This book makes me think a lot of things. I first read it years ago, probably when I was about 11 or 12. I remember thinking it was a good thriller, I liked the main character, and it was fun to read. I actually read this book as a stand alone the first time, and recently went back and read all three in about five days. The first two are decent, but this is clearly where the author knew she was going all along. Reading it again, I realize how terrifying this book is. As a YA reader, I don't think I understand how utterly, completely, nightmarishly horrifying this was. I spent a good amount of time trying to imagine what it must have been like for Meg, and I can't. Most of the time it's what White didn't talk about that really made me think. Like those agonizing hours of nothingness...waiting in pitch black, waiting for him to come back, waiting for dawn, waiting to die. Honestly, how are you supposed to get through each second in that situation? The aftermath of the kidnapping is written superbly. Of course she's happy to be home, but she's also confused by all these other feelings swirling around in her that she doesn't know are completely normal and that she's allowed, even expected, to have. The conflict with her mother is well done, because it's true none of this would have happened if Madam President had instead been a soccer mom. And then to hear "can not, have not, and will not negotiate?" No matter how much you KNOW that's the only realistic response, that's incredibly painful to hear. It's so horribly "professional" that it's almost unrealistic. I can't help but think of the West Wing arc when Zoe Bartlet was kidnapped, and the president temporarily stepped down almost immediately. It seems like the obvious thing to do, because how is a person supposed to be the president when their daughter has been kidnapped and you have no idea what's happening to her? Obviously both of these were specific decisions meant to further two very different plots, but the ramifications are interesting. Can you imagine your parent, your mother no less, saying point blank that they will not negotiate with terrorists, no matter what? Even if it's your life? I'm honestly not sure a relationship can come back from that. I'm not sure a marriage can come back from that. Hands down, the most poignant and heartbreaking line in this book is "'He, uh, left me in this-I don't know-cave or something, and the chain wouldn't break, so-'. She shrugged."Come on. She used a rock to break her own hand to escape otherwise certain death and then claw her way (literally) to safety days later, and she states it in such a nonchalant, matter of fact way. And the thing is, I don't even think she realizes how bad and desperate it sounds until that quiet, sorrowful, pitying, tremendously sad "Oh, Meg" from Dr. Brooks. I think it's amazing what a person can do when they're desperate enough, and in the moment it seems so obvious and logical (127 Hours, anyone?). She did it because her choice was simple: break her own hand and try to escape that way, or die. How horrible.I wish very much that White would write book from the perspective of the First Family during this time. I would love to see how this entire event played out with them. How do you tell the president that her child has been kidnapped? What sort of conversations did President Powers and the First Gentleman have behind closed doors? What were those West Wing meetings like with her staff? What was going on in the heads of her mother and father? I love Meg, I love her sense of humor, and the author's writing style. I think every relationship is deeply nuanced and portrayed realistically. I wish so much that we had more of a resolution with the kidnapping, although I understand that's not the point of the story. The kidnapping was just something that had to happen to put Meg and her family in this unimaginable situation. Still, it would be satisfying to know the FBI catches these people, to know who they are, what they wanted, and why they didn't just kill Meg and toss her somewhere (Other than obvious plot purposes, was there ANY reason to leave her in the mine? Did he really want to make her suffer that much more vs. knowing that there are no loose ends? He seemed too smart for that sort of sadistic decision.)I'm so happy that White wrote Long May She Reign, because this book needs a follow up. I am very much looking forward to seeing how Meg deals with the aftermath of this trauma, and how her family deals with it. Maybe there will be more closure in the next one, although I guess I'll have to be satisfied even if there isn't. Update: I spent a lot of time daydreaming today about who I would cast if this ever turned into a movie. Any takers? I was thinking Allison Janney came to mind for POTUS. Someone else suggested Connie Britton. What about Meg? Or the terrorist?
Meg's family has faced some pretty rocky times in the last couple of years. Her mother, now Madame President Powers, is still recovering from an shocking attack (albeit out of the public eye) and Meg's family seems to now be, not-surprisingly, closer and more tight-knit than ever. Meg's biggest worry is finishing up her senior year while trying to avoid the ever-present reporters who follow her families' every move when the unthinkable happens: Meg is brutally kidnapped by terrorists and forced to endure more than she ever imagined. Meg isn't sure why she was taken or even where, but she knows the terrorists have no plans to let her live. Which quickly becomes her only goal.Meg goes through some truly horrific stuff in this novel. She's beaten down and left so physically and emotionally scarred, she knows her life will never be the same again. Unexpectedly, I found myself repeatedly in tears while reading because I had unknowingly become so dang attached to Meg, I understand why some scenarios were more painful than others. Ellen Emerson White knew she couldn't start off the series with a story like this, but since she's built up a character (Meg) supported by incredible secondary characters with such believable interactions that I was completely drawn into this story. I could feel and understand every single person's pain because I'd been with them all for so long, I just got it.So if I thought White House Autumn was taking a risk dealing with a presidential attack, then Long Live the Queen has to take some kind of award for even daring to discuss a teen who is taken hostage by terrorists. I do have one thing to say about Ellen Emerson White, that woman is fearless. Fiercely fearless. She doesn't shy away from any of the tough questions or the questionable emotions, she faces each dead-on with a calm and precise determination. Terrorists, kidnapping, Vietnam - I mean is there anything this woman can't do - and do well?For this third installment, I find it noteworthy that the artwork was chosen to mimic James McNeill Whistler's classic painting Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother. I can't fault their taste - there is something inherently classic about Whistler's work, I totally dig it. Of course it is tongue in cheek with the hanging picture of the White House in the background and it definitely allows you to see the bright blue leg and hand brace Meg is now sporting. As for the Queen herself, Meg's attitude seems to be almost passive, which after reading this novel, I can assure you is anything but, which is a none too subtle reminder that Meg is under constant scrutiny all the time and that even when she's feeling wretched and depressed, she's still putting on her 'public' face and doing what she has to.
