Customer Reviews

Princess Who Wouldn't Come Home, The

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

 

 

Irving Finkel has done it again with another immensely clever tale, bound to entertain with its dual settings of a distant snowy fictional kingdom, boreal and mountainous, and urban London. This whimsical love story is full of humor and insight into manners, art and the sometimes burdensome responsibilities of royalty. Conversations, characters and dialogue are perfectly crafted, somewhere between the wit of Oscar Wilde and irony of P. G. Wodehouse. Who wouldn't chuckle at a a king who repairs model trains and a crown prince who yearns instead to be the Royal Entomologist? No vapid princesses here who fall for hollow movie stars, these lovers are endearingly human. This heartwarming novel races along to a wonderful conclusion and leaves the reader with a smile. A work of genius.

My daughter once wanted the Disney Princess Calendar and was particularly annoyed that Ariel (the Little Mermaid)was not featured on her birthday month. I agreed. Ariel is the only princess who fascinates me because in the real version of the story by one of those sadistic medieval European tale-tellers, she actually suffers for her love (knifesharp pains in her feet) and undergoes actual physical transformation. And we all know that Real Life True Love entails great suffering! Irving Finkel's princess doesn't need foot therapy but she is wonderfully real and portrayed with great tenderness and humor. I feel I have met the skinny artist who loves her and is loved back, and wish I knew her father the King. Only an Englishman could write about a Princess this delightful way. Perhaps Dr. Finkel could rewrite some of those grim Grim tales? Libraries across the planet need to stock up on all his books and read them aloud. And Jenny Kallin's illustrations are perfect.