A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

“There’s a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings.”
Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed.

A Brief History of Montmaray is a heart-stopping tale of loyalty, love, and loss, and of fighting to hold on to home when the world is exploding all around you.


I was interested in this story because I learned that it takes place in a castle. Also, my local librarian recommended it to me. This wasn't an amazing read, but still a good book. I didn't think that Sophie would act the way she did. I knew that she would either be an amazing character (like Tris from Veronica Roth's "Divergent") or she would be a horrible female protagonist (like Luce from Lauren Kate's "Fallen"). She wasn't a Luce, but she wasn't a Tris either. I think she was a very different and unique character. 
I did enjoy Cooper's writing style. Some authors I hate the way they write. Some authors don't describe things that they should in the book, and other authors describe WAY too much. I think Michelle did very good with balancing it out. 


A Brief History of Montmaray:
Published: October 13, 2009
Format: US Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Average Rating: 3.56 stars
Page Count: 304 stars


Sequel: The FitzOsbornes in Exile (April 5, 2011) 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars