Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia

Author: Anna Kirwan

Genre: Journal

Series: There are a lot of these Royal Diaries, but you don’t have to read them in any order.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Historical fiction

Number of pages: About 180

Time period: 1800’s

My overall opinion: These diaries are very easy reading for me, but I enjoy them anyway. Diaries are SO interesting! This one was fun and a good one-time read.

Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine

Author: Kristiana Gregory

Genre: Journal

Series: The Royal Diaries (not really a series, more of a set – diaries of princesses from around the world in all different historical eras)

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Historical fiction

Number of pages: 187

Time period: 1100’s

My overall opinion: It was good. A few times, body functions are mentioned (as happens with some regularity in this series) but it’s not explicit, and I would allow my younger sisters (ages 12 and 14) to read this. I think it’s fairly accurate, but since there’s not a ton of info about Eleanor, some is certainly fiction.  

Captain Wentworth's Diary

Author: Amanda Grange

Genre: Journal, romance

Series: Amanda has written several other diaries for Jane Austen heroes, including ones for Mr. Knightley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bertram, Colonel Brandon, and possibly a few I’m forgetting. So it’s kinda a series, but not really.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: The library only had a large print version, which was 359 pages long.

Time period: 1800’s

My overall opinion: I really enjoyed this one. For those of you who may not know, it’s based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. This diary begins by back-tracking and giving Captain Wentworth’s entries through his original romance and engagement with Anne. That’s for the first 100 or so pages. It then skips ahead seven or eight years, and uses the rest of the book with what is “documented” in Persuasion. I thought it was a very fun diary, and am looking forward to reading Colonel Brandon’s soon!

For those of you who’d like to see reviews of other diaries by this author, I’ve read Mr. Knightley’s, Mr. Darcy’s, and Edmund Bertram’s, all of which are reviewed on this blog.

You'll Love This!

Oh dear. I am posting a post that isn't a review for...the third time today?!?! Not good. But I had to. :) I was exploring Amanda Grange's website, and came across this fun little journal. There was a link to it from her website. Note that I'm not sure if the rest of the website is good or not...this is all I looked at there. It's a short story titled "Mary Bennet's Diary." It made me laugh! The beginning posts, and the end one, really were hilarious. :) So go here to read "Mary Bennet's Diary!" I think you'll like it. :)

Mr. Darcy's Diary

Author: Amanda Grange

Genre: Journal, romance

Series: Amanda has written numerous other diaries for Jane Austen heroes.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 329

Time period: 1800's

Main characters: Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, Caroline Bingley, etc

Exciting events: What you would expect in a Jane Austen

My overall opinion: This one, like the other diaries, is based on a Jane Austen book. Most of you know that it's about Pride and Prejudice. It was well written. I especially enjoyed the end, an extra peek into life after marriage for Darcy and his wife. Nothing sensual. A recommended read!

Edmund Bertram's Diary

Author: Amanda Grange

Genre: Romance, journal, life

Series: Amanda Grange has written multiple diaries of various Jane Austen male characters.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 385 (large-print)

Time period: 1800's

Main characters: Edmund, Fanny, Mary, Henry, Tom

Exciting events: What you would expect from a Jane Austen. :)

My overall opinion: It was good. Mansfield Park isn't one of my favorite stories, but the diary was well written, and seemed to follow the book closely.

Mr. Knightley's Diary

Author: Amanda Grange

Genre: Journal

Series: I don't believe it's technically a series, but there are a number of other Austen hero diaries by her.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 294

Time period: 1800's

Main characters: Mr. Knightley, Emma, Harriet, Elton

My overall opinion: It's essentially the book "Emma" by Jane Austen from Mr. Knightley's view. If you like that story, you'll enjoy this one too. :) It stuck very close to "Emma" and I found it really interesting. I don't think it was quite factual...Mr. Knightley didn't fall in love with Emma (or at least realize that he had) until well into the book, when I think in "Emma" he was fell in love early on, but I'm drawing that from memory, so I'm not certian.

I notice that Amanda Grange has also written a variety of other diaries, including ones for Mr. Darcy, Edmund Bertram, Colonel Brandon, and Captain Wentworth. I will definitely be reading more!

Children in the Holocaust and World War II

Author: Laurel Holliday (well, she put the diaries into this book and wrote prologues for each. But the diaries are written by different kids)

Genre: Journal, Holocaust

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5

Type: Non-fiction

Number of pages: 401

Time period: Holocaust, World War II

Main characters: Multiple

Exciting events: Well, some of these children witnessed horrible things. I suppose it could be called exciting.

Passage from book: (from the journal of 10 year old Janine Phillips) ...So I went to a nearby field to see if I could spot any German soldiers. I saw nothing but heard enough to last me for a long time. When I got about three hundred metres from the house, I heard bullets whistling around me. At first I didn't realise what was happening, until I saw puffs of dirt in the road. Someone was shooting at me. Immediately I lay down on the ground, too petrified to move. My heart was thumping like mad. After a while the shooting stopped. I didn't know what to do. The Germans must be quite near, I reckoned. I started to crawl, almost slithering like a grass snake. My dress, my knees and my  hands were covered in dust. After several minutes, I heard a cow mooing. A bullet had gone through her hind leg...

My overall opinion: First. This is not a book for young readers. Though these are young people's journals. The book describes things the way that they were happening, and it can be a little scary for young kids, I should think. Secondly, there is one journal by an 18-year old that has some descriptions of inappropriate stuff. However, this can be avoided by reading the journal prologues. All in all, I'd say this is a good book. It makes you think. These kids are my age. Some are younger, a few are older. "Would I be as brave in their place? Were something as terrible to happen here?" Something to ponder. These journals tell of everyday life during the Holocaust. They describe the terrible things that started happening. The ghettos, there's even one journal from a concentration camp. Some of the kids survived...some didn't. :( Almost all (or maybe all, I can't remember) were Jews. Amazing book.

The Journal of Helene Berr

Author: Helene Berr

Genre: Journal, adventure?, life

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Non-fiction

Number of pages: 291

Time period: 1940's, World War II, Holocaust

Main characters: Helene

My overall opinion: It seemed to me that this journal was a little slow reading at first. But it was never meant to be public anyway, so. This is the story of Helene who is a French Jew. I'll tell you that in the end, she is captured and executed in Bergen-Belsen, I believe, a few days before liberation. However, to see France at that time from the eyes of a Jew is definitely a new experience for me!