Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Hardcover | Pages: 344 pages Rating: 3.75 | 17568 Users | 1327 Reviews
Present Appertaining To Books Princess Ben
| Title | : | Princess Ben |
| Author | : | Catherine Gilbert Murdock |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 344 pages |
| Published | : | March 18th 2008 by HMH Books for Young Readers |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Young Adult. Fairy Tales. Romance. Fiction. Magic |
Commentary In Favor Of Books Princess Ben
"My gown suited me as well as I could ever hope, though I could not but envy the young ladies who would attract the honest compliments of the night. My bodice did not plunge as dramatically as some, and no man--no man I would ever want to meet, surely--could fit his hands round my waist. What I lacked in beauty I would simply have to earn with charm..."Benevolence is not your typical princess--and Princess Ben is certainly not your typical fairy tale.
With her parents lost to assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia. Starved and miserable, locked in the castle's highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle's pantries, setting her hair on fire... But Ben's private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat to her kingdom. Can Ben save the country and herself from tyranny?
Specify Books To Princess Ben
| Original Title: | Princess Ben: Being a Wholly Truthful Account of Her Various Discoveries and Misadventures, Recounted to the Best of Her Recollection, in Four Parts |
| ISBN: | 0618959718 (ISBN13: 9780618959716) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Princess Benevolence, Prince Florian, Queen Sophia, Lady Beatrix |
| Setting: | Montagne |
| Literary Awards: | South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2011) |
Rating Appertaining To Books Princess Ben
Ratings: 3.75 From 17568 Users | 1327 ReviewsWeigh Up Appertaining To Books Princess Ben
First of all I didn't finish this book.Reading the blurb I thought it might be interesting, but the writing was too hard to follow and the whole diary thing got a bit tiring too.The idea was there, the problem was with the execution.It just didn't click for me and that's too bad.I was really disappointed in this book. The premise is great. I was excited at the prospect of a protagonist who, while a princess, is not skinny and beautiful. I was expecting something that would go against the "only the beautiful people get the guy" mindset so common in our society; however, the book did the absolute opposite, and it was only once she changed (lost weight, became more beautiful and ladylike and submissive, etc) that she was able to get the guy, earn respect, and save the day.
This was really disappointing - I'm a huge fan of her Dairy Queen trilogy, so I was expecting to enjoy this. Unfortunately it has tons of enormous gaping plotholes, impossible characters, and a bad habit of showing something entirely different to what it tells. And the thing is - this was her third novel published (and, as far as I can tell, written), so she'd already done vastly superior work.(view spoiler)[So - why is it set up as though the important thing is that his feelings are hurt
I thought this book was rather charming and unique. I enjoyed Bens character, and reading about her many adventures. I thought she was easy to relate to because she wasnt perfect, and things didnt always turn out the way she wanted. It was fun to follow her progress throughout the book, as she turns from a somewhat spoiled girl to a Queen. I liked the concept of Prince Florian, but thought his character was underdeveloped. He didnt really appear until about 200 pages and even then they barely
A princess locked in the tower who discovers magic? Sign me up! I was looking forward to start listening to this book. I wanted a fairy tale type of story that would be enjoyable. Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment.The concept of the story was promising but the execution was poorly done. Benevolence, aka Ben, lost her parents and was then locked up in a tower. She soon discovered a secret room where she learned to control magic. Afterward, she ran away trying to avoid an arranged
After reading Dairy Queen and The Off Season by this same author I really had no idea what to expect in this book. The transition to fantasy seemed easy. I still enjoyed this book after the second time I read it. I like Ben and enjoyed seeing her grow from a self-pitying but soft-hearted girl to a determined ruler.I've always liked fairy-tales and if anything this book has made me like them even more. Ben is a dynamic protagonist. She was not raised as a real princess so she is more relatable.
Started to write this here and realized it was developed enough to be worth posting on my blog. So here is my post:Ive read, loved, studied, and taught fairy tales all my life. Every three years I co-teach a graduate school fairy tale course and, since 1990, Ive been doing a Cinderella unit with my fourth graders. So Im always interested in new versions of these old tales as well as original ones. At the same time, because many of these come up short for me, I am a wary reader of them,
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