Welcome to the Book Lounge for book review #3
This editions feature book is "The Royal Diaries: Elizabeth I : Red Rose of the House of Tudor " by Kathryn Lasky of Scholastic inc.
This book was originally printed and copyrighted in June 19999. However the writings of the book it's self are set in 1544 England.
This book is a work of fiction centred around a 11 year-old Princess Elizabeth I of the royal house of Tudor and of course her family and the happenings of the royal court.
The book is officially 237 pages long - but the story it's self is actually only 210. after the 210th page is the Epilogue and afterword which includes allot of very interesting facts about the book and the lives of the real people it's based on. :)
Writing: The entire book is written as though you are reading the diary of the main character. It is also written in such a way that it’s believable to have been penned by the hand of an 11 year old Elizabethan princess. Naturally the writing uses a lot of fancy words and flourishes and of course older terminology in line with the time it’s set in, making it a good book for intermediate to advanced readers that enjoy history.
Time Line & Plot:
The timeline of the book begins in 1544 and ends in 1547. The plot –being centered around a princess – is primarily based on the happenings of the royal court at the time; such as traditions, holidays, wars and other things affecting (often afflicting) the country. Also an interesting foot note about this book is that as the entire novel is written to read as a journal or diary (and so goes day by day) there are no true ‘chapters’. Instead there are markers at the end of a diary entry to flag it as a good place to mentally ‘breathe’.
Characters:
The characters in this book are based off of real people who lived many long years ago; but Kathryn did a good job of making them seem believable in their subtle nuances, thoughts, troubles, joys and overall personalities. – Particularly in how they act towards one another.
Rating and Recommendations:
This book was a decent read; it was interesting following the life of this young princess through her trials and tribulations. I do own this book and would recommend it for others to own and repeatedly enjoy.
The level of writing I this book would be ideal for an intermediate to advanced reader simply because of all the old terminologies used in it. History buffs would find particular interest in this book.
Thoughts? Comments? Recommendations? :) All opinions are welcome here; please don't be shy to share yours. :)
~ToxicOtaku
