The Fairly Ordinary Princess
Firstly, I'd start by appreciating the author Khushboo Shah for the concept and the simple yet impressive cover design. And for the title that is interesting and inviting. I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time now and I'm glad I finally did. It made me curious, somehow. Well, who wouldn't want to know about 'The Fairly Ordinary Princes.'
We've read about princesses with perfect looks and beautiful features but in this story, the author has portrayed a very different picture of the princess; someone who had blemishes on her cheeks and had acne problems. A very modern scenario of the palace scene has been etched. The king with a cell phone and the prince glued to an iPad, the princess who loved to read books and opted to work in a library as a summer job. And the queen mother who was no different from our own. I believe many can relate to the situations presented in this story.
The language was easy, the plot idea was interesting, the authors storytelling was witty and overall, it was an interesting and enjoyable read. Some thoughts were enlightening and came as a good lesson. The characterization was done very well. I liked Keshavdas, the gardener and Jawaab-e-Hazir, the pet parrot's role too. Both played an important role and added value, emotion and fun to the story. The drawings inbetween the story were artistic and cute. The young readers will surely love to read this story. The idea of the princess getting lost in a book, the characters coming alive, made this a wonderful fantasy story to make the readers wish and long to be a part of Nirzari's world. The author's storytelling transported me to that magical world through the pages of this book, and I too, got lost in it for long.
"I've realized I get too lost if I don't work on my dreams at the right time." - the author shared an thoughtful message through this line. Indeed, its important to organize our dreams and work on them at the right time. "As if the dreamer did not want the dreams to emerge from the bottle at any cost."- a mother's sacrifice, yet her grit to handle everything as if they were a routine spoke volumes. One needs to read carefully to understand the message and the meaningful delivery of the author's thoughts. Princess Nirzari was a little girl yet she understood the responsibilities and decided to work on them, making her fathers dream come true is such a wonderful lesson to learn from. The technique to show and pass such interesting and thoughtful lessons, while entertaining the readers is indeed praiseworthy. The rhymes and puns of Jawaab-e-Hazir is a fine example of the author's wit and intelligence which, readers of all age will enjoy. Firki, Dabbu and Grandm Aaloka and each character of this book added value and made the story more interesting.
As Nirzari and the other characters walked through the pages of the book, I too went along with them. That's the impact of the authors brilliant storytelling skill. The author didn't miss to mention the importance to bring bees to the ecosystem. She has covered a wide array of information, ideas and important messages for the readers to contemplate. "Mothers know a lot more than they reveal." - indeed. The readers with get the taste of a mothers wisdom and intelligence in this story. I loved every bit of it. The only thing I’d like to change are the number of characters. At a certain point, it was a bit hard to catch up. But this is just my personal thought and this point did not mar my reading at all. The finely done sketches, the story headings, and the magical tale sufficed.
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A few meaningful excerpts from the book:
"We must learn to do what we need to, to afford to do what we love to."
"... You don't just get freedom for a price of your choice."
"A lot of things in life are unclear when we start. But we must push on till they start making sense."
"Sometimes after your eyes have rained, you find a rainbow in your heart."
"I guess it is easier to see a change in others than in ourselves."
"I guess we change when we turn a new page."
"When you don't find an answer outside, you must look within."
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To all the readers out there, of all ages- go, get the book today. This is a kids fantasy story, but anyone who loves to read fantasy and wishes to get transported to a different world, must read this. Its available on Amazon. You'll love the journey through the pages of this book. I had to literally hold myself from writing more coz then I would’ve narrated the entire story coz I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. Don't forget to leave a review to appreciate the authors work. If you wish to read more of her work, do hop on to her page on Penmancy and follow her work on her page too. My best wishes for Khushboo Shah for all her future endeavours.
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