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Princess Ben Review
User Submitted Princess Ben ReviewsNovember 9, 2008 Good Elements Princess Ben was never much of one for palace life. Her parents didn't live at the castle, and her mother kept her largely insulated from tradition and formality. Everything changed one fateful day, though, when Ben's parents and several other royals were murdered. Ben moves into the palace to learn her proper role in life, instructed by her overbearing and overly critical Aunt Sophia, who became the reigning queen when her husband was murdered. Sophia attempts to make a proper lady out of Ben, instructing her in small talk and reducing her food portions. She makes Ben take dancing lessons and, at the height of her frustration, locks Ben in a high tower. Here, Ben finally encounters some good luck--being in the tower leads her to discover a secret room, and Ben is given some hope for the first time since her parents died. There were some nice points to this story, and I really liked the inclusion of so many elements from classic fairy tales. However, Ben's evolution from a sullen child to a real princess didn't really ring true to me, nor did the interaction between her and the prince. It all seemed much too abrupt, with not enough transition from one state to another. October 30, 2008 Enchanting Review: Princess Ben PRINCESS BEN CATHERINE GILBERT MURDOCK YA Fantasy Rating: 5 Enchantments I have to say I absolutely adored this book. It pulled me in right from the first paragraph. Told as a memoir, promising to `tell the real truth' of Princess Ben, Ms. Murdock weaves a wonderful story about Ben's struggles to adapt to a life without her parents as she's thrust headfirst into the Queen's world and expected to survive. Faced with spending the rest of her days with Queen Sophia, a woman her mother detested, Ben finds herself suddenly taking Princess lessons, on a diet and spending her mornings dancing under the watchful eye of her tutor. All she wants to do is return to the life she knew, but as the Princess next in line to the throne she simply cannot. When a war is threatened by the neighboring country, who both she and Queen Sophia believe are behind her parents and the King's deaths, Ben finds herself about to be betrothed to stave off an attack, the very idea of which has Ben stunned. Princess Ben has quickly become one of my favorite characters. I loved her feisty spirit and her willingness to sabotage anyone's plans for her that she didn't agree with, a trait that comes in very handy in the latter part of the story. Throughout the book, we watch Ben slowly grow up and see that things may not be exactly the way she perceived them early on. One of my favorite scenes is when Ben finds the secret passageway in her room and begins her journey into magic. When she discovers the reason for all the `ex' rooms in the castle, she quickly begins to spend her nights traveling about, which prompts the staff to believe the place is haunted. Filled with unexpected twists and turns that take Ben from a Prince's daughter, to orphan and finally to a real Princess, this is one book fantasy fans and fans of fairy tales won't want to miss. Anyone looking for a fun, entertaining YA Fantasy won't go wrong picking up PRINCESS BEN. Ms. Murdock grew up in small-town Connecticut, on a tiny farm with honeybees, two adventurous goats, and a mess of Christmas trees. You can visit her online at her website www.catherinemurdock.com and read Chapter One of PRINCESS BEN http://www.catherinemurdock.com/books/pbchapterone.html Lisa Enchanting Reviews September 2008 October 9, 2008 Ben seems to have eaten a thesaurus. In Australia, this book is listed as being for 'primary school' age children. In America, it's slightly more realistically aimed at the 'young adult' market. But even that might be stretching it a bit, because the way this book is worded, it's going to be WAY too high-brow and complicated a read for the average kid. Problem is, the author seems to have used the 'thesaurus' feature of her PC far too often when she was writing this, assumedly in an attempt to make her character sound more posh. (In fact, it reminded me of that episode of 'Friends' where Joey tried to sound cleverer than he really was, and swapped almost every word in his letter to the adoption agency for a much longer, more complicated alternative from a thesaurus, resulting in a document that was painfully hard to read or fully comprehend.) And so, this book has a vocabulary so complicated that you usually wouldn't even see such words in adult fiction, words like these: obfuscated, pince-nez, chrysalis, trebuchet, sagacity, monotonously, obstreporous, pilasters, providentially, superficiality, omniscience, ribaldries, revetments, debauchery, salacious, vernal, fewmets, ebullient...to name but a few. And it's not just the occasional long word that the author slots in, it's entire statements or sentences in every paragraph like, for instance, these: Apparently her headache, or what we may euphemistically term headache, continued to plague her, OR, Well might one wonder at my myopia, OR, As I peered about the roomlet's gloaming, I espied an ascending flight of steps, OR, I touched rough-hewn masonry, and crudely applied mortar, OR, If earlier I only suspected a mysterious propitious force aiding my training, I now knew it as incontrovertible fact, OR, Memorization I considered imperative, however, for the spell was initiated in the prone position, OR, as I magicked myself a miniature fumarole, OR, Diplomatic correspondence I never saw; its contents were certainly not discussed at dinner. Whether this stemmed from the queen's inherent reticence, OR, to manage my chronic exhaustion, I discovered a singularly brilliant tactic: