The Princess Diaries, Volume VIII: Princess on the Brink [Audiobook, Ungekürzte Ausgabe] [Englisch] [Audio CD]

I've enjoyed every book in this series so far and will continue to read to the end, but this book changed my mind about ever sharing this series with my daughters. Mia is as sweet, innocent and neurotic as ever. In this book she acknowledges a bit more selfishness than usual (she hopes to prevent Michael from pursuing the development of his life-saving invention since it would entail him moving to Japan for over a year) but, considering her young age (16) and her general insecurity this is forgivable. What appalled me was not any diminishment in the quality of writing but in the attitude toward sexual relationships that is revealed in this episode.

Mia's attitude has been that sex is something special, to be shared with someone you love. Sex for the first time - losing your virginity - is especially important to her. She wants it to be not only to the person who will hopefully be her life-long love, but she wants the event, itself, to be extra-special. NOTE: even romantic Mia thinks saving oneself for marriage is ridiculous. Her idea of a "special" night goes no further than the Prom.

The response to this attitude from most of her friends, her boyfriend and every responsible adult in this story (and even Grandmere) is that Mia's attitude is wrong. It is, at best, a sign of her immaturity and at worse a "judgmental" attitude that is crazy and that puts into jeopardy an otherwise healthy, happy, potentially life-long romance.

[Spoiler Alert]

It turns out that Mia's boyfriend, Michael, lost his virginity before he even started dating Mia (2 years before this episode). He lost it to a girl whom he told Mia he was not even dating. He insists this wasn't a lie since he and this other girl weren't going out, they were only having sex. They had no special feelings for each other at all and, in fact, the other girl had a boyfriend (not Michal) at the time. Michael sees nothing at all wrong with this and can't understand why Mia gets upset. It turns out that no one else in Mia's world - especially not the "wise" adults she turns to for advice - see anything much wrong with Michael's attitude - only with Mia's. It is clear by the end of this book (which leaves you on a hook, awaiting the next book) that Mia's "foolish, juvenile" romanticism has possibly destroyed this important and, supposedly, healthy love relationship in her young life.

What is never asked is this: has Michael really been faithful to Mia all these years? Mia still assumes he has but, given Michael's cavalier attitude toward sex and the fact that he saw nothing wrong with his first girl cheating on her boyfriend to do him, she actually has no reason to trust him. She doesn't think to ask and it is clear he won't tell if not asked directly with every possible word of the question clearly defined. Would Michael even think he had done anything wrong if he had cheated on Mia, as long as he didn't fall in love with anyone else while they were dating? Furthermore, given their upcoming separation (with him moving to Japan for over a year) is there any reason at all for him to even consider staying faithful to her, even if they remain "a couple" over the distance?

Instead of asking these legitimate questions, the conflict evolves to encourage the reader to want Mia to throw off her juvenile fantasies and beg Michael's forgiveness for her overreaction to his expression of reasonable, modern attitudes. After all, he has done more than enough by being patient with her silly values all these years. Isn't it time she grew up?

Personally, I find myself regretting that these books are so well-written and enjoyable. Two generations of Americans have already suffered much unhappiness directly traceable to the attitudes and morals encouraged by this book. I would hate to see a third generation encouraged to repeat the same disastrous mistakes.

With the 8th in the Princess Diaries series, Meg Cabot gives Mia much more complex problems to deal with than in her previous installments. Mia, fresh from a summer in Genovia, arrives at school a junior, ready to face a new year, put student government behind her, and continue her romance with Michael. Oh, if only life could go as planned! First and foremost, Michael hits Mia with the news that he's going to Japan for a year to work on a surgical robotic arm he's invented; while Mia understands this is good news for Michael, she's devastated at the thought of not seeing him for an entire year. Then she finds out that Lily intends for her to continue in her role as President of the student government, and she's enrolled in both precalculus and chemistry, neither of which she understands. What else can go wrong? Well, how about Michael admitting that it will be a good thing for him to go to Japan because of what he and Mia are not doing....having sex. What's a princess to do? Mia hatches a plan to keep Michael in the States; will it succeed or is she doomed to a year of loneliness?

This installment has themes which are more grown-up than the previous ones; Mia's uncertainty about giving away her "Precious Gift" (which, like Michael, made me nuts every time I read those words) and her decision to try to manipulate Michael into staying put this one on a different level. This one is full of teenage angst and emotional outbursts that will undoubtedly disturb some readers but adds to the reality of the situations (such as they are). Once again, I found myself irritated with Lilly and wondering why on earth Mia puts up with her, and I found myself enjoying Tina's antics and also getting to know J.P. Cabot leaves us on a major cliffhanger that will have us all running for the bookstore the minute the next in the series is released. Overall, this book, while set in a very compressed amount of time, packs a wallop and is fast reading. I wouldn't precisely say it was a fun read, simply because the subject matter, while vintage Mia, is definitely more mature and heart-wrenching. If at times you want to strangle Mia, rest assured that you're not alone. Recommended as a worthy installment in the series!

Mia enters her junior year of high school ready for a fresh start without the chaos of her sophomore year, ready to take on life with everything settled down for once. Unfortunately, Mia's life can never be easy and Michael breaks her the heart-breaking news that he's going to Japan to develop a robotic surgical invention that may be able to save the lives of others.
From this point on, SPOILER WARNING, and also a warning that I'm about to give this book a scathing review. I love most of the Princess Diaries series-especially the first three books where it was perfectly normal for Mia to be having chaotic breakdowns and insecurities, but now that she's supposed to be a junior in high school this is getting a BIT old, and by a bit, I mean at some points in this book I wanted to throw it out of my bedroom window. To begin with, how does Mia not notice that JP is hitting on her? How? It's so obvious Meg Cabot could only have made it better by writing it in giant pink letters across every page. The major problem I had with this though, was Mia's incredible stupidity when it came to Michael.
This series started its downward slope, in my opinion, as soon as Michael wanted to have sex with Mia. It's so hard to remember that she's sixteen, and by that I mean that she acts like she's twelve. I agree with Mia's decision to not have sex, because if she's not ready she doesn't have to, and there are just oh-so-many things she is not ready for. Like the truth, for instance, when Michael tells Mia about how he didn't save his "Precious Gift" for her at all, that it was randomly given to Judith, Mia's arch enemy until Michael chose her in the earlier books. I can't say that in the same situation most girls would freak out and get angry, but BREAKING UP WITH HIM? Someone seems to have forgotten that her boyfriend is in college, that he's older than her, that he has more experience, and though for a minute it was disturbing that he didn't seem to think much of it, I remember Michael's attitude towards Mia in the previous books and know that Mia and him becoming intimate would be entirely different and meaningful.
Which is exactly why I am sick of this spoiled-brat little girl, who hasn't developed in the eight books published about her one bit. She moans and complains about her Creative Writing grades when I can't exactly see anything special about her writing at all, she forms a childish plan to keep her boyfriend from going to Japan to do what he really loves, and if I have to read the phrase "doing it" or "precious gift" from the mouth of this pathetic high school student one more time, my eyes will start bleeding.
The writing is still classic Princess Diaries, the rest of the characters keep to their personalities (although I wish Lilly's would change), but the drama is a little too out of control, and personally, I hope Mia and Michael remain broken up because there is a promising hope of JP in the future, although, having read enough books like this, I'm sad to have to say:
"Like that will ever happen."