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randomcarpediem 's review for:
Princess Ben
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
All the elements for a grand fairy-tale are contained in this book, but it just does not pull it off. The story contains hidden magical rooms, dragons, talking mirrors, spells, broomsticks and numerous references to other fairy tales.
Princess Ben is a fat rebellious princess who loses her parents and becomes the heir to the throne. She is put through monarch schooling to prepare her to rule her people, but she is not interested in the finer arts of governing. She mostly thinks only of food and the comfort it brings to her. Benevolence is eventually locked into a castle tower where she learns the art of magic and is able to escape the castle. Her escape by broomstick leads her to enemy territory, where she becomes a prisoner war, with her enemy mistaking her for a young boy. She eventually manages to escape and returns home. Due to her experiences as a prisoner of war, she is a better behaved princess who wins the heart of her people and eventually she marries her prince.
I found myself having a hard time liking Princess Ben, her character just was not well developed and her Prince Florian is interesting, but his character is not explored enough to really understand who he is and why he falls in love with Princess Ben.
The fact that Princess Ben is fat is intriguing, but by the end of the story she is slimmed down and everyone rejoices over that fact, so slim is better?
I was left wondering what the whole point of the story was. Was it about being over weight and still being able to be a Princess, was it about finding yourself during tough times or was it a love story? There simply are too many themes in the book and none of them are fully explored and the books leaves you feeling unsatisfied.
Princess Ben is a fat rebellious princess who loses her parents and becomes the heir to the throne. She is put through monarch schooling to prepare her to rule her people, but she is not interested in the finer arts of governing. She mostly thinks only of food and the comfort it brings to her. Benevolence is eventually locked into a castle tower where she learns the art of magic and is able to escape the castle. Her escape by broomstick leads her to enemy territory, where she becomes a prisoner war, with her enemy mistaking her for a young boy. She eventually manages to escape and returns home. Due to her experiences as a prisoner of war, she is a better behaved princess who wins the heart of her people and eventually she marries her prince.
I found myself having a hard time liking Princess Ben, her character just was not well developed and her Prince Florian is interesting, but his character is not explored enough to really understand who he is and why he falls in love with Princess Ben.
The fact that Princess Ben is fat is intriguing, but by the end of the story she is slimmed down and everyone rejoices over that fact, so slim is better?
I was left wondering what the whole point of the story was. Was it about being over weight and still being able to be a Princess, was it about finding yourself during tough times or was it a love story? There simply are too many themes in the book and none of them are fully explored and the books leaves you feeling unsatisfied.