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

Caught on Tape: Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria is such an iconic woman who reigned for a lengthy time on the throne of England. I would have imagined that there were many movies about Queen Victoria – but I was only able to find a couple.    Please let me know if you have seen any others.

The Young Victoria (2009)

“Eighteen-year-old British royal Victoria (Emily Blunt) ascends to the throne and is romanced by future husband Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) in this lush period film that chronicles the early years of the British monarch's larger-than-life reign. Produced by Martin Scorsese and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, the Oscar-nominated film also stars Miranda Richardson as the Duchess of Kent, Jim Broadbent as King William, and Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne.”

I can’t say enough things about this movie. It was beautiful, had wonderful music, and had amazing acting. This film focuses on the younger years of Victoria’s life and some of the early years of her marriage. Emily Blunt plays Princess Victoria and while at first I thought she might not be the best for the role, I loved her! The movie also stars Rupert Friend as Prince Albert and Miranda Richardson as her mother, The Duchess of Kent. You can read my entire review of this movie here.

Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown (1997)

“Grieving widow Queen Victoria (Oscar nominee Judi Dench) withdraws into sadness for years until plainspoken manservant John Brown (Billy Connolly) disrupts her mourning. But as their friendship grows, it results in personal and political ramifications for both of them. Exquisitely filmed and fueled by sparkling performances, director John Madden's period drama brilliantly portrays the woman behind an empire and the man who helped her live again.”

This film stars the indomitable Judi Dench as the widowed Queen Victoria – and boy does she ever look the part! This is a completely different film than the one listed above as the years after the death of her husband, Victoria was a very different person. She was more hermit like and was no longer the light of Windsor. Gerard Butler (whom I love in so many films) plays Archie Brown. This movie has won several awards.

The Story of Vickie (1954)

“Romy Schneider stars as a young Queen Victoria who flees London, and an arranged marriage to a German prince, to spend a few anonymous days in France. But when she falls in love with a mysterious stranger, she's in for the surprise of her life. Directed by Ernst Marischka, this charming love story also stars Adrian Hoven, Karl Ludwig Diehl, Magda Schneider and Christl Mardayn.”

The above listed plot sounds incredibly unbelievable – knowing what I do about Victoria – but could be an interesting adventure romance story. This film is in German and seems to have gotten very good viewer reviews on Netflix. I cannot find a trailer for this film but felt that this one should be included as it is a foreign film.


Have you seen any other Princess/Queen Victoria movies?





Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Review: The Young Victoria

The Young Victoria

GK Films

105 mins

December 18, 2009

Rated: PG

I was so excited to see this movie. It was shown at a small artsy theatre which made it feel like I was walking back in time upon entering the theatre. It only shows two movies at a time, usually independent films. The personal, friendly atmosphere was so different than the mainstream theatres that I usually go to – and the seats were amazingly comfortable. I really am a firm believer that where you are influences the way you perceive things – it was a very enjoyable experience, even if we were the youngest people there!

I think that they picked the perfect actor and actress for Albert and Victoria. Emily Blunt carried herself perfectly as a princess and a queen. She could easily evoke all of the emotions and feelings that were required of the role. I very much enjoyed Rupert Friend as Albert. An actor who I considered a scene stealer was Mark Strong as Sir John Conroy (who coincidentally was also in Sherlock Holmes, which I saw the week before). It took me a little while to figure out what his relationship was to Victoria and her mother – for quite awhile I thought he was her father!

The settings were gorgeous. I’m not sure if they looked how they should or how much of it was real vs. CGI, but it was eye candy. I loved when they went into Buckingham palace for the first time - it was so breathtaking! It certainly made me want to visit England.

My favorite scene was the chess game between Victoria and Albert early in their friendship. I have included it above for your viewing pleasure. It evoked some laughter in the theatre and I loved how they compared Victoria’s life to the chess game. My second favorite scene was where Albert takes a bullet marked for Victoria. Although, from what I hear, this never happened in real life, I actually really liked that scene. Very dramatic.

My boyfriend did not want to really see the movie – but went anyway. Upon being questioned as to what he thought of it, he replied, “it wasn’t that bad, not what I expected”. So, for someone totally not interested in royalty, I will take that as a stellar review.

I cannot wait until this comes out on DVD and I can see it again!

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Trailer - The Young Victoria

If you haven't heard the buzz about the new movie The Young Victoria you have to have been living under a rock. The usual tale told of Queen Victoria is of the dowdy older woman who was perpetually in mourning. This is not that Victoria. This Victoria is young, in love, and new to her crown. Emily Blunt (from The Devil Wears Prada fame) plays Victoria, while Rupert Friend plays Prince Albert. From the reviews I have read so far the movie is fairly close to real life - and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was one of the producers.



For those of us in the United States, The Young Victoria opens to limited theatres on this Friday - December 18, 2009 then to a wider audience. I am so jealous of all of you who live overseas and have been able to see the movie already. If any one gets to see the movie during this limited release, please drop a comment and let me/us know what you think.

For those of us that have to wait - take some time to check out this interview with Sarah, Duchess of York about the movie.




Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court