BLACK KNIGHT, WHITE KNIGHT

by Gloria Vanderbilt ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 20, 1987

Having recounted in highly personal terms the events of her much-publicized childhood (Once Upon a Time: A True Story), Vanderbilt now picks up the narrative at age 17. It is a tale of adolescent sexuality, marital disillusionment, a growing independence, all told with great honesty and more than a little art. Chafing under the restrictions imposed by her ""Aunt Ger,"" the formidable Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, ""Little Gloria"" has, when this installment opens, joined her mother and her ""Aunt Toto"" (Thelma Furness), who are sharing jasmine-scented digs in Beverly Hills. There are few restrictions in this household, which is dedicated to self-indulgence and self-deception. Gloria is immediately caught up in her elders' shallow world. There are dinner dates (and talk of marriage) with actor Van Heflin; airborne assignations (and thoughts of marriage) with millionaire Howard Hughes; finally, a disastrous marriage in fact with one Pat De Cicco, a boorish Hughes flunky, who calls her ""Stupido"" and beats her regularly. Her marriage a shambles, Gloria falls in love with conductor Leopold Stokowski, 37 years her senior. She is dazzled by Stokowski's reputation as musical genius and accomplished lover. So is Stokowski. They marry. Gloria defines her worth by her husband's patronizing acceptance. ""Of all the women in the world,"" she thinks, ""he's chosen me."" After two sons are born, the marriage gradually comes apart as Vanderbilt discovers inner strength and confidence in her painting and acting. As the book ends, she is, at 30, finally becoming her own woman. The cast of featured players here includes such New York and Hollywood celebrities as Louella Parsons, Katharine Hepburn, Charlie Chapin, Oona O'Neill and the ubiquitous Carol Marcus Saroyan. It is evidence of Vanderbilt's considerable literary skill that these flamboyant figures never upstage her. The reader is constantly more involved with the author's progress toward self-awareness than with the antics of those around her. Vanderbilt has a startling ability to recapture past emotions with uncanny immediacy. The narrative reads as if it were written at the time the events unfolded. Disquieting at first, the device soon immerses the reader in a claustrophobic world of privilege and pettiness. A subtly shaded and ultimately immensely moving self-portrait.

Pub Date: April 20, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION