iconic and timeless dress, married Prince Rainier II. It upholds the myth of the moment while simultaneously (and perhaps a bit irreverently) placing faces and tempers/temperaments behind the fairytale. This chapter detailing the wedding and the entire wedding week was magic. Pure, breathtaking, irreplaceable magic - and the reason I briefly flirted with the notion that I would award the book four (or more) stars rather than the mere three I ended up going with.
That all being said, perhaps the greatest reason this doesn't get a full complement of stars is because of the extreme, profound effect it had on me. It either trigged or accompanied me through an existential crisis, and I will never again be able to see or read this book without remembering the paralyzing, inescapable fear and pain and internal horror of the past week. The author's philosophically introspective passages, touched with nostalgia and benefitting greatly from hindsight, were useful literary tools (foreshadowing and all that) but were also monumentally detrimental to my peace of mind. And for all its beauty and historic relevance, I don't think I can forgive this book for that.
May 1, 2016
This is my second reading of this book. I read it several years ago and enjoyed it just as much the second time through. The auto-biography part is the story of the author who was one of Grace Kelly's bridesmaids during what had been (until Prince Charles and Lady Diana) the wedding of the century. We learn from an insiders POV what the world of these people, Hollywood royalty and real royalty, was like. I fear that as the years go by people will not have the appreciation for the story of this magical actress-turned-princess as the golden age of great Hollywood films and those who were associated with them become more obsolete.
February 1, 2008
Written by one of Grace's close friends who served as a bridesmaid if offers an inside perspective that isn't usually seen, but it does seem a a bit jaded to one side at times too. Thought the book concentrates primarly on the wedding other parts of the bridesmaids and brides life is given as backgroud. This is one of the first books I read about Grace and personal I enjoyed it and would reccommend it to people intrested in reading about Grace.
October 2, 2008
Once you read this book, you may never look at Grace in the movies in the same way. I think I look upon her with some pity now, for her life was not quite what she had longed for and anticipated. I was also surprised that these women of the 50's and 60's were not exactly the June Cleaver types we saw on TV.
Want to read
October 27, 2008I would absolutely love to read this book.
December 12, 2008
Such a lovingly told book -- an insider view. The inimitable Ms. Kelly, Her Serene Highness, an amazing woman and an amazing life.
June 13, 2012
Anyone who loves weddings will love this book. You feel like you were at Grace Kelly's wedding. Fun
June 27, 2012
Enjoyed first half, bored with the second half.
November 5, 2009
One of my favorite teenage reads. loved all the details about Princess Grace's Wedding.
Read
December 1, 2009A big book with a great yet sad story.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews