Reviews for Wallis and Edward, letters, 1931-1937

The average rating for Wallis and Edward, letters, 1931-1937 based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-03-30 00:00:00 Feroz Vilsing Consisting of many letters written by Wallis Simpson to her Aunt Bessie while Wallis was living in London with her second husband, Ernest Simpson, this book gives a fascinating peek into Wallis' everyday life before she met the (then) Prince of Wales. The letters could be from any lady of her class and social position at that time, but the fact that it's Wallis makes them even more interesting. She becomes "Wallis in Wonderland" as the Simpsons' social life brings them more and more into contact (and friendship) with the Prince of Wales and his circle. Wallis knew a lot of interesting people herself, and started trends, such as cocktail parties (mixing the drinks herself - with ice)that were then novel and became all the rage. I love the descriptions of the parties she attends soon and hosts, the task of running her household in ever-increasing hard times, etc. After she and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) become good friends, many letters and notes they wrote to each other are also included. The book is well edited by Mr. Bloch and has well-chosen footnotes. I re-read it usually one or two times a year - at least.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-03-06 00:00:00 Kim Holmes You'll never meet two sillier people than Wallis and Edward. In fact, Edward makes Wallis seem like Isaac Newton. In fact, the UK really dodged a bullet when he abdicated. It's the 1930's and Wallis is kvetching about her trouble with servants and the difficulty of getting discounts and the haute couture designer Mainbocher. No sooner are they married and they are visiting Herr Hitler. This did fill out the details of the abdication and the impact it had on Britain. It also explained that Wallis did earnestly try to remove herself and convince Edward/David not to abdicate. Ah, but Cupid had other ideas. They were made for each other.