The Princess Diaries Book Club #1: The Princess Diaries

13:58 Cilla 0 Comments

The Princess Diaries (#1) 

"Is everything all right? Is everything all right? Hmm, hold on a minute, let me see . . . my mom is going out with my Algebra teacher, a subject I’m flunking, by the way; my best friend hates me; I’m fourteen years old and I’ve never been asked out; I don’t have any breasts; and oh, I just found out I’m the princess of Genovia."


Reading this when I'm twenty four is so different than when I was eleven. I still really enjoy the book, but I also have more opinions about it. I don't really feel like writing a full review for a re-read, so you're getting my thoughts in bullet points for this one! 

Beware: spoilers ahead!

• I know a lot more about American and world culture now, and so I understand what Lilly was talking about with her protest of a deli's special discount for Asian students. I'm not certain she's right - that such preferential treatment could lead to a Holocaust-like situation - but I get her line of thinking. 
• Speaking of Lily, I also know more vocabulary now! Lily said Michael was controlled by his libido in defending Mia, so does that mean she's suspected that her brother had a crush on her best friend??
• Now I understand better why I loved Mia Thermopolis so much. That slightly obsessive nature and overactive imagination is something I'm familiar with. Also, her struggles with Algebra. Plus, could she BE any more oblivious when Michael was bringing up her plans for Saturday?
• I forgot how much I adore Tina Hakim Baba. I love how she loves romance novels and mentions that she doesn't use them as guidance in real life because she knows they're not realistic. Yesss, thank you!
• It turns out Princess Diaries was a diverse YA before there was a movement about it. I never thought about it before, but now that I'm aware of the concept of diversity, I noticed how many characters there were who isn't white. Most of them are just a name in the background, but they're still there.
• It's very odd now to read Grandmere being, well, not much like Julie Andrews at all. At the same time, the fact that she's so un-grandmotherly and pretty terrible at times is the thing that makes her a unique character.

All in all, this reread reminds me why I loved Princess Diaries to begin with: candid narration and vibrant characters.