Anna PasternakBesprekingen

A serious effort to understand and defend "the American duchess" from the criticism and blame Wallis Simpson received for a king's giving up his throne. Many who knew her liked her, found her warm-hearted, fun, and elegant; those who didn't like her just didn't. Pasternak depicts her as basically honorable, aware of how tenuous and provocative her relationship with the Prince of Wales was - even trying to end it as inappropriate and hopeless on occasion. But clearly she was seduced by the glamor, the parties, the social whirl, the beautiful clothes, the cascade of jewelled gifts, and plunged ahead. To be fair, she and David sustained a long and apparently loving relationship thereafter, and frankly, getting that appallingly self-absorbed, shallow, impulsive, and immature man OFF the throne of England at that time was probably the best thing that could have happened. Their German sympathies (to the extent of visiting Hitler) are rather glossed over.

Pasternak has certainly done her research; her writing is sure-footed and vivid. She is sympathetic to Wallis's perhaps too-patient husband Ernest, who put up with his third corner of a quite public triangle with decency (he too was rather drunk on the rarefied air they breathed for some time). I was curious about a more serious look at this woman, in spite of my aversion to the royals in general. I finally found I could no longer bear the company of these utterly privileged, useless, parasitic people on their private cars on the Orient Express, chartered flights to ski resorts, borrowed Mediterranean villas and yachts, and I set the book aside. I just couldn't bring myself to spend any more time in this world with these awful people.

Anna Pasternak intertwines the lives of Boris Pasternak and his lover, Olga Ivinskaya. Stalin protects Pasternak from the gulag and execution. In order to to harm Pasternak, the authorities arrest and imprison Olga in the gulag at Potma. While given a lesser than normal sentence, her incarceration is an ordeal which leaves a permenent stamp. Released early under an amnesty, Olga assists Pasternak in his completion of Zhivago. Both Olga and Pasternak's wife oppose Zhivago's foreign publication until it is first published in the Soviet Union. Knowing his work would be bowdlerized in Russia, Pasternak gives the original to an Italian publisher, along with his blessing for its publication. What gives this work power is its focus on the suffering Olga endured for Boris. Though related to Pasternak -- she is his grand - niece -- Anna Pasternak offers us an honest d assessment of Pasternak's own selfishness in the relationship. He refuses to leave his wife and marry Olga when to do so would have protected Olga from a second arrest. Pasternak's declaration that Olga could not know how much he -- Pasternak -- is suffering when the later enters the hospital belies a narcissism. Anna Pasternak offers the reader a finely written and documented narration of a major work of literature as well as a major literary event. Before reading the fictionalized version of the woman in Pasaternak's life who was the inspiration for Lara in Doctor Zhivago, I would strongly recommend you read Anna Pasternak's book first. Throughout the world -- then and now -- Pasternak's principled refusal to submit his novel to the Soviet censors remains an inspiration. Anna Pasternak's finely written and superbly researched book represents a critical homage to Olga Ivanskaya's contribution to Pasternak's masterpiece.

Editora Record
2ª edição

The story of Wallis Simpson's infamous affair with the Prince of Wales in the 1930s that led to Edward VIII abdicating the throne after only 326 days as King of England has been told again and again. Simpson has been portrayed as everything from a gold digger to a whore to even a Nazi spy. Wallis Simpson was not a saint...she was a twice divorced American and an independent woman with a strong personality in a time where that was not fashionable. In The Real Wallis Simpson, Anna Pasternak strives to dig past gossip and media spin to get to the real woman. What was Wallis Simpson really like? Why did she get involved with Edward? Was their relationship really the romantic story it has been portrayed to be?

According to Pasternak, Wallis Simpson did not really want to marry the Prince of Wales. The situation got out of control and she was forced into a divorce and marriage she didn't really want. Pasternak, and other historians, now believe that the affair was pushed into marriage by the royal family and others because Edward's immature behavior, reckless spending, and lack of attention to responsibility made him a poor king. Getting him to abdicate and marry Wallis Simpson passed the crown on to his brother, who was a more stable choice. But, it left Wallis Simpson stuck.....she missed the husband she was forced to divorce and was forced into exile with an often moody, immature Edward.

Kinda changes the story a bit doesn't it?

I will admit I believed the decades of gossip. I always believed Simpson was a twice-divorced sex pot who set her eyes on the Prince and wheedled her way into his head til she got what she wanted. But after reading this book, I have to change my mind. I believe Simpson was flattered by the attention and liked the dinners, gifts, parties, and social position it gave her to be recognized as a friend/companion of the Prince of Wales. She expected the attention to continue until Edward got tired of her....then he would move on to another interest and she could return to her life and her marriage. But that didn't happen. Edward became obsessed with her....spending more and more money on her, demanding more and more of her time, calling multiple times a day, demanding her attention...... The situation rapidly got out of control, became a public scandal, and then there was no way for Wallis to get out of it. She played a game with very powerful people and she lost. It doesn't change the fact that she was willing to play the game....she was married,but carried on a very public relationship with Edward anyway. She loved the money and the social standing. So, she was no saint. But she wasn't a complete devil woman either. She was portrayed that way because at the time women were not supposed to be strong, intelligent, or independent.

