3.5 stars, rounded. Not knowing terribly much about Grace Kelly going into this, I was very intrigued by the author's perception of her life and relationships. Grace Kelly led a life that often seems like a fairy tale or movie plot- talented, award winning actress ends up a princess- but Maher was able to capture the difficult relationships and sadness in her life as well. Maher tells the story by alternating between Grace's years as an actress and her years as Princess of Monaco, making connections between these parts of her life.
In the slightly more negative side, this felt quite a bit too long despite not even being 400 pages. I'm unsure of what could have been cut, though.

Most of us know Hollywood icon and Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco, from her movies. However, she was also known for Broadway roles and early, live television roles. I’m not sure how I thought Grace landed the coveted roles in “Rear Window,” “Dial M for Murder,” “To Catch a Thief “ and “High Society,” but she always had the allure of never having to struggle.

This novel, author Kerri Maher’s second, takes Kelly’s on-screen persona and smashes it to pieces. Maher takes readers on Grace’s a journey from an ordinary young woman trying to find her way in the world into what it must have been like to become one of the most admired, and sought after, women in the world. This is a human story; a real-life story.

The plot is non-linear; the story jumping around in time. If readers pay close attention, they can spot the patterns the time-frames create. The transitions from year to year happen seamlessly; a feat for any writer. Personally, I felt that the time shifts gave readers a break from the normalcy and the exotic. Readers get to know plain Grace Kelly and her rather humble beginnings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to her move to New York, to her adventures in Hollywood, and to abandoning stardom for a real-life role as Princess.

I was heartbroken to read of her unhappiness with her Prince and how she felt that she had abandoned herself to serve the citizens of Monaco. The fairy tale courtship doesn’t seem that magical now.

I was surprised to learn that Grace’s life has been well-documented; I always saw her cool, calm and collected. That is one of the reasons I found her sexual encounters uncomfortable. I didn’t see her as a human being—and all that goes with it---before. Therefore, “The Girl in the White Gloves” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I wanted to like this book, but all I could keep thinking about was that it is a novel. I just wanted the true story. Other readers will certainly enjoy it, just not for me.

Grace Kelly's life is fictionalized in this book by Kerri Maher. This book kept me reading, but at the same time, it made me very sad. If there is any truth to this fictionalization then Grace Kelly, who appeared happy on the outside, was never really happy on the inside. She felt neglected by her dad. She really wanted to be a broadway actress but could only win roles in movies and dramas. Just when she started to feel happy about being in movies, even that was taken away by her husband.

I received this book for free through Netgalley in exchange for honest feedback.

Read if you: Love historical fiction, but want a break from war and downtrodden despair.

I read this after reading a nearly 600 page nonfiction book about Winston Churchill and World War II, so this was a good retreat from despair and war. Although you won't find a deep character study of Grace Kelly, you will find an enjoyable treat centered on a woman who rose above her critical family, made her own success, and then married into a rather archaic monarchy and trying marriage. Am purchasing for my patrons who love historical fiction, but don't want a lot of sex, swearing, or despair in their reading.


Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I spent the my entire reading of this books resisting the temptation to look up what was fact and what was fiction. Very enjoyable read about an icon from my Mother’s generation. I had no idea that she was such successful actress. The author did a good job blending what is well known and filling in fiction where needed.

This fast paced novel about the life of Grace Kelly is a glimpse into the world of the dying days of the dying days of the studio system and the rise of a life of glamor. The book goes back and forth between the early days of Grace Kelly’s career and deep into her role as Princess Of Monaco. Readers who prefer linear and chronological storytelling may find the device confusing, I would suggest this for fans of novels about real people such as Josephine Baker’s Last Dance and The Paris Wife.

I loved this book! A great story about Grace Kelly. I knew very little about her before reading this book, but I learned so much about her early life and her life as Princess.

I found this book very hard to get in to. Grace was a real person that the world believed led a fairy tale life but this story told more of the real person. The book was a little too drawn out for me. Readers who enjoy old Hollywood tales will like this story.

