by Tina Brown- Introduction and Acquisition
In a few weeks the 10
th Anniversary of Diana's death will be celebrated, so of course there are loads of speculative press about it, and her. Tina Brown, the opportunistic gossip editor, used just this opportunity to publish yet another book about Diana and her death. Barnes & Nobel had a coupon for the newly released book, so I took advantage of it.
June 2007. A few last weeks of freedom, between school and work. Having just got back from Japan, am planning to go to spend a week in L.A., and desired something irrelevant and fluffy to read on the plane.
The book definitely had its juicy gossipy slant, highlighting all the sex and infidelity in it (no drugs or alcohol for Lady Di). Diana is painted interestingly as an innocent victim as far as the marriage breakdown and her royal family relations go, yet as a intuitive manipulative schemer with the media. One sympathizes with her. We see a complex picture of innocence and manipulation, victim and predator, uneducated and
wily. The book remained interesting as we are fed juicy bits, gossipy "factoids" from the mouths of those who were not meant to be seen - the servants, butlers, maids, security guards.
It had its obvious slant, so while one reads to believe and allows the author its literary license, the focus on sex becomes a little laughable, and some passages quoting the Prince and his at-the-time mistress in a lover's conversation is somewhat embarrassing to read, embarrassing for them and a little shameful that the book would record word for word an intimate conversation meant for no one else but the two parties involved. It is those small bits that
dilute the book's
authenticity and honesty, integrity.
Well, the reader can never be separated from the book review, and we all go into these things with our own biases. I amusingly enough found some answers and even sense of
camaraderie with some of the scenarios in the book, dealing with my own life. So in that rather personal sense, I found the book to have continued to haunt me even after I had put the pages down. It is the end of June, and the anniversary of Diana's death is still two months away. Tony Blair, who got into office just before her death, officially resigned from his post two days ago. Or maybe it was today. So I know my eyes and ears will perk up at any mention of Diana or her royal relations, which I know will be plentiful in the weeks to come. This book, plus the smashing success of the movie The Queen, has placed the British royals into the spotlight again.
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