Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl - ADVISABLE

Kindl, Patrice  Keeping the Castle, 261 pgs.  Viking, 2012.  $16.99.  Language:  PG (3 swears); Mature Content: PG (Talks about her bosom); Violence: G.  

Althea lives in a rundown castle with her mom, her four year old brother and her two stepsisters.  Although her stepsisters have a fair enough allowance left from their father’s death, the rest of the family is left in poverty, so Althea depends on her beauty to hopefully catch a man who can provide for her and her family.   When Lord Boring moves into the estate nearby and shows interest in Althea she finally believes that everything will be okay, if his annoying cousin, Mr. Fredricks would stop showing up and distracting Althea and Lord Boring from their relationship.  

This is a fun, light read in much the style of Pride and Prejudice.  The characters are well developed and the situations they find themselves are humorous.  The storyline moved quickly and I couldn’t put it down.  My only complaint would be that the main character was a bit shallow in her obsession with others’ money and her own looks.  

MS, HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.