Book Review: "Meet Me in Monaco" by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb
“Meet Me in Monaco” by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb
Synopsis: Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of Grace Kelly’s whirlwind romance and unforgettable wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb take the reader on an evocative sun-drenched journey along the Côte d’Azur in this page-turning novel of passion, fate and second chances...
Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flash-bulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique to fend off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across thirty years of friendship, love, and tragedy.
James Henderson cannot forget his brief encounter with Sophie Duval. Despite his guilt at being away from his daughter, he takes an assignment to cover the wedding of the century, sailing with Grace Kelly’s wedding party on the SS Constitution from New York. In Monaco, as wedding fever soars and passions and tempers escalate, James and Sophie—like Princess Grace—must ultimately decide what they are prepared to give up for love.
Rating (out of 5): 3.75
Review: When I googled this book to get the synopsis, I found that Popsugar and InStyle had both recommended this book as one of the best to throw in your beach bag this summer, and I have to say I totally agree with that description. Also, judging by my photo above and to the right, you can see I also endorse it as a bathtub read. This book, to borrow a euphemism from the book, was like a eau de toilette of historical romances: a relatively light and pleasant read, appropriate for a number of audiences.
The authors here tell the love story of Sophie Duval, a passionate French parfumier, and Jim Henderson, a brash English photographer, entwined by the real-life love story of Princess Grace and Prince Ranier of Monaco. There’s a meet cute between Grace, Sophie, and Jim at the beginning of the book; that unexpected meeting leads to a romance (obviously) and a friendship between the two women that spanned decades.
While I did have to suspend disbelief at this premise, I really appreciated the attention to detail from the authors. I repeatedly found myself googling whether or not Sophie Duval was a real person (she is, but not a parfumier) and what perfume Grace Kelly wore on her wedding day (Fleurrisimo by Creed, also a favorite of mine).
Of course, there are broad caricatures of despicable people in Sophie’s life — her drunk and non supportive mother, her controlling and condescending boyfriend — that don’t believe in her like Jim does. Or Grace does, for that matter. I didn’t go into this expecting “War and Peace” but there were more cliches than I expected. The other people in Sophie and Jim’s lives seemed very shallow, and while I recognize the urgency of Sophie’s impediments to success, I didn’t really feel them.
What did I feel? I felt the love story between Grace and Ranier — I want to pick up the books the authors referenced at the end of the book — and I felt the admiration Sophie felt for Grace, as it was a clear stand-in for the admiration the authors felt for Princess Grace. I rarely read the notes at the end of this book, but I did this time because I was still warm and toasty in the tub and I didn’t have anything else to read. Reading about their motivation for writing this book made me like it more. I do love the fascination that we Americans have with royalty, and I enjoyed how they tried to connect this to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The research they did on Grace is impeccable, and I did really feel like I was there. I guess I should go watch that MGM documentary now, eh?
TL;DR: A fun and frothy read, perfect for a beach towel or a bath tub. An eau de toilette of a historical love story, where the strongest parts came when based on actual history.
If you liked this, try these:
“The Making of a Hollywood Princess” by Mark Braude (this is an article in the New Republic FYI).
“The Gown” by Jennifer Robson (my review here!)
