Once Upon a Time

Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier

By: J.Randy Taraborrelli

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Actress Grace Kelly was swept away when the handsome Price Rainier, a man she barely knew, asked for her hand in marriage. If she married Rainier, she would be more than just a movie star, she would be Her Serene Royal Highness Princess Grace. Once in the palace, however, Grace found herself trapped in a fairy tale of her own making. Grace and Rainier may have been royalty, but they were also husband and wife, and parents, and, as such, just as vulnerable to the conflicts that can contaminate any household. Drawing upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with family and friends, Once Upon a Time portrays its subjects with passion and sympathy, revealing Grace, Rainier, Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie in ways both startling and compelling.©2003 Rose Books (P)2003 Time Warner AudioBooks. a division on the AOL Time Warner Book Group.

Critic reviews

"Illuminating political intrigue and complex family dynamics...vivid, full-blooded portraits." (Publishers Weekly)

Narrator

Great story - yet is a tragedy
Wish the author mentioned more of Hitchcock and how influential he was to Grace’s career.

Book Club

I belong to a royal book club at work. A co-worker suggested this book and we all loved. I’ve listened to the audio twice. Loved the narrator’s voice. Parenting was Grace Kelly’s challenge in life IMO. Great writer!

Not All Fairy Tales End "Happily Everafter"

I really enjoyed this book & narration by one of my favorite actors, Edward Herrmann. I have two letters from Princess Grace, met her brother, "Kell" (John B. Kelly, Jr.) in his office in Philadelphia on my 30th Birthday, met & shook hands with Prince Rainier, & met & talked to Prince Albert, Princess Grace & Princess Stephanie at various Princess Grace Foundation events. Randy Taraborrelli is to be congratulated on the fine research & writing he did in this book. I felt I was with him with every event covered. Edward Herrmann is excellent narrating this book. He's on of my favorite actors. I guarantee anyone who is a fan of Grace Kelly/Princess Grace will enjoy this book.

VERY informative

Loved it, learn a lot. Very interesting and captivating, of course still unanswered questions about the crash that took her life.

Seemed thorough

Totally enjoyed this. If it’s all true, it’s an amazing biography. It’s about an interesting, strong woman and the choices she made. Loved this!

Fantastic Book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Once Upon a Time to be better than the print version?

Yes I would, the audio editon makes the book come "alive" for the reader.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Once Upon a Time?

The ending...to see how the main character's life actually affected the masses outside of her family.

What about Edward Herrmann’s performance did you like?

Everything, he is a very effective reader.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Overall the book was very good.

Any additional comments?

It is my alternative to listening to music...I read constantly now that I puchased a Kindle six months ago. I had not read a book for enjoyment in decades...within the last six months I have read 25 books. Now with audio ...that number will probably double. Audio makes reading more enjoyable. It is fasinating that you can actually pick the narrator for your books. I continue to be amazed at the flexiblity of Kindle...it has open many doors for me..

Pleasant

It’s always enjoyable to read about interesting figures in pop-culture; however one thing I don’t like about biographies set in the present or the recent past, is that towards the end when they get to “the present” it’s often outdated. Reading about Prince Rainier’s future is a little odd since he’s dead!

Another example: I recently saw a biography featuring Charles & Camilla and all the Royal Pundits were unanimous that they could NEVER get married… ever!... kinda stupid now that they’ve been happily-hitched since 2005!

Other than that one annoyance, it was a pleasant read.

Like a lengthy "Vanity Fair" magazine article.

I wish this had been available in unabridged form-I hate abridged versions if I can avoid it. Having said that, this is pretty good. Edward Herrmann is an excellent narrator; it makes me think of the style & content of an article in "Vanity Fair" magazine, only longer. I was looking for something about the Ranier marriage that was not sensational; I got that. The author gives an introduction to the book & he is then interviewed (rather lengthy) after the book ends. It was published in 2003 so is not up to date on the death of Prince Ranier & the further doings of their children.

Beautifully written!

Absolutely loved this book. Such a beautiful story and it is written beautifully. So glad I listened to it!

Portrait of a Pristine Princess

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a sanitized, understated almost picture perfect portrayal of Princess Grace. I have read more in-depth narrative and learned more history about subjects of bios and memoirs in Vanity Fair. I understand this was written with the cooperation of the Kelly family and in that respect serves as an honorable biography of her life.

What was most disappointing about J.Randy Taraborrelli’s story?

I would have liked to learn more about her years in Hollywood and the strides she made as an independent career woman back in the day. Much of her movie star romances and adventures were very glossed over and given more as facts---ones that would be able to be read on-line for instance and are public knowledge/old news. I was hoping also for more detail about her decision to give up her career and marry Prince Rainier. I didn't learn anything new about Grace Kelly,nothing more than I've read over a lifetime in various publications with guarded and carefully chosen public relations requirements.

What about Edward Herrmann’s performance did you like?

He was excellent. A good choice for this bio.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Once Upon a Time?

I would mention the chapter numbers when moving to the next. There is no announcement or reference of what chapter you are moving into or reading. Some people like to follow up with the physical book but there is no reference here. Also, the music bridges, while a nice touch are entirely too long between the chapter breaks. At some points I thought the book had ended.