One day your prince will come.
Who cares?
If Princess Di taught us anything, it’s that marrying royalty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Further proof: The Commoner, John Burnham Schwartz’s poignant new novel about a girl’s tragic rise to empress.
Based on actual stories about the Japanese monarchy, the book is told from the perspective of Haruko, the 24-year-old heroine who attracts the crown prince and becomes the first ordinary Jane to marry into the tradition-bound imperial family.
A dream come true? Hardly. The torment (her mother-in-law is controlling, her marriage is hardly the modern union she hoped for, she’s not allowed to raise her own children) drives Haruko into a deep depression. But a shot at redemption comes in the form of a fateful choice — and makes for an ending that’s far more powerful than your typical happily-ever-after.
Take that, Cinderella.
Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.