abject passivity. And so it goes on and on throughout the entire book, page after page. See what I mean now? It's written more like a dry legal document than a book for kids or young adults. Most adults will understand the book, though be annoyed that it isn't written in a more reader-friendly, less complicated and less Yoda-esque fashion. But kids will probably be left wondering what is going on at least part of the time, and quickly lose patience with it. I'm not saying we should dumb down kids books and leave out long words altogether. But we also don't want to alienate kids by giving them books they can't properly understand, since that will probably sour the reading experience for them, and might make them less likely to want to read other books. But it's not just the long-winded wording that makes me think this book isn't age appropriate as a kids' book -- some of the concepts in the book are pretty adult as well. Like when Ben overhears the Prince saying, "onerous as the marriage bed would prove", clearly deriding the thought of bedding down with her and, well, doing you-know-what. This is said in the middle of a very adult conversation, involving drinking, the singing of bawdy songs about shepherd girls and mountain goats, and much talking about bedding wenches, including this double entendre-ridden statement: "I dream of Rosalind and her soft PILLOWS. She is a delectable lass and would give herself to you in a heartbeat. She asks after you every time we frolic together" and this as well: "Clearly he has not savoured the pleasures of his own shepherdess". Really, like I said, this is not a book for the young kids of primary school age! I want to make that clear to anyone who's thinking of buying this for a kid. BE WARNED: MY REVIEW MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS... Actually, the vocab/writing style is not the only reason I wouldn't purchase this. In my opinion, it's INCREDIBLY dull for most of its overlong duration, not to mention dark and dreary. And the character of Ben, who narrates this, is for the most part repellant. I thought I would sympathise with her...she's an awkward kid with emotional issues who faces some tough times. And she's plump, which I thought would be refreshing in a heroine. Wrong! Unfortunately, the book is narrated by Ben in such a cold, clinical way for the most part that it is hard to feel anything but detachment from her, especially as Ben is a total self-centred whinger throughout the first two thirds of the book...until she suddenly changes and becomes a goodie-goodie competent heroine of a girl, which happens so abruptly that the change is unbelieveable. And Princess Ben's weight is treated as a joke -- she's constantly splitting her dresses at the worst possible time, or accidentally smearing herself with the food that she incessantly eats. Towards the end of the book, she suddenly realises that her constant eating could endanger the whole country, as a binge-eating princess is for some reason considered unfit to rule, but rather than proving to the world that a fat girl can be competent, instead Ben accepts what her elders tell her, that she must eat like a sparrow and conform and look pretty for her suitors. In fact, the book actually reads like a big statement that says: FAT GIRLS ARE RIDICULOUS AND UNLOVEABLE, AND IF THEY WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND WIN THE HANDSOME PRINCE, THEY MUST SLIM DOWN. Maybe the writer didn't mean to say that so harshly, maybe she was just trying to write a cautionary tale to the kids of today about the risks of excessive weight gain, but that's the way it comes across, as if to say, you'll never be anyone who's worth anything unless you slim down and try to look and behave like everyone else. The writer doesn't go so far as to say that anorexia is good -- in the end, Ben is still a bit plump and curvy -- but nonetheless, the pro-starvation (Ben lost weight through starvation and hard toil as a P.O.W.) ethic is still there. The 'moral' of this story is more like a lecture than a real life lesson, and girls will learn nothing of genuine value from it about weight and self-esteem issues, least of all any way to genuinely resolve them, short of becoming a prisoner of war, which surely no one could recommend. This book is not quite the 'pro-feminist, girls are strong' kind of book I was led to believe it would be in the other reviews. Also of concern is the fact that the prince in the book is an arrogant twit. Worse, he is cruel -- he tries to invade Ben's country, he says some nasty things about Ben, and at one point, Princess Ben dares to tell him a few honest home truths about himself, at which time he orders her chained and thrown in a dungeon, to be put to death by hanging for her insubordination -- a sentence he never at any time rescinds or apologises for. If someone did those things to me, I would hold it against them, to say the least. Yet Ben doesn't. Soon after that, she starts describing the prince as noble, good, witty, clever and chivalrous, and says that she loves him with all her heart. Honestly, she reminded me of one of those sad, battered women you see on 'Springer' who keep going back to the abusive husband. Books like this seem to send the message that: 'hey girls, it doesn't matter if your man tries to kill you just for speaking back to him, so long as you love him you should still marry him, and things will turn out just great!' Sickening. Another thing the author did wrong was that she made it hard to work out how old the heroine was. At first, from the way Ben acted, throwing tantrums and wanting sweets, I assumed she was about six years old. But then the queen began planning to marry her off, and so I assumed Ben must be in her mid teens. The Ben says, "I am