Divine's Choice

LoveReading Says

Parody to the point of farce at times, ‘Divine's Choice’ by Alastair Carthew sees Queen Liliana’s struggle to keep her Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal lineage, and the Commonwealth in tact while her daughter and heir Princess Divine, falls for a farmer with his own elite heritage; connections and aspirations to join the All Blacks Rugby team.

The plotline picks apart the different challenges that face a modern British monarchy, as well as presenting a parody of the emphasis and importance we can place on sporting rivalries, and the pedestals sporting figures and teams are put on. The characters throughout the book are all lively and interesting, each with their own quirks such as Queen Liliana’s penchant for “roll-your-own” cigarettes, or Filip’s striking Viking helmet or disturbing but comical refusal to wear anything under his kilt (or underwear in general). 

‘Divine’s Choice’ is an entertaining saga of ridiculous events that leaves the reader wondering throughout whether Divine will choose to marry for love or for country, and what the actions of the scheming secondary characters will mean for Proud, formerly New Zealand. I liked how the book combines actual history with fiction, the incorporation of political and sporting figures amongst Divine and Joshua’s story as well as the integration of New Zealand and Maori culture into the narrative. I also found the book’s insight into Republicanism and the Commonwealth as a whole quite poignant in its own way as, at the time of writing, we’ve just seen Barbados become a Republic.

I think that this would be an enjoyable read for those who enjoy satire, parodies and tumultuous family dramas.

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