Il principe Otto

ENGLISH: Years ago I read this book in a Spanish translation and didn't like it. Then I decided to give it another try in the original language, and this time I did like it! Part of the problem can be the fact that the translation I read was abridged... Or maybe I have changed in the meantime:-) Ther Leggi tutto

"È noi stessi che non riusciamo a perdonare quando neghiamo il perdono a un altro"

Prince Otto of Grünewald is an indolent fop who leaves the government of his subjects to his vain wife and her scheming minister. He goes incognito amongst his subjects and discovers how unpopular he is, and that a revolution is formenting. I'm not really sure what Stevenson had in mind when he wrote Leggi tutto

I found this really gripping, and much quicker to read than I expected. It's interesting that in the last Stevenson book I read, New Arabian Nights, I felt that several of the stories had the feel of Alexandre Dumas about them. This was exactly the same. Much of it felt very much like a Dumas plot.

I thought Otto was an incredibly sweet character. Even though his wife displays that she does not love him, he continues to defend her honour. He still loves her, and declares his love for her with no mutual response from her. The princess claims that she is too busy running the political affairs of Leggi tutto

There is nothing else to say except it is a Stevenson book. this is a book written by a man who knew how to write a good story. to tell you what or anything in the book would be to spoil the great gift of reading it is. I highly recommend this book for the teenager to the adult. this is a book that can Leggi tutto

Something I felt just at the begining of the story and was confirmed several times afterwards was that the story, even though was hard to calsify, followed certain structure which I tend to dislike as I regard it as archaic and cliche, very closely, for example: when it comes to the name of the chap Leggi tutto

Not one of Stevenson's finest, but a book by Stevenson nonetheless so it's still pretty good. Prince Otto makes for a pretty well-rounded protagonist and there's some good court drama going on, but there's nothing particularly great or spectacular about this novel. A good, solid, fun read but nothin Leggi tutto

Definetly a far more challenging read by RLS then either Treasure Island or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. RLS uses an expansive vocabulary and language of a bygone time. This romance/political thriller was still very engaging even while the story itself is seemed very much predictable.

Though it's a fairly engaging read, Prince Otto is somewhat passive for large parts of the book, and the interest comes from the machination of the Countess, his wife, and the Baron who are scheming to expand the kingdom by trumping up a war against a neighboring province. 3.5 stars.