I enjoyed this book. Pasternak definitely did a lot of in-depth research. She quotes news reports, personal letters, interviews with friends of Wallis, Edward and others, letters from government officials, royal letters and documents, etc. At one point she quotes a member of the royal family as saying that it wasn't Simpson they despised, but Edward.

So interesting! I'm going to read it a second time, and then re-watch some documentaries I've seen on the affair and the aftermath, and come out with a much more informed, fair opinion on Edward's abdication. I feel guilty for believing that Simpson was a horrid person who jumped above her class and nearly toppled the monarchy....that was unfair and uninformed. I'm not sure I'm willing to believe that Edward was a complete weak-willed, narcissistic ninny though until I read more and weigh out the facts. I do realize now that Simpson might have been a pawn in a much bigger game and didn't realize it until it was too late....then she had to follow through.

I'm definitely going to read more by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This is a very readable book which provides a real insight into this period of British royal history. Much is revealed about the very complex personality of the Duke of Windsor, following his abdication from the throne, Wallis's anguish as she tried to depart from his life rather than have him abdicate, and the truly awful role his mother, Queen Mary, and to a greater extent Queen Elizabeth (later to become the Queen Mother) played in the life-time exile of Edward and Wallis following their marriage.

This book is also published under the title "The Real Wallis Simpson: A New History of the American Divorcée Who Became the Duchess of Windsor" by Anna Pasternak

Pasternak approaches her subject with the clearly stated intent of rehabilitating Wallis Simpson's reputation. Well-written and, for a biography, easy to read despite the detailed facts (down to the numbers of luggage pieces the Windsors travelled with), The American Duchess left me saddened for both David (King Edward VIII for so short a time) and the woman he sacrificed a empire for (the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson).

Where Pasternak's efforts fell short was that, while she scrupulously portrayed their very human flaws, in the attempt to rehabilitate Simpson after decades of prejudice Pasternak too carefully dealt with the alleged affair between Simpson and Jimmy Donahue, and the Fascist connections of Lady Diana Mosley.

The overall impression one is left with is that both the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were victims of society's expectations of rank and gender. David wanted to be a King who changed and modernised the monarchy; in a generation when most women only had the option of marriage to better themselves, Wallis won the greatest prize of her generation (a future King) but the cost was greater than anyone could have imagined - the loss of an empire for him; ostracization and the role of scapegoat for her.

With a few exceptions (Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Winston Churchill) the British Government and the Royal Family, especially Elizabeth, the Queen Mum, did not appear in a favourable light in how the Windsor's were dealt with: especially when one considers that Princess Margaret was not allowed to marry Pete Townsend because he was divorced and lived an unhappy life thereafter, and, of course, the tragic marriage between mismatched Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, who, like Wallis Simpson, also had her HRH title denied. Which leads us on to the next generation's tragedy - Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the Megixt scandal.

Irrespective of how flawed and, yes, shallow and financially privileged the Windsors were, in the context of their society of a by-gone era that's very different to 21st century mores and expectations, both David and Wallis were treated with an extraordinary lack of compassion by David's family. If Queen Mary and Elizabeth, the Queen Mum, had been more visionary and more compassionate, perhaps the tragic love affair of the Windsors would not have caused so much emotional pain and suffering to all parties.

I have to say I only had a partial- and that rather negative- impression of The Duchess of Windsor. Wasn't she the much-married cause of the Abdication,? A bit of an entitled Nazi? I realise I had even less of a handle on the former Edward VIII.
This seemed to be a very balanced book. The author avows her sympathy for her subject, but doesn't flinch from mentioning the negatives too.
I finished it with more sympathy for the couple than otherwise. The estrangement of the Royals from them (Wallis was only received on her husband's death, some 35 years later) seems to have been largely driven by the former Queen Mother's unbending hatred and a compliant courtier, who feared their presence in UK- golden, affable, pretty popular- might undermine his more hesitant successor.
I hadn't realised that Wallis urged the King- repeatedly- to break off their relationship and accept his duty.
The Duke Of Windsor seemed a complex character- able to engage well with the public (if reluctantly, at times), but in great need of mothering and affection; unable to create a meaningful role for himself in exile, occupied with cafe society and his embroidery.
A sad, needlessly long rift, from which the late Queen Mother doesnt emerge too well...

