99 glimpses is about what you get from this book. It seems a compilation of previous sources, and there's not much seeming new information. If you are a fan of the royals, you might like it, but there are better books out there.

I thought this would be more illuminating that gossipy, but I was wrong. I don't like books that only highlight the negative aspects of a person's life especially when they're not around to confirm or dispute the information.

I’ve been a bit of a royal watcher again of late the past few years, with the marriage of Prince William and Kate and the births of their three beautiful children. I’ll even admit to my insomnia having me up when Prince Harry and Meagan recently tied the knot. So it wasn’t much of a stretch for me to have grabbed this book about Princess Margaret because she’s mostly a mystery to me, and I wanted to check her out. I wasn’t disappointed at all. So unlike her sister Queen Elizabeth! She’s a bit of a holy terror and I got a kick out of reading about her in this book by Craig Brown.

When the book brought up Margaret being married to Picasso, I thought I was seeing things, but she actually was. Quite the double take for me, I must say. I paid better attention after that. Needless to say, she was quite headstrong and determined to have her own way, to a point. She had a very fascinating life for the period in time that she lived in and she was introduced to so very many prominent people around the world that it’s quite mind-boggling at times. But for all of that, I don’t believe that hers was actually all that happy a life really. Not when you think of living life as a princess. Sometimes it’s just not all that it’s cracked up to be. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, younger daughter of King George VI and sister to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. 8/21/1931 to 2/09/2002. My thanks for the advance digital copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Craig Brown, and the publisher for my fair review.

Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Publication: August 7, 2018

I was inspired to read this after watching The Crown. Like many, I found Princess Margaret to be one of the most compelling characters on the show, and this book shows how very well-earned that title is. I adored Brown's writing and found myself laughing through so much of the book. You couldn't make some of these characters up, and Princess Margaret was such a piece of work that it felt at times unbelievable, all the more so because she was a real person. Highly recommend to lovers of nonfiction and the Royal Family, but it's a perfectly delightful read to those who didn't think they had much interest in either of those things--like me. What a fun read.

NINETY-NINE GLIMPSES OF PRINCESS MARGARET by Craig Brown leaves a raging debate on both sides of the Atlantic. Brits seem to love this intimate, often catty bio of the Princess who never would be Queen. Americans seem appalled ... by Margaret’s excesses, her cruelty, her seemingly wasted life that began flush with promise. For she was beautiful, witty, a brilliant mimic, once considered among the most desired women in the world. By the time of her death, however, a friend remarked that he had never known an unhappier person. She had belittled Princess Diana, demeaned Liz Taylor, caused her children to sell all her belongings post-death even though they did not need the money. Was it alcoholism, mental illness or soul sickness that claimed her? Unfortunately, this memoir that I found compulsively readable as an unabashed Royal addict did not reveal the answer. It just left me sad. Sometimes great biographies do that. 5/5

Pub Date 07 Aug 2018

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#Ninety-nineGlimpsesOfPrincessMargaret #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I was in the mood for a light, funny, perhaps slightly snarky portrayal of the royal family. I was happy when I was provided this book, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

My problem with this book was the snark. Perhaps if it was toned down a bit this could have been a hoot. As written, there was too much poking fun of dead people who cannot defend themselves. Princess Margaret had no redeeming features. Her famous friends came off no better. I did not enjoy this book

Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is a light-hearted look at the life of the Princess and consequently her family. Some of the stories are repetitive, emphasizing the excessive behavior and lush life she was known for. Chapters are not always in chronological order, giving an opportunity to jump around her life story and not be burdened by any particular plot.

This is a gloriously bitchy glimpse into the life of Princess Margaret - one of the most odious royals of recent times. Spoilt, snobbish, with a cruel, dismissive way with her, she really was the poor little rich girl. She could have had it all, but never seemed to find happiness. The number of influential people whom she insulted, belittled, and treated with contempt meant that there are enough instances of her bad behaviour to fill this book. An enjoyable read, but thank goodness she was the second-born princess!

Ninety-nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is a witty demolition of the Queen's younger sister. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the flights of fancy where the author imagines what her life might have been like if...
Craig Brown has been spoilt for choice in material to use. Princess Margaret thoughtfully socialised with many eager diarists so that we could get the benefit of their stories. She also upset enough people to make them certain of being indiscreet.
Even allowing for the possibility of some unreliable narration, the consensus seems to be that Margaret was an awful person . Spoilt, petulant, vindictive from an early age with no one willing to stop her. The further away she was from the throne, the nastier she was and the more committed to pulling rank.
Margaret was also the biggest hypocrite. She was utterly unforgiving of Diana and Sarah Ferguson's behaviour while she was carrying on with Roddy Llewellyn and doing services for the tobacco and alcohol industries. Being part of the Royal family means representing one's country, only her idea of it was to be cruel to almost everyone she met .
Sir Roy Strong, the author notes, had given up on Princess Margaret after many years of endurance. In his diary he wrote: “she lived long enough for the bitter truth to become general knowledge. I was brought up in the age of deference. Now a member of the Royal family has to earn my respect. I can't indulge in sycophancy any more.”
Strong went on to say: “I decided in 1997 that I no longer cared whether I saw Princess Margaret again. The way she behaved by that date was so inconsiderate that I really couldn't stand any more of it. This was a Princess who never seemed to think of anything other than everyone's role to fulfil her slightest whim.”
It was very telling how her two children sold off all her possessions when she died even though they didn't need the money. The sad thing is, she also had a dazzling wit, great beauty, a talent for mimicry and was very vivacious. What a shame.

Fascinating biography, sort of , of Princess Margaret. This is not a traditional biography but it’s subject was not a traditional member of th royal family. The younger sister of the now Queen Elizabeth, Margaret was a an outspoken, often rude, heavily drinking iconic royal who embodied the changing mores of the 1960’s in England. Brown, a fabulous catty writer who would be right at home with Margaret, writes an elliptical biography, jumping from year to year and incident to incident without regard to chronology— much like the disorganized life of his subject. . Even if you are not a fan of the Netflix series , The Crown, where the younger Margaret is depicted( and not incorrectly), you will enjoy this unusual book. Highly Recommended.

I have become fascinated by Princess Margaret since I began watching The Crown. She was a woman that had such an incredible life and plenty of heartbreak. This book captures her struggles and triumphs perfectly.