Book Review: Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl

Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl
ARC, Paperback, 264 pages
Chronicle Books LLC
November 18, 2011
★★★★☆

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review

“Immediately compelling and action-packed, this carefully researched work of historical fiction introduces young readers to the childhood of the famous yet elusive Beryl Markham, the first person to fly solo from England to North America. As in her debut novel, Prisoners in the Palace, MacColl propels readers into a multilayered story with an unforgettable heroine and evocative language that brings the backdrop of colonial British East Africa to life. A fascinating read for anyone with a thirst for adventure.”

Promise the Night was entirely different novel than I expected it to be. I expected a novel of a young girl growing up to become a famous aviator. However, while I did get a little of that, I also got something unexpected – an action/adventure novel set in the wild of Africa. There was a lot more adventure in Africa than there was about flight.

I was entirely caught up in the African adventure that marked Beryl’s early life. This was my first novel set here so I enjoyed seeing the different setting and entirely different way of life in the British colony. There were various trials and tribulations of life in the early colony which were very different than other colonization stories. I also thought that MacColl did an excellent job of depicting the Natives and their way of life. I enjoyed getting to know them all.

We get all of our snapshots of her life in the air through media clippings and journal entries peppered throughout the novel. The majority of the novel takes place when she is a very young girl learning to be a horse trainer on her father’s African ranch. These two segments were tied together through lessons that were learned through the narrative portion (during her childhood) that could be applied to whatever what happening in her life of flight in her 30’s. While I appreciated both storylines, I would have liked to have had a little more about how she got into flying, when her life had been thoroughly entrenched in horse training.

There were plenty of adventures to keep young adult readers engaged. There were also themes that they could connect with like running away and trouble with parents. A quick and easy read.

Author Michaela MacColl also has written Prisoners in the Palace and Nobody’s Secret. You can visit MacColl’s website or blog for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

My reviews of other books by this author:

• Prisoners in the Palace

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Royal Reviews
• There’s A Book

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Interview with Michaela MacColl

Today I want to take the opportunity to welcome author Michaela MacColl, author of The Prisoners in the Palace to The Maiden's Court.  I immensely enjoyed her book and hope you have/will too!  So I will stop this idle chit chat and get right to the heart of the matter - the interview!

What was it about the year before Victoria became queen that drew you to tell the story of Prisoners in the Palace?

I enjoy writing about famous people when they are young. It seems to me that the teenage years are so full of possibility. Princess Victoria has a life that should be so wonderful. She lives in a palace and has a fabulous destiny of wealth and pomp. The contradiction between what we think her life should be like and what it was is where I found my story. And anyway, who doesn’t want to read about a real life princess?

Any plans on writing about Victoria’s years as queen?

Originally I planned to take my story as far as Victoria’s marriage to Albert. Fortunately, I have a critique partner who makes me stop (and since Prisoners came to 368 pp – you really are happy she made me stop!) She convinced me that Victoria’s part of the story ends when she becomes Queen. I wouldn’t mind writing about Queen Victoria – she makes a lot of questionable decisions – but I don’t know if Liza would still be the best point of view character.

Why did you choose Victoria’s maid as your main character over the princess herself?

I started with Victoria. But her life is so constrained – there was only so much I could have her do and still be consistent with the historical record. Let’s face it, as much fun as it would be to have Victoria wandering in the East End of London it just could not have happened. So I thought about what Victoria the girl (not the Princess) really needed. And that was a friend. But a Princess can’t make friends with just anyone. Liza needed a reason to be in contact with the Princess and most importantly a plausible reason for being alone with her. The spying stuff came later, but it cemented their friendship in a way that gossiping and confidences never could.

Have you seen the movie The Young Victoria? Your book covers some of the same time period and events as the movie. Did you know anything about this film while you were writing your book?

I knew the film was coming… and it took forever to come to the USA. The filmmakers worked from the same facts I did – so watching the film was like seeing all my research come to life. (And the beautiful costumes!)

One of the parts of your novel that I found most interesting was the character of Inside Boy. I know he was based on a real person, what can you tell us about him and why you included him in your novel?

Inside Boy was my favorite character. He could be described as the “Queen’s Stalker.” He broke into Buckingham Palace several times to be near Queen Victoria. Security at the palace was so lax that he was able to get into the Crown Princess’s nursery. I loved the idea of him and even though he shows up in history a few years later, I took the liberty of having him start his career as a Palace-squatter a little earlier. Liza needed a friend and an ally and Inside Boy was perfect.

