February 24, 2006

Books of the Week: Princesses

I’ve been on a princess jag lately. I read three books about princesses in a row, with varying degrees of enjoyment. The first was A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park, which I confess I didn’t finish, though I gave it a good shot. The second was Changer of Days by Alma Alexander, and the third was The Decoy Princess by Dawn Cook.

First, Paul Park’s book. A Princess of Roumania (yes, it’s spelled that way) is one of those very well-written books that I can appreciate for its skill, though my emotions were not engaged. Park is a great writer, subtle and visionary. I just couldn’t care for any of his characters. Don’t ignore this book because of my personal reaction. Park is a super writer. Miranda (the princess) may strike a warmer chord in your heart.

Changer of Days is the second of Alma Alexander’s installations in the saga of Princess Anghara of Roisinan. In the first book, more awful things happen to Anghara than you could shake a stick at. Anghara’s parents died, and she was hidden by her mother’s loyal servants while her bastard half-brother Sif takes Anghara’s throne. Of course, Sif must search for his half-sister to kill her, so he can consolidate his position as king. In the second book, the adult Anghara fights to take her rightful place. Alexander’s books are long and full of wonderful characters, and I admire the skill she has in making this multitude so vivid that I could keep track of them through both books (the first is called The Hidden Queen, at least in the U.S. In the U.K., the books are Changer of Days 1 & 2.) I really enjoyed reading both these books, which are suitable for young adults and up.

The Decoy Princess emerged as my favorite. When Princess Contessa is about to become engaged to a very handsome prince, in one hour she learns a lot of shocking information. It’s not revealing any big secret (look at the title) to tell you that Contessa isn’t the real princess, but was put in place in case there was an assassination attempt; the handsome prince is a true prince, but also a homicidal heel; and all the games Contessa played with the chancellor were actually survival preparations. Starting out with such a premise, it would have taken a really bad writer to fail, and Dawn Cook is an excellent writer with a great sense of character and place.

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Chaotic times at my house, which I suppose is not that surprising. Mostly, we rock along, trying to keep up with my daughter’s hectic social and athletic schedule, with both our sons at college. But last weekend, I went to VisionCon in Springfield, MO, and after having a fun time meeting new people and visiting with old acquaintances like Brad and Sue Sinor, I got iced in – or rather, iced out of Dallas, where I had to make a connection. An extra night in Springfield put me seriously behind schedule, since my husband was due to have minor surgery on Tuesday morning. However, I arrived home in time on Monday to get more or less ready, with the help of my mother-in-law. My husband came out of the surgery just fine and came home on Wednesday, and my mother-in-law left on Thursday. That was also the day my second son came home from college on quarter break . . . and my first son will be home on Sunday for the same reason . . . and my husband is home recuperating. Plus, we have a semi-permanent houseguest. It’s hard to keep clean sheets on the beds, and I find myself frequently confused about who’s here and who isn’t. I went to Sam’s and bought one of those huge containers of clothes-washing liquid, the kind with the spigot.

The dreary weather has already caused the cancellation of two softball games and one practice, and we are all hoping the field will dry out for next week. Things will be a little calmer then, and the week after, life will (probably) return to its normal rhythm. I think I’ll be ready.

--Charlaine Harris