Friday, August 21, 2020

Fiction/Nonfiction Mini-Reviews: The Princess Margaret Edition

The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock (2019)

In The Other Windsor Girl, author Georgie Blalock explores the life of England's Princess Margaret, as seen through the eyes of her lady-in-waiting, Vera.

Romance novelist Vera has dreams of moving to New York City and writing a literary masterpiece, but after a chance meeting with Princess Margaret, she accepts a position as her lady-in-waiting, seeing it as a step up in life for her, at least for a little while.  While in service, Vera is witness to Princess Margaret's doomed love affair with Captain Townsend.  I liked this imagined insider look at royal life; the things I know about Princess Margaret mostly come from watching The Crown, and the book kind of went along with those.  Despite all her opportunity and wealth, the Princess seemed very adrift, unsure of her place in her family and in the world.  I appreciated the way Blalock found similarities between Vera and Margaret, despite being in such different stations in life - they both watched their sisters get married and start families, while their own relationships faced challenges.  Vera gave up years of her life to serve Margaret, and it was kind of frustrating to watch her give up on her dreams because she didn't want to give up her lifestyle or "desert" the Princess.  The writing was good, although the story started off slowly, and the ending, and especially the epilogue, came on way too abruptly and were a little too saccharine for my taste.  3.5 stars

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner (2020)

In Lady in Waiting, Anne Glenconner tells her life story as a member of the British aristocracy and in service to the Royal Family.

I thought this memoir was just going to be about Glenconner's decades serving as a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret, but it was so much more than that.  From her early years to the present, Anne Glenconner has lived an incredible life, and I loved this glimpse into it.  The writing style is easy to read and conversational, like you're sitting down to tea and sharing stories with her.  She seemed so matter-of-fact about even the most tragic events - her long yet troubled marriage to a mentally ill man, the struggles some of her children faced.  Of course, I especially enjoyed the stories about the Royal Family.  From playing together as children to serving as a companion to Princess Margaret until her death, the royals were a constant in Glenconner's life.  She shared personal stories but it never felt exploitative, always respectful.  I learned a lot about Princess Margaret and really admire her after reading this - although she had her eccentricities, she really seemed to love life and having fun, while also fulfilling her duties admirably.  4 stars

16 comments:

  1. Lady in Waiting sounds so interesting. It's always nice to see those that are informative while being respectful, instead of salacious tell-all's.

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    1. Exactly, especially when it comes to royalty, because they have such an image to uphold.

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  2. I’m planning on reading Lady in Waiting, so I’m happy you enjoyed it. All that “behind the scenes” stuff is fascinating to me.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  3. I really enjoy reading books about royalty. I really love the concept of The Other Windsor Girl. However, I am not sure if I would enjoy the abruptness either.

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  4. I read The Other Windsor Girl right around when The Crown was on and it was a fun tie-in. I'll have to check out Lady in Waiting - always on the hunt for a good Royal read!

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    1. Yes, I definitely think you would enjoy it, Christina!

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  5. I love a good memoir, even though I don't read nearly enough of them, and the Royal family is always interesting. Lady in Waiting sounds really good!

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    1. It really was! It was more than what I was expecting!

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  6. I’ve been wanting to read Anne Glenconner’s book for ages, I read an interview ages ago and she’s led a fascinating life!

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  7. I honestly don't know all that much about Princess Margaret so both of these intrigue me. The second sounds especially good, coming from the perspective of someone in service to the Royal Family.

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    1. Exactly, because those types of people don't usually talk to press or anything like that.

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  8. I found Vera's choices frustrating too! It was fascinating to see the royal family from her perspective though, so I'm very interested in Lady in Waiting. I'm glad to hear it was good :)

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!