Need a NOOK? Explore Now
Murdock (Dairy Queen) reworks now standard elements of the modern fairy tale-reluctant princess, haughty prince, evil queen, portentous prophesies-for this frothy coming-of-age story. Princess Ben (short for Benevolence) is effectively orphaned after assassins kill her uncle the king and her mother, and her father disappears. Now heiress to Montagne's throne, Ben is forced into the tutelage of her aunt, Queen Sophia, with a regimen of dance lessons, embroidery and dieting, all in order to be married off to Florian, crown prince of menacing Drachensbett. After their umpteenth clash, the queen locks Ben in a tower, where Ben discovers a hidden portal, a wizarding room and a book of spells. Through her forays in magic, Ben learns that if Drachensbett's leaders can't marry their way into controlling Montagne, they will take it by force, and she will have to use her smarts to save her country. There's no new ground broken-the sardonic, witty repartee between Ben and Florian would fit right into a Shrek sequel-but the story (think poor man's Gail Carson Levine) is thoroughly entertaining. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.How often indeed I have pondered the hand fate would have dealt me had I accompanied my parents that dismal spring morning. Such musings, I concede, are naught but the near side of madness, for envisioning what might have been has no more connection to our own true reality than a lunatic has to a lemon. Nevertheless, particularly in those morose interludes that at times overburden even the most jovial of souls, my thoughts return to my dear mother and father, and again I marvel at the utter unpredictability of life, and the truth that our futures are so often determined not by some grand design or deliberate strategy but by the mundane capriciousness of a head cold. To be candid, my sickness did not occur completely by chance. I had exhausted myself in preparing for my fifteenth birthday fete the week before, had gorged myself during the festivities on far too many sweets, and had then caught a chill during a lengthy game of stags and hunters with my party guests in the twilight forest. Now, however, denying all my symptoms, I endeavored to join my parents. I have to go!” I insisted from my bed. It’s my grandfather.” My mother sighed. Your grandfather would never approve of his granddaughter of all people making herself twice as ill on his account.” She replaced the cloth, soaked in her own herbal concoction, on my forehead, and coaxed some tea across my lips. Why don’t you draw him a picture instead? I promise to leave it in a place of honor.” A picture?” I scoffed. I wish you’d realize I’m not a child.” She kissed my flushed cheeks with a smile. Try to sleep, darling. We’ll be back before dusk.” These words, too, I ponder. My indignation notwithstanding, all evidence demonstrated that I was still very much a child. After all, I had brought this illness upon myself. Worse, I had sensed the head cold brewing yet petulantly refused to follow my mother’s advice, so sacrificing that pinch of prevention for cup after cup of homemade cure. My bedroom was crowded with stacks of fairy tales, many of the pages illuminated with my own crude drawings, and dolls in myriad displays of dishabille. How easy it would have been for my mother—indeed, were the tables turned, I would have so responded without hesitation—to point out my childishness. I told you so may be painless to utter, but that does not diminish the anguish these four words inflict upon a listener already in pain. That my mother held her tongue and gave me only love when I merited chiding demonstrates her empathy. So many times in the decades since I have reminded myself of her innate compassion, and on my best days have striven to match it. At the time, though, I simply sulked, and so my father found me as he strode in to wish me well. Even in the gloom of that overcast morning, he looked magnificent, his dress armor polished to a high gleam and his prince’s circlet, excavated from the woolen trunks for its semiannual outing, shining against his graying curls. He settled on my bedside with a clank or two. ’Tis a great shame you can’t join us today.” I pouted. I could go. If you let me.” And have your mother put my head on a stake? Do you have any notion what that would do to my handsome good looks?” I refused to be cheered. He eyed me with a twinkle. What if I returned with a dragon?” Through enormous focus, I maintained my glower. A wee green one that whistled like a kettle? It could roast chestnuts for you on winter mornings.” Despite my best efforts, up crept the corners of my mouth. And warm your chilblains when you’re old,” I added.
