Kepler's 2020 Project in the News:
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It is 1936 and in the tiny island nation of Montmaray live three young girls, princesses all. In their dilapidated castle (or fortified house to be precise) they live with the mad king who rarely leaves his room and the housekeeper, who does not housekeep so much as babysit the king. The three girls: brilliant Veronica, daughter of the king but unable to inherit due to the kingdom's laws; her younger cousins, Sophia, narrator of our tale; and Henrietta, young and wild. Together the girls maintain the castle as best they can with the help of their subjects -- all five of them. So many have been lost on the continent in the war. Isolated from the upheaval in the world around them they are aware of the civil war brewing in Spain, the exile of the king, and the power struggle between the fascists and the communists. They understand that the Germans and Italians under Hitler and Mussolini are supporting Franco, while Stalin's Russia sends aid to the communists, but what can an island nation with a mad king and five subjects possibly do to intervene? Suddenly their seclusion is shattered by the arrival of two Nazi officers on a quest for the holy grail and Montmaray's remaining residents are brought into the fray. Sophie's narrative is riveting and beautiful. Through journal entries and letters to her brother Toby, heir to the throne of Montmaray, history unfolds, love assails, hearts shatter, courage is found, and what is dearest is defined.
Reviewed by Antonia |
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