The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Cross-posted from Wordpress.
I've been looking forward to getting this book ever since I featured it in my Want Books meme. Oh gosh, was it only just last month that I posted about these books? It feels longer! I was so excited to get this one by special order from Fully Booked for P460. It's not that cheap, I know. But not bad for a trade paperback of a book that isn't locally available. Both Michelle and Angie have been recommending these books for the longest time and I'm glad I finally got copies.
Here's the summary from Ellen Emerson White's website:
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers likes her life just the way it is. She likes living in Massachusetts. She likes her school. And she has plenty of friends. But all that is about to change, because Meg’s mother, one of the most prestigious senators in the country, is running for President. And she’s going to win. Now Meg and her whole family have moved to Washington, D.C. to live in their new house - the White House. Meg and her brother are being escorted to school by Secret Service agents, and reporters won’t leave them alone. Meg’s tired of being in the national spotlight. But how can she tell her mother she hates being the President’s daughter?
I know the premise isn't that new - there have been several stories about daughters of US presidents before, although probably more in movies than in novels. This one is different because the presidential parent is a woman. I found Meg very believable as a character. She's smart, snarky, has a great sense of humor and tries to act like her mom running for president is no biggie. As if things aren't hard enough for her, she looks exactly like her mom. Although it's obvious based on the title that her mom will win the position, the first half of the book deals with the campaign trail and how a well-respected senator fought to become the first female president of the United States. I admit that a lot of the political talk went way over my head. You all know that I live in the Philippines and we have a different political system from the US. Even though the political events and processes were explained in detail, I was still a bit lost. Also, we've had two women presidents over here so it's that not big of a deal compared to the US.
The book focuses on Meg and her family and how they adjust their lives according to her mother's profession. I liked Meg's family - her mom, dad and her brothers Steven and Neal. It's understandable that the dynamics of the family changes according to Mrs. Powers' political career. I found the characters endearing, each of them vulnerable in their own way. Since I'm a fan of humor, I kept noticing how it's natural for the entire family (except for Neal because he's only six) to constantly joke around. Even though I liked the characters, I had a pretty lukewarm reaction to the book as a whole. Aside from having problems understanding the US political situation being depicted, I also kept waiting for something big to happen and nothing turned up. I don't know why but I was expecting a climactic event. I'm still planning to read the other books in the series because I already have them. I have a feeling that they'll be more exciting than this one based on the book summaries.
Shout out to Michelle and Angie, I feel bad that I didn't fall in love with this one because I know how much you both love the series. :(
Other reviews: (manually generated)
Book Harbinger
See Michelle Read
A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
Bookshelves of Doom
I've been looking forward to getting this book ever since I featured it in my Want Books meme. Oh gosh, was it only just last month that I posted about these books? It feels longer! I was so excited to get this one by special order from Fully Booked for P460. It's not that cheap, I know. But not bad for a trade paperback of a book that isn't locally available. Both Michelle and Angie have been recommending these books for the longest time and I'm glad I finally got copies.
Here's the summary from Ellen Emerson White's website:
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers likes her life just the way it is. She likes living in Massachusetts. She likes her school. And she has plenty of friends. But all that is about to change, because Meg’s mother, one of the most prestigious senators in the country, is running for President. And she’s going to win. Now Meg and her whole family have moved to Washington, D.C. to live in their new house - the White House. Meg and her brother are being escorted to school by Secret Service agents, and reporters won’t leave them alone. Meg’s tired of being in the national spotlight. But how can she tell her mother she hates being the President’s daughter?
I know the premise isn't that new - there have been several stories about daughters of US presidents before, although probably more in movies than in novels. This one is different because the presidential parent is a woman. I found Meg very believable as a character. She's smart, snarky, has a great sense of humor and tries to act like her mom running for president is no biggie. As if things aren't hard enough for her, she looks exactly like her mom. Although it's obvious based on the title that her mom will win the position, the first half of the book deals with the campaign trail and how a well-respected senator fought to become the first female president of the United States. I admit that a lot of the political talk went way over my head. You all know that I live in the Philippines and we have a different political system from the US. Even though the political events and processes were explained in detail, I was still a bit lost. Also, we've had two women presidents over here so it's that not big of a deal compared to the US.
The book focuses on Meg and her family and how they adjust their lives according to her mother's profession. I liked Meg's family - her mom, dad and her brothers Steven and Neal. It's understandable that the dynamics of the family changes according to Mrs. Powers' political career. I found the characters endearing, each of them vulnerable in their own way. Since I'm a fan of humor, I kept noticing how it's natural for the entire family (except for Neal because he's only six) to constantly joke around. Even though I liked the characters, I had a pretty lukewarm reaction to the book as a whole. Aside from having problems understanding the US political situation being depicted, I also kept waiting for something big to happen and nothing turned up. I don't know why but I was expecting a climactic event. I'm still planning to read the other books in the series because I already have them. I have a feeling that they'll be more exciting than this one based on the book summaries.
Shout out to Michelle and Angie, I feel bad that I didn't fall in love with this one because I know how much you both love the series. :(
Other reviews: (manually generated)
Book Harbinger
See Michelle Read
A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
Bookshelves of Doom