A Brief History of Montmaray
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
On her sixteenth birthday in 1936, Sophia begins a diary of life in a fictional island country off the coast of Spain, where she is among the last descendants of an impoverished royal family trying to hold their nation together on the eve of the second World War.
Featured Series
3 primary booksThe Montmaray Journals is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2008 with contributions by Michelle Cooper.
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Michelle Cooper takes the basic premise of I Capture the Castle (eccentric father and variously charming/feisty/driven/thoughtful children, including one compulsive diarist) in a crumbling castle, and plunks it on a fictional nearly-uninhabited island 200 miles south of Cornwall. Oh, and makes them royalty. Plus, there are Nazis, a Grail quest, ghosts, family secrets, an underground crypt, and more. It could have been a disaster, but Cooper's writing is so sure-handed I'd follow it anywhere. Her characters are believable and engaging, and their story is both funny and heart-rending. More! (Fortunately, there are two sequels.)
I have to mention, though, that I find it a bit odd that the Montmaravian “royals” never question their right to be rulers, although they essentially have nobody to rule over. What is the point of that, exactly? Maybe this will get taken up later in the series...
