The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland

Book Review

The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland

✨BOOK FEATURE✨
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: July 19, 2022

This book was SUCH a pleasant surprise. Admittedly, I initially picked this one up because of the beautiful cover, but I ended up really loving the story and haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

Told from the perspective of Carolina, a fictional athlete-turned princess, the book offers a very real look at the glamorous and not-so-glamourous lives or modern-day princesses. On the surface, this is a rags-to-riches story of a young woman swept off her feet by a handsome prince, but at it’s core, this is a complicated story about power dynamics, personhood, and the addicting allure of wealth and notoriety. As Carolina assimilates into a life filled with glitz, glamour and endless-obligations, she’s forced to consider just how much of her freedom and individuality she’s willing to give up for love.

As someone who was raised on Disney princesses and the Pretty Princess game (remember that one??), this book reads like a cautionary tale as it rips off the rose-colored glasses and dismantles the glorified “pretty princess” narrative. Rather than framing royalty as something young girls should desire, the author describes a life lived in golden-handcuffs as she details the very-real, raw and oftentimes ruthless measures taken by monarchies to preserve positive optics and ultimately, power.

My favorite part about this book was the ending, which was both shocking and seemingly inevitable. I also loved the author’s note at the end, as it highlights specific events and experiences of real-life princesses - like Megan Markle, Princess Diana and more - from which the author drew inspiration for her story.

This would make an excellent book club selection - especially for those (like me) who dressed up as a princess for consecutive Halloweens and/or moms of daughters.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trigger Warnings: Gaslighting, confinement, depression, murder, emotional abuse.

Also fun fact, I took this picture on a recent trip to Lisbon, where a small portion of the book takes place. 🤩

Thank you Dutton Books for advanced gifted copy!

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