Book Description
Diana in Search of Herself is the first
authoritative biography of one of the most fabled women of
the century. Even those who knew Princess Diana will be
surprised by author Sally Bedell Smith's insightful and
haunting portrait of Diana's inner life.
For all that has been written about Diana--the books, the
commemorative magazines, the thousands of newspaper
articles-we have lacked a sophisticated understanding of the
woman, her motivations, and her extreme needs. Most books
have been exercises in hagiography or character
assassination, sometimes both in the same volume. Sally
Bedell Smith, the acclaimed biographer, former New York
Times reporter, and Vanity Fair contributing
editor, has written the first truly balanced and nuanced
portrait of the Princess of Wales, in all her emotional
complexity. Drawing on scores of interviews with friends and
associates who had not previously talked about Diana, Ms.
Smith explores the events and relationships that shaped the
Princess, the flashpoints that sent her careening through
life, her deep feelings of unworthiness, her view of men, and
her perpetual journey toward a better sense of self. By
making connections not previously explored, this book allows
readers to see Diana as she really was, from her birth to her
tragic death.
Original in its reporting and surprising in its
conclusions about the severity of Diana's mental-health
problems, Diana in Search of Herself is the smartest
and most substantive biography ever written about this
mesmerizing woman.
