LitPick Review
Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, is part of the historical fiction Royal Diaries series. The author, Kathryn Lasky, has written numerous other books for children and adults. It is best suited for girls between the ages of nine and fourteen; it is bound to awaken a young girl's dreams of being a princess. The purpose of this diary is to present the life of a Japanese princess in such a way as to hold the interest of a young person.
The main conflict throughout the diary is finding out who Kazunomiya is going to marry. She was originally betrothed to a prince, with whom she fell in love. But she is then forced to marry a man with higher status, though she wants to be no more than his friend.
Opinion:
Lasky did a great deal of research to make this book as close as possible to the real story of Kazunomiya. The diary is supplemented to enhance the reader's understanding. A brief historical note gives a condensed presentation of the situation in Japan at Kazunomiya's time. A family tree helps the reader remember who each character is and how they are all related. There are a few photographs with notes, which help the reader to visualize the events in the story. A glossary of Japanese words makes it possible for the story to be spiced with Japanese terms without confusing the reader.
This diary is supposed to be written by a Japanese princess, but the style sounds like that of an English monarch. The word "shall" is used innumerable times. The style is pompous and wordy, and many sentences are either very long or fragmentary. Though this gives a deceptive view of the Japanese mindset, I think Lasky's style is great for telling the story of a Japanese princess to a young Western audience.