not a child," and someone replies "Of course you are not," which made me revise her age in my head again to somewhere in the late teens. Then Ben says, 'Surely the promise that marriage would relieve me of housework (a promise that every sane woman knows as falsehood) had appeal', which made her sound about thirty or forty and possibly a bitter divorcee. I was confused until I got to page 259, where I finally learned that she was fifteen, turning sixteen. Usually, if a writer is good, you can work out a character's approximate age without even having to be told. But this author threw me so many curve balls...it was annoying. As was most of the rest of the content of this book. Actualy, I must confess, I didn't hate the last quarter of the book. Ben became a little more likeable, and the plot became more exciting. That's why I'm giving it 2 stars, not 1. But for the most part, I was bored and annoyed. This book contains all the usual fairy tale cliche elements, and openly plagiarises many other fairytales: Snow White, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, etc. -- but I've seen that done before, and I've seen it done much better. Perhaps it didn't help that the book I read before this one, 'Bella at Midnight', was much better -- this one suffered in the comparison, since the two are in some ways very similar. I'd recommend you read that book instead, and forget about this one. But still, that's just my humble opinion. Do what you will. Or to put it into Ben-type-speak, 'Use your wherewithall to extrapolate the multitudinous theoretical outcomes at your disposal'. August 17, 2008 Princess Ben This is a delightful imaginative book that will take the reader into a new land. July 24, 2008 A fabulous new fairy tale Princess Benevolence has lived a carefree life in the Kingdom of Montagne. With her uncle as King and her father as Prince, she is surrounded with luxury, though she has always been more interested in playing and eating sweets than wearing stylish gowns and attending fancy balls. Her mother tries to keep her earthbound by insisting they live over the guards' quarters instead of directly in the palace, and sets an example of generosity by treating the sick and wounded people of their kingdom. Soon following Ben's 15th birthday party, the anniversary of her grandfather's death arrives, and the royal family departs to visit his grave. Unfortunately, Ben has overdone her party festivities and comes down with a cold, so she must stay in bed rather than accompany the family. Within hours, news of the horrid tragedy spreads across the country --- the King and Ben's mom have been murdered! And Ben's father, intent on following the killer for revenge, has disappeared into the surrounding mountains. The kingdom of Montagne falls into mourning. With her father missing, Princess Ben becomes the next heir. But since she's underage, the ruling of the kingdom falls on the shoulders of Ben's strict aunt, Queen Sophia. The queen takes it upon herself to prepare Ben for her royal responsibilities, enrollling her in a no-nonsense crash course --- including language, etiquette and sewing lessons, all of which Ben despises --- and putting her on a strict diet to try to slim out her rather rounded figure. She is determined to shape Ben into a charming and beautiful princess in order to marry her off to strengthen the Kingdom's ties. Starving, mourning her family and disgruntled with her aunt's unreasonable demands, Ben finds herself miserable. The one solace she has is the secret basket of food that a sympathetic employee leaves under her bed. But when Ben fails to lose weight, Sophia investigates and discovers the hidden stash. Life then goes from bad to worse, as her aunt forces her to move into a desolate tower cell attached to the queen's own quarters. But then Ben discovers a hidden room connected to her cell. The dusty, secret nook contains a book of magic that teaches her spells, including conjuring fire and flying on a broom. Ben practices diligently every night, perfecting her skills in hopes they may help her escape out from under her aunt's clutches. However, she has no idea of the dangerous world in which she is about to enter, including war, enslavement --- and falling in love. PRINCESS BEN is Catherine Gilbert Murdock's third novel, and she has proven once again her charming talent in weaving an entertaining story. She brings imagination, a sense of humor, adventure and colorful characters to the pages of her book, engaging readers until the very end. Murdock has chosen a poised and dignified voice for her main character, perfectly fitting of a royal princess, even though our young, clumsy heroine doesn't quite fit the mold as perfectly, at least in the beginning. Readers of this energetic fairy tale will enjoy accompanying Ben on her journey to maturity and in learning how to best serve her kingdom. --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND July 20, 2008 Ella Enchanted Still Reigns In the author's attempt at eloquence, she uses such unnecessary flowery words, which painted no pictures or brought to mind no feelings. It was simply wordy for the sake of wordiness, and felt like the author had turned to her thesaurus at every sentence to see what extravagant turn of phrase she could create next. Because it is a coming of age tale, at the beginning the main character is not likable in the least. But by the end, she is not lovable, either. With a constant focus on food and her large weight, she suddenly has the relization that she's been eating for comfort, and not for sustenance. She instantly changes her ways, and food isn't mentioned again. Ridiculous. Eating disorders are never so easily conquered, and are perhaps too complicated a subject to be dissected in a book so short. The