I truly had high hopes for this version of Wallis Simpson, so i jumped right in, to a sloshing mudhole! Kept slugging along tho. Until i decided to just get thru a chapter a day, and switch out books. THAT should have been warning enough, but the flares did not go off till i found myself dreading the sight of this book in my nightstand rotation pile.
Granted i too held the manufactured, world-wide held opinion about the divorced whore who wanted the crown. So in that way the book did a good job of enlightenment.
To each his own, some folks loved it! Not my cuppa tea.

After reading many books that shed a terribly dark portrait of Wallis Simpson, it was refreshing to read something that painted a realistic portrait.

Over the years, it seemed necessary to portray Wallis as a money grabbing, selfish, ugly (manish looking) woman.
The rumors abound about her sexuality. Some state she was unable to have a sexual relationship. Other books state she was a dominatrix who loved to whip and demean Edward.

I enjoyed this book because, finally, there is a realistic depiction of the woman for whom Edward, heir to the British throne, abdicated, leaving his brother as King of England. And, then, when he died, his daughter, the current Queen Elizabeth, took the mantle and crown. It should be noted that Edward (David) was a very doting Uncle to Elizabeth and her sister.

He was also the heart throb of many, if not most British women who had a fantasy of dancing, then falling in love with Edward. Thus, when Wallis Simpson became the one he loved, the nasty, ugliness was thrown at her, simply because he chose her, not them.

I've found it cruel that many authors feel it necessary to step on Walis like a bug that should be fried under the magnifying glass in the bright sun.

This author takes each nasty myth and one by one shows the inaccuracy of each inaccurate assumption.

The truth is Edward did not want to be King, nor did Wallis care to be Queen. She did not want to leave her husband who was originally quite happy that the man next in line for Kingship was obsessed with his wife. She found Edward to be overly obsessive and needy.

Interestingly, she is the one portrayed in a terribly negative fashion, while he is glorified.

This was a very interesting book, long overdue in telling the truth of the historic love that changed the succession of the British dynasty.

Four Stars.

Up to now, all I knew about Wallis Simpson came from magazines and Web posts. She was not a very popular person in the media; various claims include

• She had an intersex condition, perhaps Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome
• She seduced Edward VIII using exotic sex tricks she’d picked up in a Shanghai brothel
• Her only interest in Edward VIII was the chance to become Queen of England
• She was a Nazi sympathizer
• She was arrogant to all, including her own household staff

Anna Pasternak, author of The Real Wallis Simpson, addresses all of these; some directly, some parenthetically. As far as intersex goes, Pasternak notes Simpson had a hysterectomy later in life; not possible with somebody with AIS (but possible with other intersex conditions).

Simpson did visit a Chinese brothel once, with other US Navy wives; it was apparently the “thing to do” for American expatriates. There’s no evidence she went in a back room and learned how to do the “Shanghai Squeeze”. Pasternak does come up with some anecdotal evidence; one of her friends reported Simpson had volunteered she’d never had intercourse with either of her husbands (before Edward), and another friend said Simpson told her she’d never let a man touch her “below the Mason-Dixon line”. I note that even if these statements are true it’s still possible to be a sexual athlete even if you stay in Pennsylvania. The evidence that Edward and Simpson had a physical sexual relationship is very slight; the best Pasternak can come up with is the suggestion that Edward and Simpson may have shared a bed before marriage.

Web rumors claim Edward was a homosexual (and therefore favored Simpson because of her supposed “mannish” figure), a masochist, a shoe fetishist, and an “adult baby” fetishist – wanting to be dressed in diapers and wheeled around in a pram. Pasternak doesn’t address any of these rumors directly. She notes that Edward was fond of needlework and gardening; nothing wrong with either of those today but you could imagine eyebrows might have been raised in the 1930s. She comments that, as a child, Edward had a case of mumps that developed into orchitis, and suggests this may have led to some sexual dysfunction. Pasternak’s found one letter from Edward to a previous mistress where he asks her to abuse him – speak to him harshly, and even strike him. She also notes a couple of times – in the regular flow of text, not directly addressing the shoe fetish question – where Edward knelt down and tied Simpson’s shoes for her. The only hint of anything adult baby is Edward and Simpson developed a word – “eanum” – that meant something like “tedious” or “boring” and which appears in their letters to each other; I suppose this could be construed as baby talk.

As far as Simpson wanting to be Queen of England, Pasternak makes the case that Edward was the driving force in the relationship – that he insisted that Simpson end her second marriage. Perhaps because Simpson is her subject, not Edward, Pasternak casts him in a pretty poor light. His conversation is “inane” or “asinine” while Simpson “wisecracks”. Simpson seems to have enjoyed the wealth and attention that came with being Duchess of Windsor, and might well have enjoyed the even greater wealth and attention that would have come as queen or consort, but there’s no real evidence that she had some sort of grand plan to attain that status.

