I think “her svelte body wrapped in pink tissue” was my favorite line from the entire thing, but there were several other gems. If you’re going to write in clichés, don’t reuse the same ten over and over again, at least. Purcell’s prose is extremely purple and clichéd, and also repetitive. The second major complaint I had was the writing. Seriously an awful mother, and whatever shred of humanity Charlotte had that Purcell was hoping to show the reader, I could not see it at all. She holds grudges against innocent people for no reason whatsoever, and sets out to hurt others just because she’s hurting. The way I saw it, Charlotte was a miserable, petty, selfish woman who actions were completely unfathomable. In her author’s note, Purcell writes that her intention with this book was to give Charlotte a chance and perhaps portray her in a sympathetic light, since she’s not a hugely popular figure. Queen Charlotte was definitely the most aggravating aspect of the book. They are miserable in the beginning and they only get more and more miserable as things progress. Because let’s face it: God Save the King is a book about a miserable family. Of those women, I think the only one I liked at all was the Princess Royal, and I only liked her in the epilogue, where she was revealed to be possibly the only person in the entire story who ends up leading a satisfying life. Queen Charlotte, the Princess Royal, and Princess Sophia. Purcell chose to tell this story with the help of three female narrators. It is, however, a story that rather resembles a telenovela at times. God Save the King covers about a thirty-year period, and moves quite fast, but still manages to capture most of the important bits. Here in the States, history books generally mention George briefly as the tyrannical king we rebelled against, but there’s rather more to him than that. George III and his family are endlessly interesting, if rather tragic. Perhaps what drew me to Laura Purcell’s debut was the subject matter. Even so, I do actually think God Save the King might be a good book. I spent the vast majority of my reading experience rolling my eyes and snarking. For reasons that completely escape me, I rather enjoyed this book.

God Save the King by Laura Purcell