The Princess & the Package: Exploring the Love-Hate Relationship Between Diana and the Media

First of all, this book is NOT a biography of Diana, nor does it pretend to be. The cover states clearly that it is about "the love-hate relationship between Diana and the Media." Therefore anyone demeaning it because the cover isn't "pretty" or because it may be factually inaccurate by moments about incidents surrounding her death and funeral are completely missing the point. This book is not, strictly speaking, about the events of Diana's life but about how they were interpreted. And Mr. Levine shares some very unconventional, intelligent opinions on that subject. Some of it I disagree with (the life and continuing media fascination in Jacqueline Onassis disputes his assertion that the public loves celebrities for their accessibility; Jackie O was the most remote of celebrities and in her case it was her very unknowability that still intrigues us). But on one very important point, I agree with Mr. Levine whole-heartedly. In purely feminist terms, Diana was a heroine, not a victim. She was NOT a victim of the media or, ultimately, the Royal Family. She used the media and survived the Royal Family. And the reason the public adored her is that she went through the same stages every woman does, just on a grander scale and with better clothes. Diana was disappointed by love, longed for direction and meaning in life, loved her children, and was insecure about her looks. And before our eyes, she grew up to be a symbol of grace and generosity. She was transformed by her pain and hardship and she was victorious against the power elite -- and she used the press to win. Diana's memory deserves to be celebrated, not tsk-tsked over as though she had been some poor, helpless little thing. Diana accomplished so much with her own charm, energy and ingenuity. Ultimately, she was the victim of a drunk driver, and that could happen to any of us.

An excellent book. Complements Claridge's "Blair'sBritain" as a description of The Great Madness that overtook England in September 1997.

This is one of the best books I have ever read about the relationship between the media and a celebrity..I believe the critics of the book have missed the point entirely. The book is not about Diana as much as it is about her relationship with the media. You can take Diana's name out of the book and insert another celebrity's name. You would come up with a similiar tome. This is such a good book I have recommended it to my former professors at Wake Forest University in the communications department. Good job, Mr. Levine!

Almost from the first page, I have felt drawn into Mr. Levine's amazing analogy of the phenomenon called Diana. His study of our world's fascination with something none of the rest of us could seem to understand produces the most interesting commentary. I was one who admired Diana from the first moment she came onto the world scene in 1981. Mr. Levine's insights from his perspectives as a media watcher/player but equally a front line examiner with clout of his own made a lot of sense to what I couldn't really understand much less explain. This is one of my prized possessions as well as a serious resource in a research paper this term at school. I stumbled onto a virtual prize when it came to putting a semblance of comprehension to my fascination with one of our modern world's most fascinating & provacative but human of characters, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Michael Levine's concise study of the relationship between Diana and the media only reflects his (and her) brilliance in choosing a lifestyle in which the media itself becomes a vehicle for success.