Book Review: Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret by Helen Cathcart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Part of the six-book series, “The Royal House of Windsor”, Princess Margaret was penned in 1974 by the mysterious and reclusive Helen Cathcart. It’s being re-released by Sapere Books on August 8, 2021. Incidentally, Sapere Books shares a short yet very ‘revealing’ biography of Helen Cathcart that’s well worth taking a look at.
If you’re craving a tell-all, gossip-laden, judgmental and opinionated examination of Princess Margaret’s life, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if you’re the type to pour a cup of tea and settle into a cozy chair with a heartwarming book, this biography is your perfect read. The writing style is quaintly old-fashioned, which I enjoyed. After all, this is not a modern-day biography, as the story of Margaret’s life begins in 1930.
The highly-detailed anecdotes about Margaret’s life are told in the intimate, loving manner of one who was right there enjoying her antics. The childhood stories are especially plentiful. I’m particularly fond of an encounter three-year-old Margaret had with Sir James Barrie, which is cute, cozy, clever and heartbreaking enough to top any of young Shirley Temple’s movies.
Princess Margaret passed away 28 years after this book was written. Thus, the book occasionally refers to her as still alive and enjoying her life, and doesn’t chronicle events of her later years. But, it’s a lovely memento of the coming of age of a one-of-a-kind princess that’s well worth your cozy chair and a cup of tea.
My thanks to Sapere Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
