The FitzOsbornes at War (The Montmaray Journals) [Hardcover]

Michelle Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 9, 2012 | Series: The Montmaray Journals (Book 3)

Michelle Cooper completes her heart-stealing epic drama of history and romance with The FitzOsbornes at War.

Sophie FitzOsborne and the royal family of Montmaray escaped their remote island home when the Nazis attacked. But as war breaks out in England and around the world, nowhere is safe. Sophie fills her journal with tales of a life during wartime. Blackouts and the Blitz. Dancing in nightclubs with soliders on leave. And endlessly waiting for news of her brother Toby, whose plane was shot down over enemy territory.

But even as bombs rain down on London, hope springs up, and love blooms for this most endearing princess. And when the Allies begin to drive their way across Europe, the FitzOsbornes take heart—maybe, just maybe, there will be a way to liberate Montmaray as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kirkus Reviews Best of Teen's Books 2012

Starred Review, Booklist, November 15, 2012:
“…this makes a perfect choice for teen devotees of Downton Abbey and other period dramas.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2012:
“Absorbing, compelling and unforgettable.”

About the Author

MICHELLE COOPER works as a speech pathologist. She specializes in learning disabilities and reluctant readers, so she's passionate about getting children and teenagers interested in books.

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (October 9, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375870504
• ISBN-13: 978-0375870507
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful conclusion to the series October 25, 2012

By Jaylia3 TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Reading the FitzOsbornes at War felt like catching up with old friends. Covering the WWII era from 1939 to 1948, this third book in the series is much longer than the other two, over 500 pages, but I never found myself skimming. The series began in the tiny, impoverished kingdom of Montmaray, a fictitious island off the coast of Spain and France, home to a crumbling castle and the dwindling royal family of the FitzOsbornes. Most of the adult FitzOsbornes are mad or dead, but the teenage members of the family cope credibly with the joys and responsibilities of their position. After being bombed by the Nazis, the FitzOsbornes flee to England in the second book, to live with their wealthy but controlling Aunt Charlotte. They are still adjusting to their vastly changed circumstances, having gone from isolation in Montmaray to immersion in the late 1930's upper class social scene, when the war breaks out in this third book. Defeating Hitler has an added meaning for the FitzOsbornes as they plot to liberate their kingdom from the Nazis

The characters are a large part of the charm of this series. The different ways they step up to the challenges of WWII create a vivid and intimate history of the war. Headstrong, animal-loving Henry (Henrietta) makes friends with wartime evacuees and longs to join the navy, determined and practical Veronica works for the Foreign Office, charismatic Toby, now king of Montmaray, flies fighter planes in the RAF, and Sophie, the very appealing narrator of the books, edits rationing pamphlets at the Ministry of Food. Historical characters make appearances both off and on stage, adding interest without overwhelming story. These include several of the fascinating Mitford sisters, JFK's lively sister Kick, feisty Princess Margaret who is mentioned as a rival of Henry's, and of course Winston Churchill.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than lived up to its promise October 22, 2012

By Maria Beadnell

Format:Hardcover

Wow, the rare trilogy where the final installment satisfies and the characters remain themselves while experiencing the growth you'd expect in their situations. I liked the characters, and cared what happened to them, from happy go lucky King Toby to prickly Aunt Charlotte. Protaganist and narrator Sophie is smart without being brilliant, gutsy without being obnoxious, with an emotional intelligence which keeps us rooting for her and which is appropriate for her time, her age, and her place.

Briefly, the fictitious island kingdom of Montmaray (population about 6) was invaded by the Germans in the first installment, leaving the impoverished royalty at the mercy of rich relatives in England. In the second installment they got used to upper class late 1930s living, and in this book war tears apart their new lives, their friendships and their family while motivating them to defeat the enemy and return to Montmaray. Along the way, the author skillfully explores wartime rations, the rise of the Kennedys and fall of the Mitfords, changing gender roles, PTSD, sexuality, mental illness, relevance of nobility, and wartime use of pigeons.

And it moves along briskly, mostly by the force of various characters' personalities and how they react to wartime challenges.

The weaving in of historical people gives the story such a feel of honesty--even though it is fiction. For instance, the younger daughter, Henry, goes to school with Princess Margaret. In the hands of a lesser writer, the dialogue might go something like, "Ohhhh, I hate Princess Margaret! She thinks she's so great but she's only 6th in line to the throne, even her sister Elizabeth is before her and she's never going to be queen, why does Margaret think she's so great?!" just so we'd know who Princess Margaret was, to our 21st Century experience. But no, Michelle Cooper is no ordinary writer, and she will not mess up a good storyline to impress upon us HOW IMPORTANT the playmates (or nemeses) of her characters are. She just quietly slips in the famous, and if we know them, we get a deeper meaning. If we don't, well the story isn't about them, is it? The Kennedys get a lot of ink, but only as they relate to the FitzOsbornes, and it takes, again, a pretty good writer to send a Kennedy to the chorus line.

I love this book, and my highbrow review here doesn't give a sense of how much fun it is in places, and how heartbreaking, and how the elements work together like a good chili, with the bland and spicy ingredients fighting one another to a really stimulating combination.

Warning: the helpful genealogy chart in the back should NOT be consulted before the end of the book, or you'll find out who dies too soon and who, inexplicably, marries--or doesn't.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The FitzOsbornes October 21, 2012

By megorion

Format:Hardcover

I love this series, and this is a fantastic new installment. Cooper has the great ability to take aspects of history that can be forgotten or overlooked, and intertwining this into the rich, exciting story of the FitzOsbornes. I work at a library and frequently recommend this to teens and adults.