Our reviews of
A Brief History Of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
Genre
Young Adult (View all)
Synopsis:
I need to write down what has just happened. I need to set down the truth. If I write lies or if I write nothing at all, this journal is worthless. I must do this, in case anything happens. All right. This is what happened tonight, every single terrible thing that I can remember . . . Sophie FitzOsborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray, along with her tomboy younger sister Henry, her beautiful, intellectual cousin Veronica, and Veronica's father, the completely mad King John.When Sophie receives a leather-bound journal for her sixteenth birthday, she decides to write about her day-to-day life on the island. But it is 1936 and the world is in turmoil. Does the arrival of two strangers threaten everything Sophie holds dear?From Sophie's charming and lively observations to a nailbiting, unputdownable ending, this is a book to be treasured.
Annette's Review
Reviewed: June 2010
This is a charming and sparkling story, ideal for those young readers who are looking for something which is not full to overflowing with vampires, werewolves, witches or fallen angels! Sophie FitzOsborne narrates a tale of crumbling castles, ancient kingdoms, disintegrating fortunes and contested inheritances, very much in the vein of the delightful Cassandra Mortmain, heroine of the wonderful I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith). The novel begins a tad slowly, but soon gets into stride, becoming suspenseful and atmospheric, the author, I think, prepared to sacrifice a little pace, in order to enhance her book with snippets of historic detail (the setting is 1936; the island somewhere off the coast of Spain), which ultimately makes a much more satisfying read for girls who are rapidly maturing and becoming thinkers. Those who enjoy the book can look forward to a sequel, FitzOsbourne’s in Exile: The Montmaray Journals 2, which comes out in August.