Ben,’ I’d call out, where’s that blasted dragon of yours? My old toes are freezing!’” And I’ll go and find the dragon—” Where it’s playing with my grandchildren—” And ask it, quite nicely, to come inside and attend to the needs of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Montagne.” I giggled; I could not help it. Oh, bosh! You say that to a dragon and it’ll gobble me up, as sure as salt’s salt.” And what would that do to your handsome good looks?” I teased him. Improve them, I’d wager,” he answered with a grin. Now, you be good and drink that wretched concoction, and I’ll take you up there next week. Just the two of us.” Truly? With a picnic? A big one?” Absolutely.” He, too, kissed my cheeks, and with a last exaggerated bow in my direction, he clattered down the stairs. Wrapping myself in a quilt, I crept to the window. In the courtyard below, Mother frowned as she struggled to fit her own golden princess circlet, for she had little skill at ceremony. With a flourish of trumpets, Uncle Ferdinand appeared at the great entrance to the castle proper, looking every inch the king in his robes of state. Unlike my father, UUncle Ferdinand truly was handsome, tall and lean and solemn. At his side stepped the group’s martial escort, Xavier the Elder, a grizzled warrior who had shaved so thoroughly that several nicks still oozed blood. Queen Sophia appeared as well, displaying the precise gestures and expressions expected of a woman of her rank. A quintet of soldiers played a military hymn, and then Mother, Father, Ferdinand, and Xavier strode across the drawbridge through a double phalanx of saluting guards. Father glanced back to smile a last greeting at me as Mother slipped her arm through his and lay her head on his shoulder. His armor must have been cold, given the unseasonable chill of the day, but the love between them transcended such trivial discomfort. Seeing them off, the queen stood at attention for exactly the amount of time that a queen should, and then with a cool flick of her gown turned back toward the castle, the footmen falling in behind her. Alone at last, the quilt about my shoulders, I sighed as I considered all the tasks that awaited me. A wool vest I had begun for Father the previous autumn lay half-finished, my efforts immobilized by a plethora of dropped stitches. Clearly it would not serve him this winter; at the rate I was progressing, years could pass before the thing warmed him. My mother had delegated to me the task of transcribing her grandmother’s yellowed recipes, the goal being to learn the art of cooking while improving my penmanship. Unfortunately the assignment always left me famished, rooting through the kitchen pantries like an autumn bear. Hunger was a burden I could not tolerate for even a heartbeat, a truth that my physique amply demonstrated. Simply glancing at the stack of stained and curling recipes sent my stomach to growling. Outside, the master of hounds returned with his pack, the dogs gleeful and wet from a long run and a swim in the Great River. But even their prancing enthusiasm did not lift my own misery. With only the ubiquitous murmur from the soldiers’ barracks to comfort me, I crept back into bed, seeking refuge from the oppressive mist that cloaked the castle’s turrets. Perusing my shelves, I could not find one volume to satisfy me. The fairy tales I had read countless times. The more recent additions held even less interest: dry histories of Montagne, geometry textbooks, a medical treatise on bloodletting that my mother appeared never to have opened and that she now put to use as a bookend. I squirmed further under the covers. My mind drifted, wondering if the foursome had yet arrived at my grandfather’s tomb, what they would say there in his honor. I had practiced my own speech for weeks, and had been quite proud of my little poem praising the Badger’s courage, the last stanza in particular:
You perished to save all of us. I hope your armor never rusts.
A dramatic conclusion, I believed at the time, though it now occurred to me that any armor entombed with a corpse for thirty-odd years would doubtless experience some corrosion. This realization only deepened my malaise. At last I drifted into a fitful sleep. Though slumber should remove us from the trials of our waking life—surely I always settled my head with this expectation, and ere this day had always found satisfaction—my present nap did rather the opposite. Almost at once, it seemed, my rest was disturbed by haunting images of the castle corridors. Not my familiar apartment, constructed scarce a century earlier with the new perimeter fortifications, but the castle proper, noble and ancient, with walls as thick as three men, and the Montagne hedgehog, emblem of the kingdom, carved in countless obscure corners. In this dream as I walked the corridors, one of these hedgehogs uncurled itself and turned to stare at me with black, unblinking eyes. Try as I might, I could not escape this piercing glare; I was trapped as utterly as a fish on a hook, though unlike a fish I could not even thrash about, for the paralysis of nightmare held me immobilized. Larger and larger those eyes grew, until their impenetrable blackness filled my vision. I had the sensation, provided by that sporadic omniscience that accompanies dream- state, that I must creep forward, though I had not a notion in the world whereto I was headed, or whether the floor below me would dissolve in abyss. At once a voice, opaque and unidentifiable, filled my ears: It is time.”
When I first saw the book I thought "This looks stupid" But when I bought it and actually read it I LOVED it!! It is full of MAGIC and ROMANCE.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book brought my back to all the good old fairytales that people used to write. It was simple and yet interesting . A twist on the regular sleeping beauty it surprised me in the end. Some parts in the book are - I will admit - weird but this book reminded me of Ella Enchanted and some of my other favorites. With all of the mixed reviews on this book I would suggest reading it at the library before buying it. I really enjoyed it though !