Grace Kelly is an American fairy tale, an American actress turned Princess. This book tells a story of her life behind the scenes of a beautiful actress turned princess who is just looking for happiness in life. She trades in being an actress to being the Princess of Monaco and struggles to find her place in the world. I enjoyed this book and learned many things I didn't know about Grace. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

<i>The Girl in White Gloves</i> is a semi-fictional account of the life of Grace Kelly - when she was the famous American actress and when she was the Princess of Monaco.

Told from Kelly’s dual perspectives (young actress starting out and Princess of Monaco already married for a few years), I found myself enjoying the tales of her life on Broadway as a struggling actress. I especially found the years of her filming with Alfred Hitchcock and Clark Gable intriguing.

The years Kelly spent as Princess of Monaco, however, were not a fun read and I found myself skimming those chapters.

I knew that Grace Kelly was a movie star and a princess and that's about all I knew about her. I figured that she must have been happy with her life -- I mean who doesn't dream at some time of being a movie star or a princess and she was both! The Girl in White Gloves is a fictionalized version of Grace Kelley's life but is full of factual information. After reading it, I understand the real person behind the actress and the princess and see that having those titles didn't being her as much happiness as I had believed.

This book is about Grace Kelley at two times in her life - the younger Grace who in 1949 defied her family and moved to New York to try to become a stage actress and the older Grace who at 40 years old is the Princess of Monaco and the mother of three children.

Grace Kelley searched for happiness her entire life from her wish to be a Broadway actress to her eventual role as a princess, she struggled to find the life that would bring her fulfillment and happiness. Just as she was finally finding happiness, her life ended in a tragic accident. This is the story of a search for happiness through love and family and friendship. Even though this was a fictionalized version of her life, I feel that I understand Grace Kelly the person.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Beautiful story about a beautiful woman. being from Philadelphia Ive always loved Grace Kelly. I loved reading about her life and exploits. this book taught me a lot and completely transported me

Determined to act on the stage, Grace leaves home for New York. Only able to find small rolls, she accepts jobs in the movies. Before long, she becomes a Hollywood star and is in high demand. However, when she meets Prince Rainier of Monaco, everything changes.

This book was a bit slow to start. It seemed to take forever to build any momentum. At times, the story switches points of view from the young Grace, to an older Grace. The alternating story line either needed to be left out completely, or done with more frequency. Although Grace herself is an interesting historical character, this book was a bit blah.

Welcome to the inner world of Grace Kelly. She is not the Grace Kelly you see on the screen or hear about in the society pages and Hollywood gossip columns nor is she the princess we believed lived in a faraway castle beloved by all. This is more about the real woman, not the myth. A woman who needed to be loved for who she was, respected for her craft and taken seriously not just paraded around as a national icon. The story is told flipping back and forth between her youth and time in Hollywood and in the later years of her life in Monaco. The book does become a blur as there are so many famous names and it covers so much of her life that at times I felt like I needed a cast of characters to keep it straight. She was larger than life and what we are left with is that she, like so many other celebrities, did not always lead a fairytale life. If you enjoy the numerous historical fiction biographies featuring those idolized women as real women then you will enjoy learning more about the real Grace Kelly. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I enjoyed this look in to Grace Kelly's world. She was a very strong woman and was very high class, but her life still wasn't perfect. However, I found this story to be rather drawn out. I did like learning more about Grace Kelly's life. Overall a good read with lots of details that have changed my out look on this often romanticized real life Cinderella.

I got about 90 pages in before giving up. The writing is wooden and dull. Since she had very little in the way of documents or letters to use as the basis of the story, the author just let her imagination run wild with innuendo and supposition. I couldn't take it any more.

Like Grace Kelly, I was born in Philadelphia, but I didn’t know much about her. After reading The Girl in White Gloves, I want to find out more about her and watch some of her films. Grace Kelly went against her parents’ wishes and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan and aspired to the theater, but found fame in television and film. After several romances over the years, she retired from acting at the age of 26. to marry Prince Rainier III, but eventually found her role as Princess of Monaco stultifying. One example of this: Rainier banned the showing of any of her films in the Principality of Monaco because he thought undignified for a person in her position.

