Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess
AuthorSally Bedell Smith
LanguageEnglish
GenreBiography
PublisherTimes Books
Publication date
1999
Media typePrint
Pages320
ISBN0-8129-3030-4

Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess is one of the books about Diana, Princess of Wales. The book was written by best-selling author Sally Bedell Smith and was published by the Times Books in 1999.[1][2] The book is the first authoritative biography of the Princess.[3]

Content

The 320-page book focuses on troubled life of Princess Diana.[2][4] Smith interviewed nearly 150 people whose reports are used in the book to narrate the life of the Princess.[5] These people were mainly Diana's intimates, including British tabloid journalists.[6] The book also featured 32-page unseen photographs of the Princess.[7]

The most significant claim made in the book is that the Princess had suffered from borderline personality disorder.[2][8] It is also claimed that she could not fix her serious eating disorder and was not able to manage to sustain relationships.[9]

Sales

The book was included in the best seller lists of the following: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Top 50, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Barnes & Noble and Publishers Weekly.[10]

Reception

Linda L. Richards of the January Magazine stated that the book provides an unbiased and balanced portrait of the Princess.[4][11] In a similar vein, the Newsweek review of the book indicated "Smith has done a remarkable job extracting what's genuinely pertinent and interesting about Diana...If you're going to read one Diana book, this should be it."[10]

On the other hand, the author was criticized by Dorothy Packer-Fletcher because of her claim that Diana had been experiencing borderline personality disorder.[12][13] Packer-Fletcher suggested that in order to establish this diagnosis there should have been psychiatric examination.[12] She further argued that the author's statement was harmful because it was a "posthumous diagnosis of mental illness".[12]

The book became a bestseller and was also cited as controversial.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Diana in Search of Herself". The New York Times. 1999. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Diana's Last Loves". People. 52 (7). 23 August 1999.
  3. ↑ Sally Bedell Smith (1999). Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess. ISBN 0812930304.
  4. 1 2 Linda L. Richards (August 1999). "The Final Word?". January Magazine.
  5. ↑ Elaine Cassell. "Diana: In Search of Herself". Psych on the Shelves.
  6. ↑ Joseph P. Kahn (12 September 1999). "Portrait of a Troubled Princess". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Diana: In Search of Herself". Kirkus Reviews. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Margaret Moser (30 August 1999). "The Huntress Captured by the Game". Weekly Wire. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Diana in Search of Herself". Publishers Weekly. 8 January 1999. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Praise and Reviews". S. Bedell Smith. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Sara Nelson (22 August 1999). "Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait". Newsday. ProQuest 279233991. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Dorothy Packer-Fletcher (February 2000). "Book Review". Psychiatric Services. 51 (2): 259–260. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.51.2.259.
  13. 1 2 Deirdre Donahue (29 January 2012). "'Elizabeth' Shows Many Facets of Britain's Queen". Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
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