WANTED: One little princess, preferably the youngest of seven. Should have no blue eyes and no golden hair. Should love the woods more than her clothes. In other words, should be 'ordinary'. In her foreword to The Ordinary Princess M M Kaye says she was inspired to write this story after re-reading a few of Andrew Lang's fairy tales. Realising that the princesses mentioned were, for the most part, blue-eyed and gloden-haired and quite perfect, Kaye decided that a story about an imperfect princess was what was needed. Thus, the story is about the seventh princess born to the King and Queen of Phantasmorania. She was the most beautiful baby, as was predicted she would be by everyone in the kingdom. But on the day of the chiristening, a particularly powerful fairy decides to grant the new princess the gift of ordinariness. So Amy, the last princess, grows up to be as unlike her six older, beautiful sisters as can be. And since she is so ordinary no prince or duke or king wants to marry her. Her parents hatch a desperate plan that does not appeal to Amy and, therefore, causes her to flee the castle. She soon learns how to live an 'ordinary' life like any other ordinary person, and her adventures soon lead her to her future husband. The Ordinary Princess is a fairytale in every sense of the word - minus a gorgeous looking princess. But peppered through-out the telling is a gentle vein of satire, poking fun at the usual themes and twists and turns a typical fairytale takes. I found some little things absolutely delightful! Like when the King of Phantasmorania speaks of his great-great-great grandmother - the one who fell asleep for a hundred years and the rest of the court with her (a reference to Sleeping Beauty); and when someone rather caustically remarks how everybody knows future kings were always the 'youngest' sons of the eldest princesses - again a reference to many fairytales where the youngest prince is always the wisest and the kindest. I enjoyed reading this tale; and while it wasn't particularly 'original', in light of the way fairytales are portrayed in this day and age on the movie screen, I think, for thrity decades ago, it must have been a refreshing change. All the characters in the story are absolutely endearing. I must admit to brief moments of wishing that this princess would be charmed back to what she was originally supposed to be, but then the whole purpose of the story would be lost. Also, I realised then, how much the stories of beautiful princesses are engrained in our psychee that we always believe that all princesses must be so! I would highly recommend this book for children and all those who love fairytales. It's absolutely worth it.
Perhaps what I love best about this delight of a story (quite apart from the great wisteria and lovely Forest of Faraway) is the whimsical narrative voice that is sympathetic to the characters and makes them endearing, even the controlling King and Queen who only seem to care about marrying Amy off to a royal Highness. From the start the whole thing is hued in warm gold.I do find it rather hard to believe, though, that no one in the castle seems to take an interest in Amy beyond making her less 'ordinary'. Surely, since she possesses the fairy gifts of charm, wit, and courage, someone would be fond of her. She doesn't hold any grudges, though, but writes home after she runs away. Though sometimes it's hard to know what she's thinking, I do like Amy's simple approach to things. She doesn't want to be married off, so she runs away to live in the forest (oh, how I'd love to be in that forest among the bluebells! And be friends with creatures, though, of course, nowadays we know that deer are dangerous and animals might be diseased or rabid; ah, things in stories are so much simpler and ideal); she needs a new dress, so she goes to the palace on the other side to find work. She doesn't wrangle and struggle. The time from when Amy meets Perry and marries him feels a little rush. I love their dialogues-I want more of it! I feel like I hardly get to know Peregrine, man-of-all-work before he is revealed as King. But despite these minor developmental gaps (which, since it follows the style of bare-bones fairy tales, is to be expected) The Ordinary Princess is and will remain a favorite to crawl back into again and again.I love the cover and interior illustrations, though they don't really match.And I wonder whether Kaye created the theme rhyme 'Lavender's Blue...' herself.
What do You think about The Ordinary Princess (2002)?
I read this book because of Lisa's review and like her, I too think this would be a good present for little girls, especially those who are more of the "tomboy" type (Though my niece isn't a tomboy per se and I'm still planning on giving it to her so I do think others will enjoy it as well). Basically, the story is about a Princess who doesn't look like a typical princess and isn't interested in the typical princess-ey stuff. She defies many conventions to live out her life on her own terms, and
—Bobby
Oh my goodness, this was such a delightful book! I'm glad that I picked it up - sometimes it's easy to discount these kinds of books, but this one is a perfect example of why it's silly to do so. Princess Amy is the seventh daughter of King Hulderbrand and Queen Rhodesia. All throughout history, the seventh daughter has been the most beautiful, the most extraordinary princess of them all - but not this time. This time, the most powerful Fairy, Crustacea, is out of patience when she arrives, delayed by traffic, at the christening of little baby Amy - and gives her the gift of ordinary. Of course this is a travesty and a tragedy to the royal court, and a never-ending source of shame and embarrassment to the King and Queen - but Amy is perfectly happy to be herself and not stiffly proper and bored. When she is of an age to marry, and her suitors have all seen her and then just remembered urgent appointments that they had forgotten, her father decides to take matters into his own hands (well, at the advice of his council), and endeavors to hire a dragon to lay waste to the kingdom in the hopes that some enterprising young prince will come to slay it in return for the princess's hand. Amy catches wind of this plot, and wants no part of it, so she runs away to seek her own fortune.I loved the wit and the humor in this story. I found myself giggling at the descriptions of the royalty and the extremes that they will go to to get their way. I also really loved Peregrine, the man-of-all-work that Amy meets. He is such a sweet and honest person, and accepts Amy for who she really is, rather than what she looks like. I have to say that in this children's book, I found myself thinking that the romance was sweeter and more moving than in some of the adult romance novels I've read. This is definitely a feel-good keeper of a book. I loved the message that no matter who you are, or where you come from, being yourself will bring you happiness.
—Becky
This was one of my favorite books as a child. I recently reread it in a fit of nostalgia. I was disappointed that the fantastic 1986 cover has been replaced by some hot mess picture of an elven girl in a green dress. What happened to the 80's princess with freckles, frizzy brown hair, and a ridiculously ornate purple dress? Reading the book as an adult, I was so relieved to read an earnest fairy tale for once. So many "fairy tale princess books" on the market are hideous, smarmy, wink-wink tales that blend modern humor with the fairy tale world, while practically screaming to the reader, "Look how clever and fresh I am! I'm so witty that I'm appealing to both adults and children! I'm soaking in irony! Wowee!" I don't care if Ella Enchanted won a Newbery Honor, it's so ironic and proud of itself that it's slimy. I actually gagged in parts. "The Ordinary Princess" has plenty of humor, but Kaye takes her world and her characters seriously enough that she makes you laugh with them, not at them. And thank god for an inventive fairy tale story that takes itself seriously while turning fairy tale conventions upside down. Amy is a strong heroine that everyone can love. She runs away to the woods and then applies for a job by herself - it's every kid's dream to be able to escape the stifling castle and be completely self-reliant, WHILE LIVING IN THE WOODS AND BEING AWESOME. Yay for The Ordinary Princess! Yay for Princess Amy! Lavender's Blue dilly dilly...
—Dani
