3 comments about Diana, Her Life and Legacy.

1. This is a wonderful picture book for the collector of Princess Diana memorabilia. The tribute from author William Holden was touching, with various tidbits regarding his relationship with the Princess. There was a nice mixing of color photos from her private and also her public life. The pictures in this book seem to bring out the laughter and charming spirit that was the Princess Diana.



2. Anthony Holden has put together a lovely tribute to the late Princess of Wales. It's a well designed book, with nice pictures (from Diana's formal portraits to her everyday life) and engaging text. If you like to collect Princess Diana memorabilia, this book would make a fine addition to your bookcase.



3. This book is one of the best I have seen that respectfully looks at Diana's life and her impact on others. Using Diana's own words, quotes from others who knew her, and expressive photographs, the author captures the many facets of Diana's life that made her so unique. Highly recommended.

2 comments about Diana, Princess of Wales: A Tribute (BBC).

1. I listened to this audiobook on my commute to/from work. Even after arriving home, I actually sat in my car, in my driveway, to continue listening to it. It is a fascinating account of a beautiful, courageous person who learned to use her resources and privilege for the greater good, making the most of her (short) time on earth. If you question how she could have been the most popular and loved woman on earth (and still is), then this book will answer that for you.



2. I'm genuinely shocked there are no reviews to date of this double CD!
   
   Beware of a BBC documentary! Boy, can they dig out the dirt and have absolutely no problem at all with rubbing it into the person's face forever more! I guess they couldn't (or wouldn't) do that with Diana, Princess of Wales, as this was released within months of her death.
   
   Either way, this is an excellent audio documentary that chronicles Diana's life from birth to death and seemingly every major detail in between - from the intense media scrutiny that followed her for a good portion of her life, to the excitement leading up to the "Wedding of the Century," to the birth of her beloved sons, to her marital difficulties that the world is very familiar with by this point in time, to her well-publicized battles with depression and bulimia, and, finally, to the unprecendented outpouring of emotion in England - the depth and scale of which was never experienced in recent memory there - that followed her death (and I don't think I'm exaggerating by stating that).
   
   I am 31 and, truth be told, I wasn't a fan of the late Princess's when she was alive. I didn't hate her, but I wasn't crazy about her, either. It was only after her sudden death that I got into her (and, no, I will never, ever forget what I was doing when I heard the news). I've since read countless books about her life and respect her for the fact that she was able to come from a broken home and, eventually, a broken marriage herself, and try to turn it into something positive by helping the people who needed it the most.
   
   At one of the lowest points in her life (which probably would have been in the early-90s), she bravely fought against the very well coordinated palace machine that set out to destroy her by conveying to the public an image of Diana as a loony bin ready to kill herself at any moment. Through it all, though, Diana prioritized and remained a committed mother and a devotee to the charity work that, as it turned out, was one of the only sources of comfort to her (besides her beloved William and Harry).
   
   What comes through crystal clear with this documentary is the fact that Diana was on her own when it came to the continuous press inquiries into every detail of her life. The palace staff, and the always up-to-date and in-touch Queen herself, stood by the sidelines and watched Diana with the philosophy of "sink or swim." Naturally, a young woman who's all of 19 when the press first trained their cameras on her would have had zero idea of how to handle herself with the media and would become friendly with, and even dependent on, photographers because she sure wasn't getting any help from the palace!
   
   Some could assume this is a fluff piece on Diana designed to make money from her death, and that could very well be true to some extent. But the BBC didn't attempt to rewrite history and presented the facts as they happened and that's what makes this audio documentary a pleasure to listen to and absorb.
   
   The two CDs run for about a total of two hours, but it's so worth the time if you want to get a better picture of Diana. (A bonus that was included with the original CD was a {very!} abbreviated copy of her pedigree.) - Donna Di Giacomo

No comments about Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor.

1 comments about Improper Pursuits: The Scandalous Life of an Earlier Lady Diana Spencer.