love story element was under-developed, and I felt that I cared little for either Ben or her Prince. The cute things I did appreciate, though, were the references made to fairy tales. The girl trades some "magic beans" for a cow, loses her shoe after a ball (by throwing it angrily at the prince), is stuck in a tall tower, and is laid under a spell to sleep. If the author had used fewer words trying to sound intelligent, and more words fleshing out her characters, I might have loved this book. As it was, I didn't hate it. But I barely liked it. Rated G. No parental guidence necessary for this one. July 18, 2008 Absolutely fabulous read! Could not put down! Well needed today.. First off, I must share my favorite line(s) from this book that sent me into fits of giggles: With that, I hurled the slipper at him, not caring if I caused his decapitation. (I did not.) Marshaling what little dignity I yet possessed, I stomped down the corridor -- challenging indeed with one shoe -- and around the corner. I lay awake for hours. The prince had no right, not one, to indict me so, and if I had held the slightest hope of the book's assistance, I would have climbed at once to my wizard room for a spell with which to punish him. Death, perhaps, or humiliation. A croaking frog would be nice, particularly a frog that retained Florian's dark eyes. I should keep it in a box and poke it occasionally with a stick; that would be satisfying indeed. Princess Ben is one of the most well thought-out and intellectually relevant books that I have ever read in today's time! Princess Benevolent has quite a year and must learn how to live up to her name. I earnestly can see where a reader can grow along with Ben, learning some difficult lessons that we especially today wish to ignore. Through this book I can see many a young, teenager, or older girl grow more into herself and what she will someday be. I feel like I learned somethings about myself through this book. All around a fabulous story, with twisting plots and turns I did not expect. The first section was a little droll, and I was waiting for excitement. Well the excitement came! and that build-up had been proper and necessary. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book. Buy it for your tween and teenage gals and let them go on the adventure. Goodness me, go on it yourself! July 14, 2008 Fantastic Fantasy I was first captivated by this book when searching for new reading material for my young son. My eye was immediately drawn to the lovely cover, so I picked it up and started skimming the first page. I couldn't put it down! I bought it that day. Princess Ben is a wonderful fantasy story set in a ficticious kingdom with rumors of dragons. When Ben loses her beloved parents, it sets into motion a string of fantastic adventures and events for her. From prisoner of war to princess of court, she emerges and transformers herself from misfit to royalty. I loved this book from page one. It's a must read for those who love a good fantasy with romantic and magical elements. I highly recommend it! July 9, 2008 Chubby reviewer This is a story of a over-weight princess with a small authority problem. Some young girls mature late, and Princess Ben seems to be a late bloomer. When she fimally learns her lesson, love comes through. This story is propelled by strong characters. My favorite stories are when a strong femail takes her life into her own hands, but I learned that circumstances can seem different when looking at them through a new perspective. June 25, 2008 A Fantastic Fairytale!! Plump Princess Benevolence, sole heir to the throne of Montagne after the sudden death of the sovereign, her uncle, and her parents from unknown assassins, is not enjoying her new situation. Her cruel aunt, the Queen Sophia, is subjecting her to a strict education consisting of all the skills necessary for Ben to achieve to become the proper princess including comportment, dance, penmanship, and needlework, among others. But Ben only wants to mourn her parents' deaths and comfort herself with food; her refusal to cooperates causes her to get locked up in a high tower. While in this cell, Ben accidentally stumbles upon a hidden room with a spell book, and so she teaches herself magic. But, tensions with a neighboring country, Drachensbett, escalate the need for an alliance between the two countries, which Ben becomes caught up in, resulting in a disastrous ball, mountainous escapades, and unforeseen romance, and this amazing story. I was immediately drawn into Ben's story about how she matured and saved her country. She is amusing and clever although sometimes single-minded. Ben's adventures were very fun to read about, especially the ones involving magic. It was interesting to watch how Ben came to terms with that some of the people she thought were bad, such as Queen Sophia, actually had good intentions. What I found a little strange though were references to world history, such as the building of the Great Wall of China, because the magical aspect of the story made it seem as if the location of Montagne and Drachensbett should not be on Earth. I would've preferred anonymity as to the exact location like in many other fairytales, but I don't really mind because this story was so fantastic. Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a superb storyteller, and while I have not read her other novels Dairy Queen and The Off Season, I do plan to do so. I was very impressed with Murdock's writing style and unique ideas, and I absolutely loved this story. Princess Ben is definitely high on my favorites list, and I highly recommend it to all readers, and not just only fans of fantasy and fairytales. For more Princess Ben reviews click here.
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