What do You think about Long Live The Queen (2001)?
Such a visceral and compelling account, both in the violence and pain of the kidnapping and the aftershocks and depression of recovery. White writes phenomenal dialogue and her characters, both heroes and villains, are well written and convincing. Meg's struggles with PTSD are all the more believable since the events of the kidnapping are vividly portrayed. While this book does contain significant violence and sexual threat, the triumphs of this character are the real focus of LONG LIVE THE QUEEN. I've read both the original and the "updated" version, I'm not sure it was necessary to revise the pop culture and technology references. 2/6/2012 - Chatting with a coworker about books we read over and over again, of course this series came up. Imagine my surprise when she immediately recognized my description (and her surprise when I was able to tell her White had written a new Meg book since our high school years). Of course, that excitement sent me back for a re-read. I know it's wish fulfillment in the most basic sense, Meg is as strong and capable as I could ever hope to be, but I still love this book. 3/3/2013 - I gave this book to my niece for Christmas and just got around to giving her my pitch for why she should read it. I don't know if I convinced her (I'm of the mind that it's better to make the book available and let someone fall into rather than build up a big sell and force them in), but just seeing LONG LIVE THE QUEEN on the shelf planted the seed. I found myself plucking my copy off the shelf and settling into a chair to enjoy. Love this book. I'm happy to find more and more of the series is available on eBook, reading LONG MAY SHE REIGN on my phone as I type this. There is something different about having eBook access to a book I've formerly only enjoyed in the quiet of my home. I'm happy to have as many White books in as many forms as I can... but part of me wishes I were curled up in my living room reading right now.11/31/13 - My husband ran his hand over my head, and the word "phrenology" popped out... and I found my way back to Long Live the Queen. The section while Meg is in the mine shaft always gets skipped, of course I slowed down and savored and cried in so many other places.
—Julia
Life never seems to get any easier for Meg Powers. She's kidnapped. At first I was a little apprehensive upon reading that. I figured the author would slip Meg into the helpless damsel that I had admired her for not being, but boy was I surprised. I had expected the author to gloss over the grittier details of her kidnapping and the aftermath, but she didn't. She completely, and adequately, described how this had affected not just Meg, but everyone around her. The FBI didn't swoop in and save her, she dragged her broken self to a rural cabin. Meg didn't automatically feel better and she's still as broken as she was before, but now she has hope, or well at least a little hope. She won't be the professional tennis player she thought she would, but she's on the mend. I can't wait to read the next book. This series is rare for young adult books. It's realistic (up to a point, I mean, she is the President's daughter) and it doesn't insult my intelligence. If anything, I feel like I actually learned something from it.
—Hannah
In this third installment of Meg Powers’ life as the daughter of the first female president of the United States, Meg is kidnapped by terrorists just before her high school graduation.The book is divided into three sections. The first is Meg prior to rescue. White keeps us inside Meg’s head and what's going on in Meg’s head seems very realistic. The pages fly by. Meg interacts with only one of the terrorists. He tortures her mercilessly but also brings a bottle of good scotch into the room where she's being held and sits and drinks it with her.In the second section, Meg is in the hospital. Again, White keeps us inside Meg’s head, and what’s going on in Meg’s head seems very realistic. Again the pages fly by.In the third section, Meg is home at the White House. We are inside Meg’s head until her best friend arrives. Beth seems to fix Meg's emotional reaction to what’s happened to her much too easily. By the end of the book, Meg is planning to start college at George Washington University in just a few weeks. It's hard to believe that Meg could be planning such a thing when only a week or two earlier the drive from the hospital to the White House terrified her.Politics are woven into this story of tremendous pain and perseverance. Meg would never have been kidnapped were she not the daughter of the president. And once Meg returns, the president has to divide her time between being a mother to Meg and being the president. Meg is angry with her mother for being the president and thus putting Meg in a position to be kidnapped. Meg is also afraid given the failure of her secret service patrol to protect her. In fact, she knows that one of them betrayed her.If I could read fast enough, I would have read this book in one sitting. The label “political thriller” certainly fits.
—Liz
