Did you watch the royal wedding along with the rest of the world?
Like so many Canadians I awoke to watch William and Kate kiss on the balcony, not just once but twice, which was oh so very nice! Over the weekend I was also drawn into the never ending replay of the wedding ceremony and crowd celebrations. Ever since the young couple announced their engagement, the monarchy and media managed to drum up all the pomp and circumstance they could muster to promote this fairytale romance.
Yes, the just married couple appears to be very happy and genuinely in love, but the whole event seemed to be a bit bittersweet for some royal watchers. Time after time, broadcasters and gossip columnists mentioned that there was a very important someone missing from the celebration - Diana. Some might remember Diana as just a "hot mess" but nonetheless, she does hold a dear place in many hearts and she is sorely missed.
All of this might make one wonder. Would the mother of the groom have had some sage marriage advice for her oldest son? Would Diana have warned her soon-to-be daughter-in-law about the traps and give her tips to deal with the press and paparazzi? Would Diana have influenced the plans for the wedding ceremony or the after party for that matter? Would Diana have insisted that Fergie attend the wedding along with her girls? Would things be different if Diana was still alive?
U.K. author Monica Ali has also wondered who Diana would be if she were alive today and she's written about it in her work of fiction Untold Story.
Princess Diana's life and marriage were both fairytale and nightmare rolled into one. Adored by millions, she suffered rejection, heartbreak, and betrayal in her personal life. Surrounded by glamour and glitz and the constant attention of the press, she fought to carve a meaningful role for herself in helping the needy and dispossessed. The contradictions and pressures of her situation fueled her increasingly reckless behavior, but her stature and her connection with her public never ceased to grow.
Taking the world's most famous woman as a point of departure, Untold Story is a novel about the cost of celebrity, the meaning of identity, and the possibility of reinventing a life. Like Diana, the fictional princess who is the novel's heroine is both icon and iconoclast. Will she ever find peace and happiness in her own life, or will the curse of fame always be too great?
"If the tragedy in the Alma tunnel had never happened and Diana were still alive, she would have turned fifty this year. When she died, she seemed to be at some kind of crossroads in her life," Monica Ali recently told The New York Times. "Over the years since her death, I've sometimes wondered how she would have matured into her forties and beyond. What I've always admired about her is the way she simply refused to be told what to do. She broke all manner of rules. She was a gorgeous bundle of trouble."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Monica Ali is the author of the novels In the Kitchen, Alentejo Blue, and the Booker Prize shortlisted Brick Lane. She lives in London, England with her husband and two children. For more information on the author and her books check out her website www.monicaali.com and follow her on Twitter: @_MonicaAli_.
YUMMY MUMMY BOOK CLUB
The Yummy Mummy Book Club is reading Untold Story by Monica Ali. We will have our Twitter virtual book club chat on Wednesday, July 27th from 9:30 -11:00 PM EDT. If you want to participate in the Untold Story chat just follow me @YMCbookalicious and the #YMBC on Twitter but note that we will use the hashtag #UntoldStory during the chat. In addition to hosting, I will also be holding 2 draws for copies of Untold Story and Finding Sarah by Sarah Ferguson. I hope to tweet you there!
If you want to join the Yummy Mummy Book Club and get in on future book club perks then sign up for the Bookalicious Newsletter for more details.
BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY
Simon & Schuster Canada has a copy of Untold Story to give to two lucky Bookalicious readers who leave a comment about Diana or William and Kate's royal wedding.
For more Simon & Schuster Canada books and author information visit their website www.simonandschuster.ca, follow @SimonSchusterCA on Twitter and find Simon & Schuster Canada on Facebook.
Yummy Rules and Regulations:
You must be a Yummy Mummy Club member to win. Click to sign up! It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until Friday, May, 13, 2011. Contest open to Canadian residents. Winners will be picked using www.random.org.
This blog is proudly sponsored by our friends at Simon & Schuster Canada
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