A Brief History of Montmaray

A Brief History of Montmaray is the diary of sixteen year old Sophia FitzOsborne, a princess of the (sadly fictional) island kingdom of Montmaray.
It has an I Capture the Castle feel to it - a coming-of-age story, a delightful narrator, an impoverished, eccentric family and a crumbling castle. It's 1936 and the island's population consists of Sophie, her uncle - the mad King John, her cousin Veronica, her younger sister Henry, their housekeeper, and four villagers. Sophie's older brother, the king's heir, is at school in England and the housekeeper's son, who spends most of his time in London, appears occasionally.

Sophie's account of life on Montmaray is charming and compelling, making growing up in a cold castle on a small island seem show more wonderful somehow despite the impoverished circumstances, absence of reliable parents, challenges of running a household, loneliness and isolation. The FitzOsbornes' indifference to certain social conventions is delightful, and the girls are independent and resourceful; their passion for their home and homeland readily apparent.
A Brief History of Montmaray has a bittersweet quality, because this existence is precarious. Princesses inevitably leave Montmaray upon marriage, and while Sophie dreams of being presented to Society in London, she's reluctant to go without Veronica, and Veronica is determined never to leave Montmaray at all. Montmaray's isolation also makes it vulnerable - it's difficult to seek help when there are accidents, crises or German trespassers...

This wonderful story left me quite impatient to read the sequel, The FitzOsbornes in Exile (which in turn has left me waiting eagerly for The FitzOsbornes at War. I'm terrified about what World War II will do to these characters - but I also think it would more than a war to stop them from being wonderful and individual.) I'm very glad to have made the acquaintance of the FitzOsbornes!

"[we're] quite alone on a small island [...] two hundred miles of storm-tossed sea between us and civilisation, a house-hold that consists of:
1. One middle-aged man of indifferent health and intermittent sanity
2. One middle-aged housekeeper, who prefers not to housekeep too much as it interferes with her worship of the man previously mentioned
3. Two girls, neither of whom can cook very well, although between them they have adequate skills in the areas of book-keeping, plumbing, dusting, historical research, laundering and story-telling
4. One ten-year-old tomboy, able to fish, swear and trap rabbits, but unable to write, make her own bed or remember to brush her teeth
5. One dog, several mad cats, numerous chickens, a dozen pigeons and far too many rats." show less

I've been reading a lot of mostly straight up fiction (sometimes with a hint of fantas), as rec'd to me by a younger co-worker. This was one of those books she thought I'd like and she was right. Sophia tells us, through her diaries, about her life on the fictional island (and kingdom) of Montmaray. I love the setting, the way Cooper weaves historical fiction with fantasy. I tend to avoid WW2 focused books, but for some reason the Montmaray Journals keeps drawing me in. I think part of the reason is that the story is told from the point of view of someone who isn't directly involved with the impending war, but will eventually be impacted. I love Sophia's views and her worries and the way she's so detached from what's going out around show more her (she's a princess on an island that rarely ever gets any news). What happens at the end is surprising and provides a good segue into the second book in the series. show less

{First of 3 of Montmaray Journals; fiction, historic fiction, WWII} (2010)

Another book bullet, but I didn't realise that it is the first of a trilogy.

Sophia FitzOsborne, a princess of the royal family of Montmaray, starts a journal which she was given for her sixteenth birthday in October 1936 so each chapter heading is a date. It sounds grand but Montmaray is a rocky, weather-challenged island in the Bay of Biscay which, for those as geographically er... knowledgeable as me, is off the west coast of France. This fictional island was claimed by an earl escaping Henry VIII's wrath and did well from whaling, as a waypoint between France and England and negotiating treaties. In modern times, living there is a struggle and they barely have show more enough to eat. Most of the male population was lead to their deaths in WWI by the current king, now a broken man who keeps mainly to his room. The other eight inhabitants (three of whom are also part of the royal family) are his daughter Veronica and his nieces Sophia and tomboy Henry as well as their housekeeper Rebecca (who seems to be exceptionally bad at housekeeping) and, in the village, Alice, Mary, elderly George and young Jimmy. Sophia's brother, Toby, and Rebecca's son, Simon, are away in England at school and work respectively.

This was a gentle story, told from the point of a girl on the verge of adulthood and on the eve, more or less, of World War II. Though she is not interested in politics, Veronica and Simon are and so she is not unaware of events in Europe especially since they are connected to European nobility, especially from Spain. And those events - such as the Spanish civil war and the rise of Naziism in Germany - do affect them personally, even though they are isolated, when people come to or leave the island. Although it is Sophia's journal that we read, Veronica is working on writing a history of Montmaray.

Essentially, the island kingdom with its decrepit castle is managed by the three teenaged girls, which is to say Veronica deals with the practicalities while Sophia helps her though they haven't managed to teach Henry how to read. I enjoyed Sophia's narration of their everyday lives with their unusual lifestyle. It was, necessarily, gently paced; when they had to deal with crises (such as finding a room for guests with a bed and a roof that didn't leak or splinting a broken bone), they got on and dealt with them because there was no other option and they were used to doing so. The pace picks up a bit towards the end as the war and its fallout comes closer but I found the whole book very readable.

