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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is such a throwback book from my childhood. I never do that with an audiobook version with Anne Hathaway read it yet which made it super funny because it reminded me of the movie. What I didn't realize is how bad her grandmother is in the book compared to the queen that is Julie Andrews in the movie. Also, the queen is not a queen. She is just a dowager princess that was a change that the movie made that I completely forgot about cause I have a read these books and over 12 years. It is for going back and reviewing these characters but you could definitely tell they are high schoolers rather than the adults of the second movie. I plan to read the whole series again, so I'm interested to see the character development.
I decided to re-read Princess Diaries - all of them (at least that's the plan). I used to love Mia in my early teens but the I was getting older and she was being still the same and her ramblings and all her vices annoyed me. But reading it in my late 20s I understand why I fell in love in Mia and Princess Diaries and ultimately Meg Cabot books - I love all pop-culture references and the book and its characters are relatable although Mia is a Princess of made-up country living pretty privileged life with her pretty privileged friends in early 2000s.
P.S. - I love how i still pronounce grandmère incorrectly because I did not know French back then despite attending bilingual high school and knowing very well how to pronounce it properly...
P.S. - I love how i still pronounce grandmère incorrectly because I did not know French back then despite attending bilingual high school and knowing very well how to pronounce it properly...
Diario de la princesa no es ni mi tipo de libro, ni adecuado para mi edad, pero estaba buscando algo sencillito para empezar a escuchar audiolibros en inglés y me pareció el libro perfecto. Como primer audiolibro funcionó muy bien: historia sencilla, fácil de seguir y Anne Hataway como narradora. Como libro ya no me convenció tanto.
Mi principal problema con este libro es el drama innecesario que nos cuentan. Descubrir que eres una princesa de la noche a la mañana tiene que ser ya bastante complicado sin todo ese drama añadido y bastante infantil que Mia le pone. El intento de humor provoca que las situaciones a veces rayen lo absurdo y desde luego no funcionó para mí.
Por otro lado, los personajes son bastante planos y caricaturescos. Sé que es un libro middle grade pero ese nivel de simplicidad es casi insultante. Pero no sólo los personajes, la forma en que se tratan algunos temas, como el acosador de Lily, son un poco inquietantes y desde luego poco realistas. No creo que muchas chicas de 14 años se tomen tan a la ligera tener un hombre obsesionado con sus pies. Ese grado de exageración me hizo pensar por momentos que igual todo el libro era una parodia, desde luego hubiera funcionado mucho mejor así, pero sospecho que esa no era la intención.
Por último, para un libro que se detiene en detalles sin importancia hasta la saciedad, los momentos realmente importantes se los saltan con una facilidad pasmosa (ej: la relación de la madre). Eso sí, el elemento que Cabot ha clavado es la voz de Mia. Mia es repelente, bastante dramática y en ocasiones egoísta y algo ruin pero suena exactamente como una chica de 12 o 13 años. Os lo digo yo, que les doy clase, y algunas de las frases que decía Mia las escuchaba en la voz de algunas de mis alumnas.
En resumen, un libro simple que gustará a lectores jóvenes no muy exigentes.
Mi principal problema con este libro es el drama innecesario que nos cuentan. Descubrir que eres una princesa de la noche a la mañana tiene que ser ya bastante complicado sin todo ese drama añadido y bastante infantil que Mia le pone. El intento de humor provoca que las situaciones a veces rayen lo absurdo y desde luego no funcionó para mí.
Por otro lado, los personajes son bastante planos y caricaturescos. Sé que es un libro middle grade pero ese nivel de simplicidad es casi insultante. Pero no sólo los personajes, la forma en que se tratan algunos temas, como el acosador de Lily, son un poco inquietantes y desde luego poco realistas. No creo que muchas chicas de 14 años se tomen tan a la ligera tener un hombre obsesionado con sus pies. Ese grado de exageración me hizo pensar por momentos que igual todo el libro era una parodia, desde luego hubiera funcionado mucho mejor así, pero sospecho que esa no era la intención.
Por último, para un libro que se detiene en detalles sin importancia hasta la saciedad, los momentos realmente importantes se los saltan con una facilidad pasmosa (ej: la relación de la madre). Eso sí, el elemento que Cabot ha clavado es la voz de Mia. Mia es repelente, bastante dramática y en ocasiones egoísta y algo ruin pero suena exactamente como una chica de 12 o 13 años. Os lo digo yo, que les doy clase, y algunas de las frases que decía Mia las escuchaba en la voz de algunas de mis alumnas.
En resumen, un libro simple que gustará a lectores jóvenes no muy exigentes.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
The Princess Diaries Book Club is an ongoing collaboration with my friend Cilla. We decided that we would reread this series, at our own pace, and always come back to our blogs and each other to discuss the story and how we feel about it now. If you are interested in joining us, please do!
