Customer Reviews

Princess Diaries

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This series of books, of which this book is the first, is entertaining and addictive. I found the character of Mia delightful in a neurotic-teenage-girl kind of way. (Please forgive my redundancy.) From the first I realized that my children were too young yet to enjoy this series - it is inappropriate for anyone pre-teen or younger - but after reading the entire series so far, I've decided that I don't want my children reading it even when they are older.

As the series progresses it deals with more and more serious issues in ways that I'm finding less and less responsible and moral. For instance, by the time you reach "Princess on the Brink" it is clear that the author considers 16-year-old Mia's desire to save her virginity as a gift for a life-long love, to be shared at the most romantic moment possible (albeit, NOT marriage - just the prom) as a silly, juvenile fantasy. By contrast her college-aged boyfriend, who shed his virginity at the first opportunity to a girl for whom he had no special feelings and who was dating someone else at the time, is apparently considered more normal and mature. All supposedly "wise" adults, and even her grandmother who dislikes Mia's boyfriend, try to urge Mia to give up her folly. Her Grandmother even gives her a hotel room for the purpose of using it for a "romantic" evening alone with her boyfriend. The idea of virginity as anything worthy of saving is laughed at and the concept of waiting until marriage is considered ludicrous even by "silly," romantically deluded Mia. Worse, her desire to keep sex as something special and important is shown as possibly destroying what is supposedly a healthy, potentially life-long, true-love relationship.

For any parent who does NOT share the author's values, I would strongly recommend keeping your children and teens as far away from these books as possible. They are too engaging and enjoyable. With all the references to pop culture the world of these books feels like the "real" world, only lacking in any sort of common sense or traditional values as far as sexual and personal relationships are concerned. If you do not want your children confused by the supposedly "modern," hedonistic and self-centered attitudes these books take for granted as normal and proper, it is better not even to let them start reading the series. Once begun, it will be difficult to stop.

I usually find that I like the original book better than the movie version of it but in this case The Princess Diaries movie was way better. I especially like Julie Andrews portrayal of the grand mother way better than the granmere in the book who seemed more like a retired courtesan than a queen of a small european nation. All in all the circumstances seemed unrealistic even with the benefit of the doubt you have to give a book like this. The movie did the basic idea much better justice.

But if all you're looking for is cute fluff to relax to, here it is :D

I listend to this on the CD version and Anne Hathaway's reading of it is awesome. I will definitely listen to the other tapes (as I received them as a gift, read: for free.)

I really wish I could have given this more stars but the poorly written plot and the one dimensional characters just do not merit it :C hopefully the sequels will be better.

As a bookreader and a person who enjoys series that are books and movies, I was hopeful and delighted to find out that the movie was inspired not only by one but by a whole series of books. The book, however, was dissapointing. I have read other books auch as the Love by emily franklin series or Meghan Mcafferty's books starting with sloppy firsts and thought this would be similar in nature. But it was not. Mia is very boring and her relationship with Micheal is dull and not developed as well as all theother relationships and characters. She is whiny and not in a good way. The diary format is not original and it is not done in a very teen, uncensored manner which is more realistic. Her whole spotlight when she becomes a princess is all very superficial too. The movie made all of these relatonships and events funnny, romantic, and geeky in a good way. This book makes Mia just plain geeky. I was very dissapointed by the quality of this work especially from such a seemingly popular and established author. Meg Cabot is not for me if all of her books read the same way.