(April 2022)
3.5 stars show less

Definitely a good addition to the gothic romance/historical fiction genre for teens & adults alike. Narrated via her journal, Sophie FitzOsborne lives in a crumbling castle on the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray, off the coast of France with her (mad) uncle, King John, her sensible & upright cousin Veronica, her younger tomboy sister Henrietta ("Henry"), & their grumpy housekeeper Rebecca, who cares for King John. Toby, Sophie's brother, is away at English boarding school, & the day to day upkeep of the FitzOsborne's manor falls mainly on Veronica's shoulders. While character building & background details about the tragic stories of both cousins' parents are revealed, the author still keeps the plot developments humming along - & show more thankfully, although conveyed in a "dear diary" format, never too self-involved (Sophie is 16 & recognizes she may have a hopeless crush on Rebecca's son, Simon Chester) nor pedantic. It's 1935-36 & the Spanish are at war, which Franco & his Fascists will win, the new Nazi government begins to make its moves, & the FitzOsborne girls are commanded by their wealthy Aunt Charlotte to leave Montmaray & come to England (time to make their "debuts" into society). When two German soldiers land at Montmaray things take a very serious turn; the FitzOsbornes' almost penniless but sheltered existence on their remote island has dangers of a political & military nature to face. Plot really takes off here & the suspense builds to the very last pages - recommended for teens who appreciate British dialect in the telling (author's Australian) & enjoy teen girl protagonists who must navigate coming of age, family difficulties AND monumental events in the world around them. show less

Loved this! The difference between 4 and 5 stars for me was one of expectation: for the first half or so, this was effectively like rereading I Capture the Castle. (Note that this is not a complaint; I adore the tone and style of Castle, and was explicitly looking for something similar.) When it took a swing into gothic horror territory, I found it jarring -- but maybe that's just because I know Castle so well. Anyway, delightful book, and I suspect the more serious parts will be the parts I remember best. Looking forward to reading the sequels.

But when one has lived on Montmaray all one’s life, when one’s family has lived here for centuries, it is simply home.
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It’s 1936, and Princess Sophie of the island nation of Montmaray (population 9 and rapidly dwindling) spends her days cleaning her ancestor’s treasure collections and figuring out what she can pawn to passing ships in exchange for such luxuries as crackers and candles. But things take a turn for the dire when a German ship decides one day to stop by Montmaray and intrude.

A Brief History of Montmaray is the kind of book that’s initially delightful, right up until you realize that not much is going to happen at any point. Because to be honest… very little actually happens. The German invasion doesn’t show more happen until the second half of the book, and it’s fairly lowkey compared to what I was expecting.

Most of the book is Sophie and her family attempting to take care of Montmaray, which was fun for a few chapters and then became increasingly slow. In retrospect, A Brief History of Montmaray reminded me quite a bit of Maresi, which is mostly about sheep-herding at an island monastery. Maybe I’d appreciate that kind of plot more if I’d picked up A Brief History of Montmaray as a teen or preteen, but for an adult it’s a little too humdrum.

That being said, the writing is great. Cooper captures Sophie’s voice perfectly, and constructs Montmaray with a deft and clever pen. Until I realized that this book was woefully light on plot, I really enjoyed myself based on the writing alone.

I’m used to reading lots of books set during WWII, and it’s default at this point to look back at the 1930s and 40s and see Hitler and the Nazis as the absolute paragon of evil (especially as someone Jewish, because fuck Nazis). But during the 1930s, before the invasion of Poland, hating the Nazis wasn’t the default perspective at all. It’s so weird to read about characters discussing whether the Those Nazi Fellas are alright or not, and whether to get involved in the Spanish Civil War – and which side to take if they do get involved. To be honest, most of my literary incursions into the 1930s have been on the American side, where everyone was mostly preoccupied with the Great Depression. It’s fascinating to read about the 1930s in Europe, before everyone knew exactly what Hitler was capable of. And considering recent politics, very chilling as well.

Ultimately, A Brief History of Montmaray is an odd read. The setting and writing is great, but I just wish there was more plot. show less

I almost put this book down as soon as I began it, I was so put off by its similarities to I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith. I'm so glad I persevered. Though A Brief History of Montmaray does bear superficial resemblance to I Capture the Castle - an impoverished, eccentric family inhabiting a run-down castle; plot advanced through the journal entries of a teen age girl; story set in the late 1930's; even the name Simon for a main character - Cooper has created a story and characters that are wholly her own. The FitzOsbornes of Montmaray are charming individuals, and their adventures on their tiny island kingdom as they struggle to survive in the days leading up to World War II are exciting, and often poignant. While I Capture the show more Castle leaves its heroine on the cusp of WWII, A Brief History of Montmaray and its sequel, The FitzOsbornes in Exile, bravely take on the politics and some of the horror of the Nazi regime. show less