Edward and Simpson knew some German diplomats; for a time they lived in a house that was loaned to them by an American admirer of Hitler, and they visited Germany before the war. In turn, the Nazis had a plan (Operation “Willi”) to reinstate Edward as King if they conquered England. There’s no evidence that Edward knew of the plan. I note in the 1920s and 1930s there were a lot of admirers of Fascism; people as diverse as George Bernard Shaw, Will Rogers, Lord Halifax and Cole Porter all expressed admiration for Hitler and/or Mussolini.

Simpson traveled with a lot of luggage – hundreds of trunks, all numbered; had lots of jewelry (after her death it was auctioned for more than $50M – although notoriety may have been part of that); and not much appreciation for how the other half lived. But she seems to have been reasonably kind to others for a person of her time, place, and class. The end of her life was pretty miserable; she had numerous facelifts and other plastic surgery, and each time she went under general anesthetic a few more brain cells – and there weren’t all that many to start with – checked out, and her life was taken over by a lawyer. I feel sorry for her.

This is the only book I’ve read on Simpson or Edward, so I’m only getting half the story. I’ll have to try some of the more critical works. An easy read.

Maybe I just didn't have a deep enough interest in the subject matter to really get into this book, but I found it rather boring and bogged down in minutiae. It is interesting to consider that Wallis was not solely responsible for the situation and maybe wasn't the manipulative schemer that she is usually portrayed as, but ultimately, I couldn't find much sympathy for either party in the affair.

This book outlines the romance and lives of Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson. It paints Wallis not as a gold digging American divorcee, but a woman trapped by Edward's passion and inability to let her go. It shows Edward as a passionate, honorable, and stubborn man as he fought his entire life to have Wallis recognized by the royal family.

I thought this was an interesting and well written book. It depicted Edward and Wallis as real people, rather than the one-dimensional picture you normally get of royalty. It seemed to be well researched, and felt as if the author really knew the characters. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

Farce or Tragedy?

Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson. Either a Shakespearean farce or a tragedy from beginning to end.
I have always held some skepticism and admittedly a few prejudices towards Wallis and Edward and their so called fairytale romance. The man who gave up his kingship for the woman he loved.
Pasternak paints a different picture from what I was used to and I must admit to being touched, particularly at Wallis' last days and the pettiness of the court in not letting her be referred to as HRH in those latter years.
Embattled on all sides, determined to marry Wallis, Edward steamed ahead and to some extent his bluff was called. I did shed some tears at the end struck by the misery that Wallis, a perectionist was forced to endure. And I did admire that Edward refused a morganatic marriage. He wanted to be honest with his subjects and true to his idea of marriage. Pasternak won me a tad more to Edward's side with that revelation.
The abdication seems to entail a complexity of situations, missed opportunities, and misjudgement on all sides. As it's told, Baldwin didn't want Edward to be king and the intelligence community also had their doubts about him. Winston Churchill wanted him to hang in there. The royal courtiers are blamed as are the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth for the continued angst and pettiness towards the couple. I understand why the Royal Elizabeth's were cross enough to cut Edward off the Christmas list, and why Wallis was obviously 'that woman.'
So Pasternak had me examining my feelings towards Wallis and Edward, and even the idea of them being Nazi sympathizers was questioned, although being self absorbed was not! From Pasternak 's point of view they were just being used. And yet they were close friends of Diana Mosley and the Mitford sisters, met with Hitler and some of his henchman. In fact Edward delighted in the way he and Wallis were treated royally on their visit to Germany. And it seems Edward really only wanted to speak German. He admired them and apparently even after the generosity of the French Government towards the couple, Edward still mostly spoke in German. Edward just doesn't come across as being empathetic to the times and occasions. Self absorption is a way of life.
However the normal man in the street loved him. They felt understood by him. The reports of his meetings with the workers paint an admirable picture.
I still maintain that if Wallis was as canny as indicated, she would have known what was going on, or did Wallis and Edward live too much in their own little cocooned world with its secretive language and endless letters. And oh my, the money Edward spent on jewelry for Wallis!
Wallis however still remains an enigma. Did she really just go along for the ride until she found herself in so deep she couldn't get out?
I must say though I was enthralled by the fashion discussions. Anything cut on the bias always says sleek and stylish to me, and Wallis was definitely a fashion diva.
There's some great reported throwaway lines by the couple.
In this day and age their actions wouldn't have turned a hair. But back in the 1930's they scandalized the rest of the world, and the English nation, when the press finally stopped being gentlemanly.
So where am I? I still don't like them, but I had moments of being sorry for them and the choices they made. Choices that dug them into a hole a little deeper each time.
Am I glad Edward didn't remain as king. Yes, despite Pasternak's well researched presentation. Do I have more sympathy with, and understanding of Wallis Simpson despite still not really liking her, Yes!

An Atria Books ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.