PRINCESS DAISY by JUDITH KRANTZ

PRINCESS DAISY

BY JUDITH KRANTZ

THE BLURB:-

She was born Princess Marguerite Alexandrovna Valensky. She was a blonde beauty living in a world of aristocrats and countless wealth. Her father was a prince, a Russian nobleman. Her mother was an American movie goddess. Men desired her. Women envied her. Daisy's life was a fairytale filled with parties and balls, priceless jewels, money and love. Then suddenly, the fairytale ended. And Princess Daisy had to start again, with nothing. Except the secret she guarded from the day she was born.

THE REALITY:-

It a long time since I read a blockbuster! I saw “A Woman of Substance” on TV in the early eighties, found it incredibly moving, and subsequently bought the novel. Ditto “The Thorn Birds” and “Lace”, but somehow Princess Daisy- a contemporary- kind of passed me by. I remember adverts for the mini-series as it starred Rupert Everett, who became a favourite of mine, but that's about it.

This book certainly delivered! It has it all; beautiful people, glamorous locations, passion, sex, obsession and jealousy, and also a classic riches-to-rags-then-back-to-riches storyline.

The apparent secret of Daisy having a mentally handicapped, institutionalized identical twin was not particularly hidden, but I found the concept original and touching. The characters were all well-rounded, human and believable, and the research into detail was exquisite.

I did, however, find that the novel got less interesting as it went on, the historical sections at the beginning being more of a fulfilling read. The exposure of Daisy's secret was predictable, and the demise of Ram Valensky was simply a cop out.

This book reeked of the late seventies/ early eighties, and seem a typical write from that time. I would, however, highly recommend it. The character of Daisy is human and very likeable and it sold many copies for a reason. This certainly had me rushing to turn the pages. 

I don't think I'm going to be reading or reviewing so many books for a while.  I need to press on with my next novel, and spend my spare time writing.