The Ordinary Princess
by M. M. Kaye

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Book Reviews of The Ordinary Princess

Book Review: "My child, you shall be Ordinary!"
Summary: 3 Stars

But things do not always go as planned, as one fairy in particular is in a bit of a grumpy mood, and not at all eagar to dish out any more Wit, Charm, Courage, Health, Wisdom or Grace - instead she bestows the infant with Ordinariness, and at once Amethyst's golden curls are mousey, her perfect nose is covered in freckles, and her previously cooing baby-talk changes into a very loud scream. As she grows, the stately name of Amethyst drops to the simple "Amy", and her days are not filled with embroidery and harp-playing, but exersions into the Forest of Faraway.

Yet each of her sisters is eventually married off, and soon her parents despair of doing the same to her. A plot is hatched: to hire a dragon to ravage the land in the hopes that a Prince will come to rescue Amy, trapped in a high tower. Amy is disguisted at such a plan, and takes off for the forest, where she begins her own adventures...

M. M. Kaye's "The Ordinary Princess" is without a doubt a charming book, made all the more so by her simple, realistic, and often whimsical illustrations. The creation of an ordinary princess is a welcome to the world of literature in which beauty is predominant among descriptions of heroes and princesses, and it was one of the first of many similar journeys into "ugliness" as a virtue (the most well known being "Shrek"). Amy is a good-natured, intelligent, polite girl, and her love story is natural and realistic (well, as realistic as a love story set in a fairytale kingdom can be).

However, though the story will appeal very much to young girls, older readers might find the sheer simplicity of the story a little too easy for them. For them, the true identity of Peregrin the man-of-all-work is almost painfully obvious from the word go, and the somewhat cliched descriptions of palaces (marble, diamonds, chandeliers) may be a little well-used. Furthermore, Amy's "adventures" are not exactly adventurous - there is no dragon-slaying or evil-fighting, she simply spends time in the forest with her animal friends, before seeking out work in another kingdom and meeting her true love. Though M. M. Kaye made the first step back in 1980 in creating a strong female character without the vice of beauty upon her, there was still a fair way to go before women's quests in literature were not defined solely by finding their true love.

Yes, I feel a bit mean critising such a sweet, harmless story, but blame my English lecturers and their lectures on the history of feminity in literature - they've made me analyse everything I read! On the whole, there's not a lot to truly dislike about this classic fairy tale, but for those who want to go a bit deeper into the issues raised in "The Ordinary Princess", try: "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine (which will appeal more to the older readers I mentioned earlier), "The Lioness" Quartet by Tamora Pierce, for even older ones, "A Frog Prince" by Alix Berenzy, a new take on the old fairytale, "Which Witch?" by Eva Ibbotson, who shares a similar sense of humour as M. M. Kaye, and of course "Shrek!"

Summary of The Ordinary Princess

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic Books

• Subjects > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy & Magic
• Royalty