The Little Princesses

 Book 17 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from January 26 - February 5

The Little Princesses

by Marion Crawford

published 1950

4 stars

Typically I don't research a book prior to reading.  I'll see whatever review or cover that caught my eye enough to add it to my TBR, I'll read the book, I'll write and post my review, and then I'll read others' reviews (especially 1 star and 5 star reviews) to see what else is being said about it.

This book is an exception.  The text of the book was published in 1950 but my edition had a forward from 2002 with information and I also read other articles about it because I was curious.  So to add context to the book, the author was completely shut out by the Royal Family after its publication.  She had to move out of the home she had been gifted by the King and was never spoken to again.  After decades of service to them, I'm sad that nothing softened with time (she didn't die until 1988) but I also understand how the book could feel like a breach of privacy even if it was mostly positive.

As for the book itself, it was a fascinating look behind the scenes at a different time.  The author humanized the family which doesn't sound like a bad thing but felt intrusive to them.  Now they may strive for "authenticity" but that was definitely not the case back then.  

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 17th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I received for Christmas 2025 (my goal is to read all my Christmas 2025 books by the end of 2026)

- Title starting with 'L' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)