3.5
I am a life-long lover of classic films.

It started when I was a girl watching old movies on our black and white television. In those days, I preferred Gene Autry, Andy Hardy, and Ma and Pa Kettle. When we moved to Detroit I discovered Bill Kennedy's Showtime. I was hooked all summer long. Jimmy Stewart became my favorite actor, but I watched swashbucklers, too.

My folks didn't have money to take us to movie theaters but we did go to the drive-in theater. When the sun went down, I was supposed to fall asleep on the back seat. Instead, I was riveted to the movie. The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Birds, and Marnie were some of the most memorable.

I became a Hitchcock fan, watching his television series, and I even had a book of scary stories with Hitch on the cover. Later in life, I watched every television broadcast of his movies. And that is how I first saw Grace Kelley--in Rear Window and To Catch a Thief.

My husband's favorite movie is High Noon, starring Kelley in her first movie role. And he was a Clark Gable fan back in the day, so I saw Kelley in Mogambo.

It was not until a few years ago that I saw Kelley in her Oscar-winning performance in The Country Girl. There was this beautiful, young actress made up plain and dowdy, her emotion so concentrated I could see the flames shooting from her eyes. Wowzer! This was not the elegant model offering Cary Grant a chance to handle her jewels.

I knew that Kelley was from Philadelphia. We had driven on Kelley Drive. And I knew that Kelley had died in a tragic car accident of unknown origin. And that she had married a prince and had two beautiful daughters who were sometimes the news.

That's it, folks. That was all I knew. And what better way to learn more than by reading Wikipedia and IMBD---kidding. What better way to learn more than by reading a historical fiction novel that imagines the hidden stories?

Several times I skipped over The Girl in White Gloves (PLEASE--no more 'girl' titles, people!) by Keri Maher when I saw it on NetGalley, but each time it caught my attention. I try hard to keep my requests in line as I am committed to doing justice to every title I get. I caved--what's one more book to the pile?

In the first chapter, I learned that Kelley had been offered the title role in Hitchcock's Marnie and was unable to accept! MARNIE! The movie that I watched from the back seat of the car, that disturbed me and made me return to it again and again to 'get it'. I read Winston Graham's Marnie a few years back after a chance to see the movie at a local repertoire theater when Tippi Hendron visited and told the audience about the movie. How could a princess accept a role about a troubled woman leading a double life, with a hatred of men and a penchant for theft? Who was made love to by a young Sean Connery?

Okay. That was enough to keep me turning pages.

In a few chapters, I learned that Kelley had played Tracy Lord in a musical remake of The Philadelphia Story! One of my very favorite movies! How did I get to be in my sixth decade without having seen High Society? Arrggh!

At the end of the story, I learned that at age forty-seven, Kelley became involved with poetry festivals, reciting poems! Including Maya Angelou.

I might also mention that Kelley was a knitter.

Maher admits to a dearth of sources for critical times in Kelley's life, like her long correspondence with Prince Rainier after their first meeting in Monaco. She 'took many liberties' for 'dramatic compression', which translates to providing a 'good read', and she speculates on the details of her relationships with men, her family, and the cause of her death. Hey, it's fiction. Get over it.

The story hits on all of the major events and films of Kelley's career. It also portrays Kelley as a woman driven to achieve excellence but conflicted by parental expectations that a woman's goal is to marry and bear children. You've had a bit of freedom, played make-believe, now it's time to grow up and become a responsible adult as a real June Cleaver, supporting your husband and bearing his children. Well, that role did not suit Kelley; Maher takes us into the marriage bed and it was positively Arctic.

Well, I gave up wanting to be a princess before I was five years old. Between Kelley and Princesses Diana and Sarah, it is quite clear the downsides far outweigh the perks.

I read a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

I requested as background reading because BookBrowse is running a promo for Berkley marketing and thus it is helpful to know what it's about. You can read our member-reviewers' at https://www.bookbrowse.com/arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm/arc_number/823/the-girl-in-white-gloves -- all reviewers have given their permission for their review to be re-used, so please fee free to reuse if useful.