True Grace:

The Life and Times of an American Princess


Wendy Leigh
0312381948
2008

Maybe I expect too much from biographies, but while I now know a lot more about Grace Kelly than I did before, I didn't really feel that I understood her by the time I finished this book.

Of course, it's always going to be difficult writing about someone who is no longer living, but it seemed that a lot of this book was based on interviews about people that knew her, and what they thought of her, instead of interviewing the people themselves.

Date Finished: 28/02/09
Year Total: 8

Unseen Unheard Unknown

Sarah Hamilton-Byrne
1995
0-14-01743406

Raised in a private compound belonging to a secretive cult, Sarah spends her childhood and puberty in the centre of what it known as The Family. This is her story, from earliest memory to her escape, and the struggle she has faced to adapt to the outside world.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but her style is friendly and casual, and easy to get lost in. She is very respectful of the brothers and sisters who shared her ordeal, and is careful to make sure the reader is aware that she speaks only for herself and of her own experiences.

Of her experiences, I am a little torn. On one hand, I admit that I can't comprehend the sheer misery and fear that she has tried to convey - the incidents she recalls are horrific - and at the same time I am awed by the strength she has had to overcome her depression and suicidal thoughts.

Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 11