Royal Review: Someday my Prince Will Come by Jerramy Fine

I'm going to start off by saying that when I first heard about Someday my Prince Will Come I immediately thought it was fiction. Indeed, it is actually categorized as Adult fiction at my local library.* How can someone realistically pursue their dream to become a princess? It seemed implausible. And to her credit, in James Frey style, Jerramy acknowledges that at the start. This is indeed a true story.

I'll be honest, based on the premise of this book - a woman who sets her sights on finding a prince - I was prepared to humor her. But page after page it became clear that Jerramy is dead serious. And once the initial scepticism wore off I started to admire her chutzpah. The way she pursues her goal is not so unrealistic after all. It actually starts to make sense.

Jerramy, raised in a small town, feels it is her destiny to become a princess and marry Peter Philips, the son of Princess Anne. She chooses a university that has a study abroad program, ending up in the U.K. An affinity for all things English (Referring to Tony Blair: "seriously, can you name a sexier world leader?"), leads her to return to the U.K to study at the London School of Economics, where she whirls from party to party in her quest to find Peter Philips. Understandably, not all of her tactics are successful. But she perseveres and along the way she ends up in India, gets her heart broken, evicted, almost deported, and has to contend with some crazy and colorful flatmates. Touching and humorous, but not necessarily the stuff of fairy tales.

The book has a rather charming prologue: Jerramy, as a child discovering her destiny. It would be easy to continue to focus on the dream, but that would make her seem naïve. Chapter One brings us back to reality with an exchange between Jerramy and one of her more outspoken naysayers. But at no point is there a plea for sympathy or understanding. Never for one moment did I feel sorry for her. This is a heroine that takes care of herself.

Her book has an intimacy to it, with helpful footnotes on English culture included. You almost feel as though you're having tea with Jerramy as she recounts her adventures. You can start to imagine her experiences - her nerve-racking meeting with Princess Anne. To too much information: her parents Christmas trip to a clothing-optional hot springs. Despite the implausibility of her goal, she's so likeable and entertaining, you start to root for Jerramy. Despite myself, I didn't expect to get so emotionally wrapped up in her story. Towards the end it actually brought tears to my eyes.

But like all fairy tales, her story eventually does come to an end. So, does she meet her prince? Does she live happily ever after?

I recommend you read the book and find out for yourself.

© Marilyn Braun 2008

* Strongly compelled to right a wrong, I emailed my local library, letting them know that her book had been categorized incorrectly. While I'll never know if I had anything to do with it, it's now listed as "Non-fiction".