"Intensely well researched and an un-put-down-able read, Tina Brown's extraordinary book parts the brocaded velvet and allows us an unprecedented look at the world and mind of the most famous person on the planet. A social commentary, a historical document and a psychological examination, written by a superb investigative journalist." –Academy Award® Winning Actress Helen Mirren Ten years after her death, Princess Diana remains a mystery. Was she “the people’s princess,” who electrified the world with her beauty and humanitarian missions? Or was she a manipulative, media-savvy neurotic who nearly brought down the monarchy? Only Tina Brown, former Editor-in-Chief of Tatler, England’s glossiest gossip magazine; Vanity Fair; and The New Yorker could possibly give us the truth. Tina knew Diana personally and has far-reaching insight into the royals and the Queen herself. In The Diana Chronicles, you will meet a formidable female cast and understand as never before the society that shaped them: Diana's sexually charged mother, her scheming grandmother, the stepmother she hated but finally came to terms with, and bad-girl Fergie, her sister-in-law, who concealed wounds of her own. Most formidable of them all was her mother-in-law, the Queen, whose admiration Diana sought till the day she died. Add Camilla Parker-Bowles, the ultimate "other woman" into this combustible mix, and it's no wonder that Diana broke out of her royal cage into celebrity culture, where she found her own power and used it to devastating effect.
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"Well written but very biased as I expected. I liked Diana and what she did to use her position to do good, but the book shows two sides of a coin. One a very caring person, the other a very calculating personality. It's quite a study into human behavior if read from a philosophical point of view. Highly recommended reading."
— Zeana (4 out of 5 stars)
" Excellent, extensive and inclusive biography of Princess Diana. "
— Kathryn, 2/20/2014" The definitive book on Princess Diana. "
— Delight, 2/12/2014" Tina Brown is very thorough, most of the stories I already knew. So much sadness and disappointment and unfulfillment on a grand, public scale. This book is comprehensive and authoritative on Diana's life. "
— Marianne, 2/11/2014" Mock me if you will, but this is a fair-minded look at the phenomenon that is Diana, Princess of Wales. I've read (far too many) of the biographies, both pro- and anti-Diana, and Brown offers information that's new to me and fresh insights. "
— Nancy, 2/6/2014" It is most difficult to review this book. I found it fascinating because I have always been interested in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the way it is presented here seems to me cheap and some of it almost tawdry. I think some of the princess's life events could have been treated with more discretion and care. One can't deny that this life is indeed interesting, but one could hope that its presentation in a book could have been more gracious. I found this to be more sensationalistic than a deep, thoughtful exploration of this beautiful but very complicated lady. I think there are other books out there which cover the subject with more thoughtfulness. "
— Julianne, 1/10/2014" I can't believe this was one of the NY Times Notable Books of the year -- there's no reason for that except they love Tina Brown. I think someone could write an interesting book about Princess Diana, but this is not it. "
— Rebecca, 12/29/2013" A lot of interesting information, presumably factual. Enjoyed learning about the background from childhood, which is the majority of the focus of the book. An interesting look inside the life of Princess Diana. "
— Kalei, 12/4/2013" I can't believe I read this whole book, but I couldn't stop! I picked it up after reading "Untold Story" by Monica Ali, which credits "The Diana Chronicles" for background information. I am at a loss to explain why I find this stuff interesting; a guilty pleasure I guess. "
— Lisa, 12/1/2013" Diana was destined to be the Princess of Wales, with or without her consent. She is portrayed as The book suggests that she was actually a pretty complex woman, who was extremely calculated & intelligent,yet also so naive, and who only want to experience love. I loved it. "
— Faye, 11/13/2013" Dirt on Di in microscopic detail. Not my thing after all. "
— Laura, 9/29/2013" Grabbed this because I wanted to read more by Tina Brown (Daily Beast), I'm absolutely hooked. "
— Sarah, 9/7/2013" A book version of the gossip columns telling of Princess Diana's life. Good book, except a little too revealing. Some things are better left untold. "
— Candace, 8/22/2013" A lot of people didn't like this book. I did. It was very insightful. What sets this apart from other books, was that it didn't have an agenda. "
— Marianne, 8/8/2013" A light summer read, and break from denser material. Such a sad life she led . . . "
— Lisa, 7/19/2013" Another great story about Diana, I have read others and cang et an idea of the woman she was. "
— Becky, 5/24/2013" I let myself fall into the obsession just for the 1 month it took to read this book. I'm glad I did, but now I'm done! "
— Emily, 5/1/2013" This book answered every single question I ever conceived of about Princess Diana. I bet I've read at least thirty books about her from 1980 on and none of them came close to the level of detail Tina Brown apparently got from everyone she interviewed. "
— Caroline, 2/6/2013" i won this in a drawing and was originally very unenthused about reading it -- but find it hard to put down. The schmaltz factor is minimal, and Brown is able to cleverly examine Di's celebrity and appeal. "
— Erica, 1/17/2013" Very detailed, absolutely fascinating bio of Diana. Tina Brown's voice and commentary were also a welcome addition. "
— Julie, 10/19/2012" I can't believe how much I am affected by this book... pissed off all over again at how awful a time "the firm" treated Di!!! "
— Paulette, 8/1/2012" Intense, possibly TOO detailed, gossipy, schadenfreuderiffic fun. "
— Alissa, 7/26/2012" Listened to the book on tape during a long drive. Perfect for that. Well narratd and interesting. "
— Betsy, 5/27/2012" Yes, it's shameful that I not only read this, but I enjoyed it. "
— Chea, 3/26/2012" Kind of like a prequel to the movie "The Queen". Like the movie, this biography focuses on the relationship triangle of Diana, the media, and the royal family. "
— Liz, 3/24/2012" Another page-turner I couldn't put down. Only for those interested in the Royal Family to begin with. MUCH better than any of the other books I've read on the subject; the story of her early home life was all new to me. Really lets you know what goes on behind the palace walls. "
— Susan, 2/8/2012" The Diana exhibit just opened at Union Station; I can't wait to go. Thought I'd learn as much as I could before I go. This is a good start. "
— Laurie, 1/2/2012" The Diana exhibit just opened at Union Station; I can't wait to go. Thought I'd learn as much as I could before I go. This is a good start. "
— Laurie, 3/6/2011" As far as sordid celeb biographies go, this should be at the top of the list. Tina Brown writes about the fascinating life of Princess Diana in such a way that it reads like a fast-paced novel. "
— Kathryn, 2/3/2011" Admittedly, my reading habits took a trashy dive last year...But if you're going to read trash, this is kind of fascinating. The royals are <em>crazy</em>... "
— Jennifer, 1/20/2011" Oh, yes, I did. And I even dare to admit it. :-) Definitely enjoyable in that reading-People-Magazine-at-the-hair-salon kind of way. "
— Trudy, 12/22/2010" I used to read a lot of books about Diana. I can't remember a lot about this one or the author. "
— Brenda, 11/26/2010" Brown's handling of Diana's story seems even-handed. Interesting, involving and witty. "
— Suzanne, 10/12/2010" Interesting facts about the lovely Diana Spencer. Her early years explains much to her development ot the woman she became. "
— Julia, 9/8/2010Tina Brown is an award-winning writer and editor-in-chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, and the New Yorker; founder of the Daily Beast and the live-event platform Women in the World summits. In 2017 she published The Vanity Fair Diaries, chosen as one of the best books of the year by Time, People, Amazon.com, the Guardian, the Economist, Entertainment Weekly, and Vogue.