The Princess Galva

I liked the beginning most...

(5 stars)

Kelhi

My favorite part of the book was the opening chapters, when Edward is beginning his intrigue, “borrowing” a house, and having to work closely with his wife. I expected the book to follow that path—a comedy of the sticky situation they got themselves into, with them eventually working together and finding old affections rekindled, with whoever this Princess Galva is appearing and making things more complicated. But that’s not what happened. The main characters, the feel, and the trajectory of the book changed suddenly, and it was very unexpected to me. (Except for the inclusion of Galva as a character.) I’ve nothing against romance (as in adventure with a love interest), and I rather like stories about lost heirs and political intrigue. It’s just that’s not how the story started, and I kept wanting to get back to Edward on his own, or at least Edward as the central figure whose thoughts we’re given to know. For the rest of the book, it was better when we were able to focus on Edward’s point of view. Understandably, given the flow of the narrative, we had to hear from other characters, in addition to/besides just Galva. I get why, but that wasn’t as satisfying as the unique charter we have in Edward. Speaking of Edward as a unique character, I do like him as a character...everyone else, not so much. Galva, her love interest, her nurse/companion, and the baddies are the usual types. Normally I’d be ok with that—it’s just I started out the story with a unique, even surprising character, namely Edward. And poor Edward got flatter when he spent time around the others. The final chapter, in which Edward reflects on his adventures in a letter to the reader, was a help to the story as a whole since it reminded me of the theme that can, and ostensibly does, unite the whole story: a bored, nothing-achieved-in-life nobody gets a shot at something, and he takes it. But that theme should have been better woven throughout. [SPOILERS—IF YOU CARE.] Finally, morally speaking, I have issue with the fact that Edward abandons his wife and remains estranged, even after witnessing Galva’s marital bliss (though he continues to provide for her and they meet once a year). So, that’s a moral objection. But beyond that—because stories can include immoral things that are either “justified” given the characters, are used to teach a moral lesson, or are faults from which a character is redeemed. But none of that happens here. Edward’s abandonment is justified fully in his character, his actions don’t teach the audience a lesson (he’s pretty content with the arrangement), and he doesn’t repent. All this being said: in this story we’ve got some classic elements, and they are executed just fine (false identities, kidnapping and rescue, lost and restored heirs). So there was still plenty to enjoy, and I was never bored.

Introspecting Intrigue

(4 stars)

Jezadre Mystique

I found this clever time transporting tale of wit and unexpected adventure, quite nostalgically spellbinding. Storytelling narratives were intricately connected in this pleasant prose puzzle. A Lovely trip back to the days of Suspense Thrillers 👍🏾👍🏾👏🏾

(4.5 stars)

Melanie

This is a charming story about Everyman having an adventure. It has shares of comedy, tragedy, regret and sorrow. A nice fin de siecle romance.

(4 stars)

Hannah

Took a while to get into, but once I did it was hard to stop and looked forward to my next listen. Very enjoyable.

Fun Listen

(5 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

Well read by Maryann, as usual. This author has a lot of books that could be added to the collection.

great story

(5 stars)

Val

You have no idea, in the beginning, where this story is headed. Read well.

The twists kept coming.

(4.5 stars)

Sooizzy

enjoyed this book. twists and turns kept coming. Lovely reading voice.

(5 stars)

Eva Cass

great story & so well read by Mary Ann