Diana

September 1, 1999
Smith's rather unsympathetic portrait of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, is sure to receive a great deal of publicity (excerpts will be published in People). The author believes that the troubled princess was mentally ill, and she certainly presents a good deal of convincing evidence to bolster her case. Unfortunately, her eagerness to present virtually every incident in Diana's life as "proof" of her instability becomes somewhat tedious, and her assertion that Charles did not resume his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles until 1986, when the royal marriage had "irretrievably broken down," is undermined by its frequent repetition. Little attention is paid to Diana's charity work, and, surprisingly, Smith never manages to convey just what it was about Diana that inspired the love and admiration not only of millions worldwide who never met her but also of the friends and family who knew of her problems and faults. Given the unrelenting interest in Diana's life, however, this title is sure to be requested. The publisher of Diana: A Portrait in Her Own Words states that "this unique book is the result of a scrupulous worldwide search for every one of Diana's significant quotes." The book is organized by subject ("married life," "William and Harry," "The Royal Family," etc.). Unfortunately, the editor has chosen not to include dates and context for many of the quotes. Still, this is a browsable book for anyone interested in Diana's sometimes touching and occasionally contradictory words. Libraries that own Princess Diana: The Book of Love (Eagle Rose Pub., 1997), which covers roughly the same subject area, can probably skip this, unless demand dictates otherwise. As these two books remind us, the definitive biography of Diana remains to be written.--Elizabeth Mary Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.