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The Real Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

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By: Anna Pasternak
Narrated by: Laura Kirman
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‘A profoundly moving meditation on love, loyalty, and, ultimately, forgiveness’ AMANDA FOREMAN

'Attempts to redress the balance and emphasises Simpson's intelligence, independence and unwillingness to ruin the life of the man she loved’ OBSERVER

The intimate biography of one of the most misunderstood women in British royal history. Now 40 years since her death and the 90 year anniversary of the abdication, there is no better time to look back on this brilliant woman's life.

Life has always been made difficult for those marrying into England’s royal family. In 1936, just months into his reign, King Edward VIII proposed to Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman. Gossip ran wild, and that cacophony of speculation and distrust both hid the real Wallis, and forced Edward into abdicating so that he might marry the woman he adored.

In this intimate biography Anna Pasternak seeks to understand Wallis – and her relationship with Edward and The Crown. Using testimony from her closest friends, she shows the warm, loyal, intelligent woman who was written off and undermined by the powerful, often manipulative men of the Establishment. This is Wallis Simpson’s story as it has never been told before.

Previously published as Untitled.

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Critic Reviews

Praise for Anna Pasternak:
#1 January book on Ophrah.com
‘Riveting, tragic tale’ New Yorker
‘A gripping and well-researched book’ Express
‘What makes the book unputdownable is Pasternak’s lively and detailed retelling of this ever-fascinating, ridiculously poignant love story.’ The Times
‘Anna Pasternak’s empathetic study of Wallis emphasises her intelligence, independence and unwillingness to ruin the life of the man she loved.’ Guardian
‘Pasternak’s mission here, accomplished with style and discernment, is to give appropriate balance to how history has proffered Mrs. Simpson’s character and motives (many have viewed her as a gold-digger) and recorded her role in the abdication crisis. What Pasternak poignantly reveals is that both the king and Mrs. Simpson demonstrated incredible naivete about the consequences of their marriage.’ Booklist
‘[A] gripping if sad chapter in history and she tells it well’ Evening Standard
‘Meticulously researched’ Sunday Times
‘Anna Pasternak has produced an irresistible account of joy, suffering and passion’ Financial Times
‘A story with enough romance and suffering to make a moving novel or film in its own right’ Observer
‘Anna Pasternak does not spare an ounce of drama nor detail …. a profoundly moving meditation on love, loyalty, and, ultimately, forgiveness’ Amanda Foreman
‘A … marvellously interesting book …fascinating’ Spectator
‘Passionate and intriguing … this is a brave and necessary rebuttal to much of the historical record’ Country & Town House
‘A fascinating story’ Country Life
‘An enchanting love story, wonderfully told’ Sir Ronald Harwood
‘Pasternak offers a variety of thought-provoking arguments to counter the accepted wisdom about Simpson … Those who have read other accounts will want to look at this other side.’ Kirkus
‘Accomplished with style and discernment’ Booklist
All stars
Most relevant
The actual text was interesting and factual. I would have given Ms Pasternak 5 * BUT the narrator, Laura Kirman, had the most extraordinary delivery... due to poor breath control I expect. Example: ".. her friends kept seeing her. As Bloom" instead of "her friends kept seeing her as Bloom ..." Long pauses for breath, or to let her eyes catch up, placed in ridiculous spots, made the text ridiculous.

Then... yes there is more... her pronunciation of well known words provided moments for the listener to laugh out loud. Examples: Maginot Line became "Mag (as in maggot) in ot (as in hot) Line". Marvellous! Then there was "Rude yard Kipling" for poor old Rudyard. An other laugh out loud moment came with "knob less oblige" Crepe (the fabric) became krep, cote d'azur became "kot d'azur" and the poor old Masons suffered their temples being called "Mace onic lodge"... which I will perhaps allow in some US accent... still a jolt out of the text and thus disturbing to the listener. Many, many more such atrocities are available for the listener who wants to be amused.

5* for funny but only 1* for accurate and non-distracting narration Ms Kirman.

Narrator turned a biography into a comic listen

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A good story but the narrator spoiled it by badly doing the voices of Edward,Wallis George VI, Duchess of York, Queen Mary, Winston Churchill, Ernest Simpson, Monkton, the Rogers she did all different voices for everyone that was mentioned in the book.I'm surprised she didn't bark  for SLIPPER the dog..NARRATORS NOTE..Just read the book!!!

Narrators stop doing the characters voices

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It’s a good historical book. But it doesn’t give what it’s promised.
I was expecting physical portrait of of Wallis Simpson, as a woman as a human being. Did not get it at all.

Not what I expected

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