1. This interesting but uneven book is purportedly about Lady Diana Spencer, an 18th Century English aristocrat who suffered through two unhappy marriages (the first ended through the scandal of divorce). She made a minor reputation for herself as an artist at a time when society ladies did not work. As a biography, the book is not a success since we learn very little about the character of Lady Di, her likes and dislikes, her goals and accomplishments. But as a portrait of British nobility, "Improper Pursuits" is often fascinating. Society was filled with venal, brainless and irresponsible young men, obsessed with gambling and exemplified by Lady Di's first husband, Lord Bolingbroke, nicknamed "Bully" on the one hand. On the other hand are the creative and intellectual giants, including Dr. Johnson and the ever-present James Boswell, Garrick and Sheridan, who were friends with Lady Di's second husband, Topham Beauclerk. The highly eccentric Horace Walpole flutters through the book, charming and likeable and maddening in equal parts.

   As the author describes this society, it was clearly male-dominated and little space was left where women could flourish equally. Carola Hicks makes a mighty effort to bring women into the story, describing the household and social skills they were required to learn (and nothing further) but they are so overshadowed by the men that there is a feeling of desperation as the author tries to flesh out the story and throws in everything but the kitchen sink. For example: where did upper class ladies buy their paintbrushes in London? Nonetheless, many of the characters she describes are fascinating and a particular London in the time of George II and George III is nicely delineated. Lady Di remains as two-dimensional as her own drawings of cherubs, though. After reading "Improper Pursuits,"the reader realizes that the subject of the book will be more remembered for her friends than for herself.

5 comments about In the Royal Manner : Expert Advice on Etiquette and Entertaining from the Former Butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.

1. I'm sure the Royal Family would not apporve of Paul Burrell's "cashing in" on his relationship with Princess Diana. Having said that, people in the USA love this kind of thing. We can hold our noses in the air if we read this book, we feel priviliged. We are special. Burrell, however, may be a nicer version of Martha Stewart. She wins the prize for cold psycho-perfection. Paul Burrell, like Martha, has now gone on to merchandize furniture, wine, rugs, and just about anything else in this world. I am waiting for him to open a "royal theme park" in Florida. I must add a post-script to this review as I just recently purchased a copy of this book from E-bay that was signed by Paul Burrell. I too am now guilty of joining the curiosity seekers who want to have an inside look at the so-called "royal life". So hit me with a large blancmange and call me snobby.



2. If you recognize the name, then you know this was the butler who almost went to jail for supposedly stealing personal items belonging to the late Diana. He was saved by a timely intervention from the Queen, who suddenly recalled being told that he was intended to have the stash. Speculation on why she waited until he was on trial abounds; especially since he immediately walked off the stand and over to the tabloids and sold his story there.
   
   But if you can overlook that blatant act - it's simply Not Done to expose your employer, even if she is dead - this book is a pleasent and colorful glimpse into serving royalty. But it is just a glimpse - nothing very substantial, nothing complete. The pictures of food served at a few different social occasions are delicious by themselves, but any coffee table cookbook will offer more of the same with more recipies as well. This one might be a good second hand purchase, if you like this sort of thing.



3. Move over, Miss Manners and Emily Post! Mr. Burrell's devotion to his princess and her reliance on him are well known, which only adds to his credibility as a new author of etiquette and entertaining! Mr. Burrell tells we commoners how to set a table with style and entertain our guests with elegance and ease. He also includes tasty recipes, some of which were favored by the late Princess of Wales. Highly recommend to any hostess or anyone wanting to learn more about real etiquette.



4. I have to say that at the beginning I didn't want to get the book but now I think that is one of the best books about etiquette I've ever bought, and I have lots of them.
   The recipes are incredible and very easy to prepare.
   The elegance and the exquisite taste is really unique, and the flower's centrepieces awesome, is something that anybody can do without a professional training.
   I think is a MUST TO HAVE BOOK.