Disclaimer: This post will be as much of a review of the audiobook as it is on the story.
It had been years since I first read The Princess Diaries, therefore there was very little I remembered about the story beyond what was depicted in the movie. I knew it was the story of a teenage girl who learns she is the heir to a European principality. I knew that I had liked the story. What I did not remember is how much the book differs from the movie, as the story is set in New York City rather than the adaptation’s San Francisco location; or that Mia’s father is alive, rather than deceased; or that Mia’s grandmother is no where near as charming as Julie Andrews.
I could deal with all of those changes, until it came to her best friend, Lily. She bothered me the most, for while she does have an opinionated voice in the movie, she is not as difficult to tolerate as she is in the book. I quickly grew tired of her and the way she treated Mia; I grew tired of her crusades and harshly worded opinions; I especially grew aggravated at the way Mia would so often quote Lily as if her word is law.
To tell the truth, if I were to have read this book instead of listening to the audiobook, there is no way I would have finished it. Mia, and her obsession with her breasts, is no longer a relatable narrative voice to my twenty-something year old self. It was the narration of Anne Hathaway that kept me engaged with all she wrote in her diary. I do plan to continue on with this series reread though, because I do appreciate the growth already exhibited by Mia in this book, and because I am interested in seeing how the series finally reaches its recently released conclusion of a royal wedding. Will is be Michael? Or will it be to someone who looks like Chris Pine?
Stay tuned…
The Princess Diaries Book Club is an ongoing collaboration with my friend Cilla. We decided that we would reread this series, at our own pace, and always come back to our blogs and each other to discuss the story and how we feel about it now. If you are interested in joining us, please do!
Disclaimer: This post will be as much of a review of the audiobook as it is on the story.
It had been years since I first read The Princess Diaries, therefore there was very little I remembered about the story beyond what was depicted in the movie. I knew it was the story of a teenage girl who learns she is the heir to a European principality. I knew that I had liked the story. What I did not remember is how much the book differs from the movie, as the story is set in New York City rather than the adaptation’s San Francisco location; or that Mia’s father is alive, rather than deceased; or that Mia’s grandmother is no where near as charming as Julie Andrews.
I could deal with all of those changes, until it came to her best friend, Lily. She bothered me the most, for while she does have an opinionated voice in the movie, she is not as difficult to tolerate as she is in the book. I quickly grew tired of her and the way she treated Mia; I grew tired of her crusades and harshly worded opinions; I especially grew aggravated at the way Mia would so often quote Lily as if her word is law.
To tell the truth, if I were to have read this book instead of listening to the audiobook, there is no way I would have finished it. Mia, and her obsession with her breasts, is no longer a relatable narrative voice to my twenty-something year old self. It was the narration of Anne Hathaway that kept me engaged with all she wrote in her diary. I do plan to continue on with this series reread though, because I do appreciate the growth already exhibited by Mia in this book, and because I am interested in seeing how the series finally reaches its recently released conclusion of a royal wedding. Will is be Michael? Or will it be to someone who looks like Chris Pine?
Stay tuned…
I never read these books so I thought I'd give them a try. This was lots of fun and I can't wait to read the sequel.
"It wasn't until everyone was gone that I realized how tired I was. It had been a really long day. I had broken up with a boy I had only been out on half a date with. That can be very emotionally wearing."
ICONIC.
ICONIC.
just as fun as i remember it. i love that anne hathaway reads the audiobook. she is forever princess of genovia.
Life's been stressful lately, so I needed a light and entertaining read and this fit the bill wonderfully. I have book 2 on request at the library. :)
This is one of the classic books that was vastly popular in my high school years. The Princess Diaries is a good and simple read that provides a detailed experience of a young highschool student navigating a monumental experience of her life: being a princess of a fictional country.
When I re-read the book, I definitely forgot everything that happened except the moments filmed for the movie; the film does diverge away a lot from the book plot points. I enjoyed reading through Mia's perspective and how she was written. Mia is quite a humorous and assertive protagonist, with a sense of maturity with the way she perceives the issues in her life. However, the people in her life are flawed (e.g., Lilly, Grandmère) to the point where they were rather a frustrating presence.
Ultimately, the first book of the series is a fun read that requires no higher level thinking.
When I re-read the book, I definitely forgot everything that happened except the moments filmed for the movie; the film does diverge away a lot from the book plot points. I enjoyed reading through Mia's perspective and how she was written. Mia is quite a humorous and assertive protagonist, with a sense of maturity with the way she perceives the issues in her life. However, the people in her life are flawed (e.g., Lilly, Grandmère) to the point where they were rather a frustrating presence.
Ultimately, the first book of the series is a fun read that requires no higher level thinking.