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was an insanely good book! First of all, the writing style is great (and very refreshing!), Ben is a very real princess, and the plot was very unique. It's great to read about a princess who's not the winner of every single beauty contest in the world, but is actually a lot prettier than everyone thinks. In fact, I adored that aspect of this book so much that it inspired me to write something similar! (But not too similar)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I thought the first part of it was excellent. I really loved the book up until the part where SPOILER: she gets captured by their army. From that point on, i really didn't care for it. The whole romance between her and the prince was unnecessary. It was pretty random how he fell in love with her and he was such an obnoxious character. There was barely anything to love about him. Also, the whole magic room plot just vanished after she escaped the castle. I was hoping when she came back she'd learn more spells, but she didn't. Again, great beginning but a not-so-great ending.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.alosii
Posted February 24, 2009
loved it, can not wait for the next one
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 9, 2011
I borrowed this at my library and tried to read it during my feee time at school.Somehow you can relate this to Princess Academy because of her aunt's cruelness comparef to the tutor. One word-AWESOME
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 12, 2011
This book is a fantastic easy read, I would highly recomend it to any one who wants to actually be able to relate to a princess in one of these stories
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.m_v
Posted April 28, 2011
Tried to read it. Too slow. You can try it, though.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 23, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Wolves
Posted January 25, 2010
I Also Recommend:
oh my gosh i absolutley loved this book it is awsome
i found it in my public library and i just grabbed it randomly
i didn't know if i would like it but..... i loved it
i couldn't put it down, i finished it in less than a day
i totally recommend this book for anyone between the ages 10 and 15 it is
awsome.
It's a really fabulous story and I want more like this from Murdock! It was very uplifting and had a wonderful moral to it, which her character inevitably and obviously learns from, and becomes a stronger person with a kinder disposition and courage. Enchanting! I loved it!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 27, 2009
this book was so boring and hard to get through. its like the author thinks using 20 words when you only have to use 10 makes her writing more impressive. BORING. I wish i hadn't wasted almost $20 on this. Waste of time and money.
0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 4, 2009
princess ben was a difficult to like until the end of the novel. She was very selfish in the beginning and her gluttony is nauseating. Reading about her binge eating was pretty disgusting.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book was really exceptional. One can easily relate to Ben and her struggle for acceptance. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction, magic, and adventure. :D
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 29, 2009
too slow and boring
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2009
I Also Recommend:
I can't believe how bad this book was. It was the most boring book i've ever read. It's slow paced, the narrator Ben is annoying and only cares about her weight, and Murdock writes as if she's trying to make every word fancy. Just blah. I hated this book and sorry I spent $17 on it.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Fans of Catherine Gilbert Murdock's previous books, DAIRY QUEEN and its sequel, THE OFF SEASON, will be surprised and excited to discover that PRINCESS BEN is a tale in a completely different vein, yet equally enjoyable. This fantasy novel with fairy tale leanings is told by Princess Benevolence, who finds herself forced into becoming a "proper" princess after years of escaping the Queen's notice when the King is killed and his brother -- her father -- disappears.
At first Ben wants nothing more than to thwart Queen Sophia's every attempt to turn her into a lady, with the right manners and figure. She stumbles through dance classes, sneaks extra food whenever she can, and avoids all thought of her new position as heir to the throne. Locked during the night in a tower room, she finds a much more interesting way of passing the time when a secret passage leads her to a room of sorcery. Soon Ben is spending all her time learning spells, and half-sleeping through her days of lessons.
Ben's newfound contentment is disrupted when the threat of war looms. Thrown out into the world by the magical forces she still cannot completely control, she learns that there is some use for the skills the Queen tried to teach her after all. It will take all of her courage and determination to survive this challenge and become a true ruler.
Ben is a spirited narrator, and readers will love every minute they spend with her, from her somewhat spoiled beginnings to her later maturity. The story has enough twists to keep readers on their toes, and nothing and no one is quite what they first seem. The romance feels a little rushed, but it isn't the focus of the novel. This is really a story about a girl growing up and coming into her own in a strange and difficult world, and it will touch readers of all ages and situations.
Anonymous
Posted September 11, 2008
I absolutely adored Princess Ben! Once I really got into it, everything else was put on hold. I could not put it down, and was sad when it ended. It was whimsical, funny, slightly romantic, and postively enchanting. Ben is not your average princess, and therefore much easier to relate to. The author deftly weaves a new fairy tale with references to familiar ones.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 28, 2008
I bought this book after reading other reviews of it and thought it would be a good read while at work. I don't want to say much in case I let something slip. (I hate when reviewers tell the entire story!) Well I did read this in one day and really enjoyed it. Princess Ben did not, in my opinion, have a real slow point- I was able to keep reading with out getting bored. The characters emotions became my own and I was routing for her the whole way. She is forced to grow up and learn what a princess is supposed to do in the palace and she has no say in anything. Luckily she finds magic that saves her from her loneliness. So read this book if you like slight adventure, humor, and romance that isn't cheesy and in your face.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 6, 2008
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.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
LendMe™
Overview
Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s talents for storytelling and creating strong female characters take a fresh turn in this spirited and sophisticated fairy tale.Benevolence is not your typical princess.
With her parents lost to assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia. Starved and miserable, locked in the castle’s highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her ...