5. This lovely little book discusses the many aspects of elegant entertaining -- from perfect table setting, to eye-catching flower arrangements. Burrell's passages on entertaining and party planning are peppered with touching stories about his employment as former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.

   Burrell demonstrates his knowledge and class on each beautifully photographed page. No wonder he was held in such high regard by the royals!

   A Few Notes:
   - I would not call this an "Etiquette" book, as it deals much more with proper table setting and party planning. As such, I think it would be better labeled as an "Entertaining" book.

   - The range of party/theme ideas is impressive. Some of Burrell's examples include a sit-down dinner, afternoon tea, and childrens' party.

   - For those interested in the life of Princess Diana, this gives you a tasteful and telling behind-the-scenes look. Frankly, some of Burrell's Diana anecdotes were some of the best parts of the book...

   Enjoy!

No comments about Emperor Qianlong: Son of Heaven, Man of the World.

No comments about The Memoirs of the Crown Prince of Germany.

1 comments about Charlton Heston : A Biography.

1. Michael Munn's biography is the best book I have read which gave an excellent insight into Charlton Heston--the real man. This books tells about Charlton's meager beginnings as a shy-loner living in the Michigan's woods, who later turned into the epic-hero-actor in classic films such as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, BEN HUR, EL CID & THE PLANET OF THE APES. This book helped me to understand the kind of person Mr. Heston REALLY is. Information about his family life, his relationship with his wife-Lydia who he has been married to over 50 years. Michael Munn has direct quotes from interviews he held with Charlton, his wife Lydia, Fraser & Holly (his children) throughout the book, which allows the reader to know exactly how the actor & family felt at the time about certain events in Charlton's life. This is a 'Must-Read' for any Heston fan. MonaK

No comments about Elizabeth I.

2 comments about Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire.

1. Well-written book on Nicholas II and the last days of the Russian Empire... The last Russian Tsar is shown in this book with sympathy and good understanding of the Russian history. The author has done a very good research of Russian and foreign sources, including many official documents and private diaries of Nicholas himself, his wife Alexandra and many top officials including Witte, Benckendorff, Durnovo and others. The author is a scholar of the Russian studies of the London School of Economics and his account is well supported by the thorough analysis of the political and economic situation in Russia in the last years of the Russian Empire 1880 - 1917.

   The account of Nicholas is fairly balanced, he is shown as a decent man dedicated to his family, country and its people, but neither equipped with character needed to run the huge country, nor even trained for that. Despite the fact the author clearly sympathize with Nicholas and his huge burden; there are numerous accounts in the book describing Nicholas glaring lack of vision, lack of assertiveness and simply managerial skills. For example, after the World War I started in 1914, Nicholas II, the "chief executive of Russia", for several months continued to lead a life of the country gentlemen, riding horses, playing tennis, visiting relatives for tea.

   For his credit Nicholas did in the end assumed the supreme command of the Russian army, but not until after it suffered several disastrous defeats. He was on the one hand, an intelligent and decent, but soft and indecisive man trying to play a role of iron-willed autocrat, and on the other hand a member of a leisure class, a country gentleman trying to play a role of a hands-on CEO of a huge corporation called Russia. As Mr. Lieven showed, Nicholas had honestly tried, but unfortunately because of his own mistakes and disastrous external circumstances failed in both roles. Despite that, to the author's credit the collapse of the Russian Empire and fall of the Romanov dynasty is mostly attributed to the inability of the Russian State to quickly modernize itself, rather than to other coincidental factors as the presence of Rasputin or tolerated by the Tsar widespread involvement to the politics of his family and relatives.




2. Lieven offers a different perspective of the usual account of the devoted family man and "puppet of history." The author goes beyone the familiar recounting of the path to the Ipatiev House with his richly detailed explanation of the reasons why the last Tsar and his family were brought to their inevitable end.