What was one of the most interesting tidbits that you discovered while researching for this novel?

I was probably most interested in how constrictive Victoria’s life was. My own children are always complaining that I’m too protective, but they can walk down stairs by themselves. They can choose their own friends and go out alone. Poor Victoria couldn’t. My favorite detail was probably that she couldn’t write her journal in ink until her mother had reviewed the entry. I had a great time in my story playing with what Victoria’s mom-approved description of a scene was and what might have happened in my imagination.

Are you currently working on anything new? Anything you can share with us?

My second book comes out in November, 2011. It’s called Promise the Night and it’s about Beryl Markham. Beryl grew up in colonial East Africa and was raised by the tribe who worked for her father. Beryl was addicted to risk and danger. She was mauled by a lion and went on hunts with the tribe. When she grew up, she became a bush pilot at a time when flying was the ultimate adventure. She set the record for being the first person to cross the Atlantic east to west. Promise the Night is about her childhood crossed with the story of her flight across the Atlantic.

Thank you so much Michaela for taking time to answer these questions for us.  I can't wait for Promise the Night!

Michaela attended Vassar College and Yale University. She earned degrees in multi-disciplinary history. Unfortunately, it took her 20 years before she realized she was learning how to write historical fiction. Her favorite stories are the ones she finds about the childhood experiences of famous people. What happened that helped them to be great? Michaela has two daughters so she's hoping to identify those moments firsthand. She and her family live in Connecticut, but she will travel at the drop of hat to do local research. So far her travels have taken her to London and Florence and Amherst, Massachussetts. A trip to Shanghai, China is in the works. Prisoners in the Palace (Chronicle, October 2010) is her first book.  You can visit Michaela at her website.

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

ARC, Paperback, 368 pages

Chronicle Books

October 13, 2010

★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction, YA

Source: Picked up a copy at BEA

“Young Elizabeth Hastings knows about suffering. At seventeen, she has lost her family, her home and her future. In desperation, she takes a position at Kensington Palace working for the sixteen year old Princess Victoria. But nothing is as it seems at the palace. The heir to the throne is practically a prisoner. A mother schemes against her daughter. Sir John Conroy, a man with no power or connections, is playing for the ultimate prize. And the servants - they know everything of course!

Liza's journey will take her through the bowels of the Palace and to the deepest slums of London. She'll learn about the power of the press and the attractions of one particular newspaperman. How far will Liza have to go to restore her fortune and put the Princess Victoria on the throne? Will she find independence and romance or find herself a prisoner in the palace, too?”

This book was my first read on the Princess Victoria. I had seen the movie The Young Victoria a few months prior to reading this, so I was slightly familiar with many of the events in her early years but this book brought so many more details of her life into the forefront. I can’t help but compare the two a little bit as they both cover very much the same period in Victoria’s life. The most notable difference between the two was the movie relied heavily of the character of Albert, while the book only has him in two scenes (and by the way, he is not as likeable in the book as the movie).

I loved the characters in this novel. You have the non-historical character of Liza who really brings adventure into the very stoic world of Princess Victoria. The interactions between Liza and Victoria are so fun. At times they forget they are royal and subject and at other times those lines are carefully drawn. I also can’t say enough about how evil the character of Sir John is. He really was an awesome villain with simply no redeeming qualities. And I LOVE him that way! My other favorite character was Inside Boy – a stowaway in Kensington Palace – you will absolutely love him!

The research for this book was phenomenal - you get some unique little tidbits. I also loved the inclusion of some of the entries from Victoria’s diaries. It really helped to connect the character to the historical world she lived in. There was an extensive author’s note at the end which I really appreciated.

This is also not your typical YA novel where these days you expect to find romance and the seemingly mandatory love triangle. This story does have a romance thread to it but it is very minor. The focus is instead on intrigue and adventure and is very fast paced. This novel is perfect for a teen reader or an adult – both will find it to be enjoyable.

This is author Michaela MacColl’s first novel. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Small Review
• Novel Novice

Buy the Book  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Michaela MacColl

Promise the Night
[My Review]

Always Emily

Nobody’s Secret

The Revelation of Louisa May

Secrets of the Snow

Rory’s Promise

Freedom’s Promise

The Lost Ones

Find Michaela MacColl: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog 

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court