The Duchess

I found this to be a far too sanitised version of the life of Wallis Simpson. I get that Holden wanted to present her in a new light, but I think she did her a bit of a disservice presenting her like she did. I doubt she was as big a socialist who was a kind to the servants and considered a great influence on the Prince of Wales, I thought her second husband was a more interesting character in the book. The great friendship with Charles seemed like a cheesy plot device, and Holden was very careful to write worshipfully of any royalty still alive. The only ones who got slated were Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, presented as a cold snobby bitch, her husband, presented a stuttering useless alcoholic and the King, presented as a booming emotional abuser obsessed with rules.
Anything Holden thought would present Wallis in a less flattering light was ignored or explained away, so what you ended up with was a fluffy romance.