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"There's a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings."
Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed.
A Brief History of Montmaray is a heart-stopping tale of loyalty, love, and loss, and of fighting to hold on to home when the world is exploding all around you.
"Once in a while, a special book will cross our paths and make us grateful for life and the ability to read. I'm talking about A Brief History of...
A highly atmospheric setting on the invented European island of Montmaray and a memorably eccentric cast prove a standout backdrop for this adventure set in 1936. In personable, smart diary entries, 16-year-old Sophie FitzOsborne unveils her life of aristocratic poverty in a crumbling fortified castle with sharks below the rickety drawbridge, living with her unbalanced uncle the king, tomboy sister Henry, bluestocking cousin Veronica and eerily loyal housekeeper (“It's not my fault I'm a princess [albeit one from an impoverished and inconsequential island kingdom that is miles from anywhere],” Sophie moans). Cooper ably interweaves this fictional dynasty with historical fact, sketching details about the Spanish Civil War and growing Nazi power, the handful of villagers left on the island (“there are now as many Royal Highnesses on the island as there are subjects”), visits from friends from England and Sophie's longed-for debut. When German soldiers arrive, events take a perilous turn, and the revelation of long-hidden family secrets adds additional gothic undertones. Cooper's taut pacing and strong characters make this a powerful historical novel. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Adora Massie
reviewed A Brief History of Montmaray on May 11, 2011
A Brief History of Montmaray
This book would have been a perfect companion for my fifteen year old self. I think I simply found this one too late to be receptive to many of its charms. This is a book that one should hand to a young girl to introduce her into a world that I've already found. I've already read I Capture the Castle, I've already peeked into the mad wife's attic, and Elinor Dashwood and I are old friends. I've visited Avalon, I've immersed myself in King Henry's court, and I already majored in European history. (Not to mention the fact that I've seen Indiana Jones. The Holy Grail thing? Come on.) Cooper doesn't have to convince me these things are interesting. Thus, to me, this read like an info dump of history research with a story interspersed between that has been told better elsewhere.
But for all that, I can remember a time when this book would have made me smile and run out to find the sequel. And there were still parts of this that I really liked. The character of Veronica and her relationship with Simon turned out to be better drawn and more complex than I thought it was, the little sister Henry was delightful, and the last 30 pages or so actually had me sitting up and anxious to know what was going to happen. The writing was not bad at all, either. It was a bit bland, but had several genuinely funny lines and good bits scattered here and there. You can finish this in an afternoon and I can't imagine that you'd regret having spent those hours on this. But, still, the best I can say of it is that if you give this to a young girl and she likes it, then this is the gateway drug to a host of way awesomer books. Which isn't a bad thing for it to be at all.
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