Publishing October 3, 2023- William Morrow-Historical Fiction-400pp
Book Summary
A stunning portrait of an African princess raised in Queen Victoria’s court and adapting to life in Victorian England—based on the real-life story of a recently rediscovered historical figure, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
With a brilliant mind and a fierce will to survive, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift.” To the Queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria’s magnanimity. Sarah charms most of the people she meets, even those who would cast her aside. Her keen intelligence and her aptitude for languages and musical composition helps Sarah navigate the Victorian era as an outsider given insider privileges.
But embedded in Sarah’s past is her destiny. Haunted by visions of destruction and decapitations, she desperately seeks a place, a home she will never run from, never fear, a refuge from nightmares and memories of death.
Grateful Reader Review & Companion Read by Dorothy Schwab
This four-part saga is told in first person and based on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, an African princess who became the ward of Queen Victoria. Author Denny Bryce has completed impeccable research to bring this little-known historical figure to life. Bryce uses a blue pendant throughout the novel as a tangible, emotional touch point connecting readers to the haunting, tragic loss of the royal family of the princess. Bryce’s vivid descriptions of West Africa, Windsor Castle, Sierra Leone and Lagos Colony take the reader from the brink of seven-year-old Princess Aina’s execution to Queen Victoria’s death almost six decades later. Fans of the PBS series, Victoria, will appreciate the vivid details of Queen Victoria’s household, including the death of Prince Albert, and the wedding of Princess Alice. The superb storytelling, analogies, and wisdom expressed through Sarah’s thoughts and travels across continents reveals the rich history and political situations in Africa and England spanning 1843-1900. Denny S. Bryce has created a gripping account of an intelligent young girl with no choices who becomes a royal insider; a bold woman fighting for independence, love, family, and home.
Denny S. Bryce is a best-selling, award-winning author of historical fiction. A former dancer and public relations professional, Denny is an adjunct professor in the MFA program at Drexel University, a book critic for NPR, and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in USA Today and Harper’s Bazaar. She is also a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. Originally from Ohio, she likes to call Chicago her hometown but currently resides in Savannah, Georgia. You can find her online at DennySBryce.com.
Companion Read: At Her Majesty’s Request: An African Princess in Victorian England by Walter Dean Myers-139pp
A perfect companion read would be At Her Majesty’s Request: An African Princess in Victorian England, by Walter Dean Myers, published by Scholastic, Inc. in 1999. I purchased this at the completion of The Other Princess after reading the author’s note. At Her Majesty’s Request, is based on letters, filled with illustrations, photos and even a map, which is always appreciated! This book-4th-8th grade, is a great example for teaching first and secondary sources in research. Due to the audience, the descriptions of the attack on the royal family are much less graphic. Here are a few pictures from the book. I highly recommend The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce and At Her Majesty’s Request by Walter Dean Myers.
Walter Dean Myers: August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children’s books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem. A tough childhood led him to writing and his school teachers would encourage him in this habit as a way to express himself. He wrote more than one hundred books including picture books and nonfiction. He won the Coretta Scott King Award for African-American authors five times.[1] His 1988 novel Fallen Angels is one of the books most frequently challenged in the U.S. because of its adult language and its realistic depiction of the Vietnam War. From Wickipedia
The Grateful Reader 