Jacqueline de Soignee

I found the writing to be so insipid that I could not read either story. In particular, I felt the Princess-In-Training Manual decided to do no research into the lives and duties of modern princesses, leaving no reality for her suspension of disbelief to be swallowed. Not even just for princesses, she knew nothing of the differences in class (again, a lack of research: while no one presents every feature that is typical of the subculture for which they are a member, no one can have none. She probably based this on a teenager she knows, who exemplifies the dilemmas of middle-class but doesn't even know enough to see that is what it is).

It's a shame because I am actually not down on light books or easy reads (you'll see teen fiction on my read shelf), I was in that mood, but this one just left a sour taste in my mouth. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.… (meer)

I found the writing to be so insipid that I could not read either story. In particular, I felt the Princess-In-Training Manual decided to do no research into the lives and duties of modern princesses, leaving no reality for her suspension of disbelief to be swallowed. Not even just for princesses, she knew nothing of the differences in class (again, a lack of research: while no one presents every feature that is typical of the subculture for which they are a member, no one can have none. She probably based this on a teenager she knows, who exemplifies the dilemmas of middle-class but doesn't even know enough to see that is what it is).

It's a shame because I am actually not down on light books or easy reads (you'll see teen fiction on my read shelf), I was in that mood, but this one just left a sour taste in my mouth. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.… (meer)

The Princess-in-Training Manual, had it actually been written by a princess, might appropriately find itself in the self help section and, if marketed properly, be a trendy bestseller. As a novella, presumably penned by Orloff, it's amusing and, actually quite uplifting. I kept expecting the princess narrator to turn out to be a caricature embodying the opposite of the values she was purporting to espouse, but, no, in fact, she remained "princessly," believing in herself, being loyal to her friends and even laughing at herself when appropriate.

As for Divas Don't Fake it, I kind of wonder why it wasn't just a little more elaborate so that it could be a stand alone novel. It worked well as written but some themes might have been foreshadowed more, like the diva's matchmaking skills and her (successful!) plans to fix up THREE couples for Valentine's Day! Like in the previous Orloff fiction I've read, the heroine is direct -- she likes to use vulgar words when appropriate and does not sugar coat her sexual life with euphemisms. Her long-standing best friend is a gay man whose been shunned by his father. She has character (in this case, she's a self-admitted diva). Oh, and this one loves to cause a scene and over dramatize! But she comes to her senses for a feel good, happy ending!

Having now read three Orloff's, I have to wonder if they are all a type of alternate history of what her life could have been under slightly different circumstances. Her heroines are all pretty similar and she touches on recurring themes (gay bashing, death to cancer, absence of mother, friendship as strong or stronger than family ties, open sexuality...). I really like the brutal honesty of her novels.… (meer)