- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Summit Books; First Edition edition (May 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671612093
- ISBN-13: 978-0671612092
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.7 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 331,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As the title suggests this book is compiled of correspondence between Wallis Simpson and the Prince of Wales (as they then were) and between Mrs Simpson and her aunt, Bessie Merryman. The letters chronicle the life of Mrs Simpson in the build up to her meeting the Prince for the first time through to the abdication crisis and the beginning of their life in exile.
Bloch, having been assistant to Maitre Blume (the Duchess of Windor's lawyer and protector during the last years of her life) is an undisputed authority on the Windsors and sensitively fills in the gaps during the early stages of the correspondence. However, the letters tell their own version of one of the most talked about and sensationalised romances of the 20th century.
One feels a great sense of voyeurism when reading their private correspondence and one can form an opinion as to the characters of both Mrs Simpson and the Prince which are not portayed by other writers. For example the letters show Mrs Simpson as socially aspirant but at the same time willing to give up the King if it meant he would remain on the thrown, whilst Edward comes across at times as stubborn, selfish and obsessive.
For anyone interested in this famous couple, this book is a must in understanding the foundations of their relationship and their respective roles in the abdication crisis as it unfolded.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Shallow? Yes. But still interesting to read...
28 Jan 2007
Format:Hardcover
I just finished reading this book again. It had been a while, and I was curious after reading the other reviews to see if I agreed.
Well, yes and no.
The Windsors were shallow and self-centered (astoundingly so), no question about that. But I found the story of the abdication written entirely from their points of view to be very revealing. Arguments can be made, of course, that none of it makes any difference at this remove in time, but being able to read, in their own words, about the thoughts (some breathtakingly puerile) and actions of 2 people who changed history because they were so self-involved was a treat.
I do recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this period of English history. It's a window into a vanished world.
Well, yes and no.
The Windsors were shallow and self-centered (astoundingly so), no question about that. But I found the story of the abdication written entirely from their points of view to be very revealing. Arguments can be made, of course, that none of it makes any difference at this remove in time, but being able to read, in their own words, about the thoughts (some breathtakingly puerile) and actions of 2 people who changed history because they were so self-involved was a treat.
I do recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this period of English history. It's a window into a vanished world.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Why Love Lives On
2 Aug 2000
Format:Hardcover
I fell in love with the story of the Duke and Duchess after reading the love letters in this book. The touching and informative letters help the reader to understand the true love between these two lovers and the sacrifice Edward made in order to have his one true love. I don't know any other person who could do that. Certainly not our current Prince of Wales. This book shows that true love is still a powerful thing. Read it if you love history at all. It is more than just love letters. It is also a very good account of the way life was during the Depression.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
History, Romance, and 1930s Social History
17 Jan 2012
Format:Hardcover
I take this book off the shelf and re-read it quite often. To me it's interesting on two levels - as a glimpse into the famous romance, and also as a 1930s social history set in early 1930s London. Note that not all of the letters are from/to Wallis and Edward - many are from Wallis to her namesake aunt, Bessie Merryman, in Washington D.C. I think is a good thing, as these are as interesting (perhaps more) than the letters between the couple. Wallis' famous wit is evident as she conveys to her aunt the (carefully controlled!) stories of her social life, which gradually comes to be dominated by the Prince of Wales. In 1931, Wallis and Ernest Simpson were well off, employing a maid, cook, personal maid, and chauffer. In the course of the letters, the Depression begins to take its toll on Ernest's business, even as he and Wallis were moving in bigger and better social circles. The detailed descriptions Wallis gives her aunt of servant troubles, running a house, entertain, and keep up her wardrobe, etc. may seem banal to some, but I think it's fascinating. Everyone was under pressure to keep up appearances unless so well padded with money that they didn't feel the pinch, such as Edwina Mountbatten (Edwina Mountbatten: A Life of Her Own) or the Curzon sisters (The Viceroy's Daughters: The Lives of the Curzon Sisters); I'd say Wallis did far more on a lot less than other women of her circle. The letters reveal that she could be just as chic in inexpensive dresses that Aunt Bessie picks out for her in Washington as she later would in Mainbocher originals. The contrast between privately "crying poor" to her aunt on one line and in the next dashing off for a weekend at Knole, or attending an advertising-themed fancy dress party (Wallis dressed as a tube of toothpaste), is typical of the period as well. She has no illusions about her looks ("Sorry about my face..." she says in a letter enclosing a photo of herself) or social standing, well aware that people invited her "in hope of getting the prince..." and expresses several times that she will get "quite a bump" once a young beauty comes along to replace her in his affections. With 20/20 modern hindsight such remarks might be dismissed as insincere, but that was, after all, the prince's relationship history up until Wallis. The correspondence between Edward and Wallis documents their growing affection, culminating in his determination to marry her. The later ones were written during their separation when Wallis left England for France to await her divorce becoming final, discussion of wedding plans, etc. They end with the couple's reunion imminent. I think they're rather sweet and romantic, but they are just private letters, often dashed off in haste, that the writers never expected would be read and judged by the world. Editor Bloch's annotations and information between groups of letters is useful and interesting in its own right. Great photos as well.
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