Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle

by Beverly Bartlett

Book Overview

The Princess Diaries for adults This clever and witty debut follows a fictitious princess whose royal advisor is a mechanic who takes his advice from Bruce Springsteen.
Spunky, plucky Isabella Cordage has taken Bisbania's royal family by storm, having fallen in love with the Prince. But being the wife to the heir to the throne is a complicated matter, and Isabella's every aching misstep soon earns her the title "Dizzy Izzy."
Determined...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446695599
• ISBN13: 9780446695596
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: 5 Spot
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Delightfully Unpredictable and Entertaining

Lady Isabella is not one of the upper-most members of Bisbania's titled families but she had been deemed a safe playmate for Raphael, the Prince of Gallagher, when they were young. As they grew older they also became closer friends; therefore, it seemed natural that the day would come when Rafie would propose marriage. The royal family wasn't highly enthused with this engagement. Isabella was a plain Jane and pitifully ungraceful and unfashionable besides. Even worse, she had attended Yale and adopted Americanisms that the royals considered inappropriate. Rafie, however, knew that if he must marry without love he must also at least enjoy the companionship of his spouse. Isabella fit the bill. While in America, Isabella had also gained something a little less desirable for many involved--a crush on her auto mechanic, Geoffrey. They had shared many lengthy conversations and just one kiss but it was enough to prompt Izzy to move Geoffrey and his wife to the castle after her own marriage. Geoffrey and his lyrical Bruce Springsteen quotes became Isabella's world and transformed her into an international symbol. The two couples spent enormous amounts of time together. Rafie and Mae exchanged sympathetic looks as Geoffrey and Izzy discussed, ad nauseum, everything from political policies to proper accessories. Isabella could not make a move without her new royal adviser's help. Most biographers will tell of Isabella's outward claims to fame and her struggles to become such. Their stories will reiterate what so many already know; information that could easily be gleaned from the snapshots of her life. What this narrator shares, however, goes much deeper and boldly uncovers secrets about Izzy that very few people could possibly be privy to. What will the world think now? While Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle is a work of fiction, Beverly Bartlett's first-person narration is so engrossing one forgets it's not real. Periodic references to a certain unnamed royal British family aid in making this novel seem truly biographical. Readers will require a solid chunk of time to devour Izzy's entire story as nearly every chapter holds a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. It's as delightfully unpredictable and entertaining as the adorably approachable princess herself.

Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle

Good read. Nice use of narrative style, tongue in cheek humor. Great creative ability. It was a fun read and lots of references and commentary that relate to today's world.

Top-quality chick lit

Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle is one heck of a fun read. On one level, it's a lighter-than-air, melt-in-your mouth confection. But this tasty treat offers up surprising substance as well. Like best-selling British author Anna Maxted, Bartlett writes chick lit with an intelligent voice that ever so deftly delivers a commentary on contemporary culture. It's this ability to surprise as well as delight, to deliver insights while dishing up a fun escapist read, that gives a satisfying heft to this confection of a book. This is one you'll remember long after you've finished the last page.

Great Book - Fun to Read

Great Book!!! Once I picked up Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, I didn't want to put it down until it was finished, and then I wished that it was longer. There are a number of mysteries in this book such as who is telling the story, how does she know so much and what really happened in the plane crash. Answers to these and other questions sometimes appear to be revealed by accident and then some leave you to sort through all that has been told and you decide what the answer is. Once you start you won't put it down either.

I loved this book!

I thought this book looked like it would be amusing, but it really surprised me. I laughed out loud at the way it made fun of modern royal watching, but it did so without disrepecting those of us who enjoy it. And the Springsteen angle was inspired. Anyone who has made a decision based on a song will appreciate that. The thing I wasn't expecting was the page-turning intrique that surrounds the princess -- once the plane crashes, I couldn't WAIT to find out what really happened. It's also a lot of fun trying to guess who the narrator is -- all in all, a fun read!