Book Review: The Red Queen

The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble is a novel that I had picked up at work two summers ago. I had brought it along on a camping trip and abandoned it about 20 pages in. I was too busy canoeing and trying to spot wild mushrooms to continue ma lecture. Recently, I started this blog and I also decided that I was indeed going to finish this book. So I picked it up again and finally finished it this afternoon.
The Red Queen is split into two parts – which I was unaware of, until I actually got to part 2. The first part chronicles the life of the Crown Princess, who is a Korean princess married to the insane Prince Sado. She describes her long life and its many tragedies. It’s a very detailed and interesting account. The Crown Princess is basically living her entire life within the confines of the royal palace and it’s very interesting to read everything in her point of view. The details and description are exquisite. The first part is historical fiction and I have to say, for that time I was indeed transported to that place in time to witness the events described.

The second part was when my reading started to lag a bit. I had to remind myself that I had to finish the novel, even if at times it was getting slow. In the second part, the reader is displaced back to modern times. We are introduced to Barbara (Babs) Halliwell, who is a scholar and who is mysteriously introduced to the works and memoirs of the Crown Princess. She discovers that she has a great deal in common with the Korean princess. The second part takes place in Korea as well, where Babs is taking part in an academic conference. She meets two men there who both affect her trip profoundly. These two men are Dr. Oo and Jan Van Jost. I think they are probably the most interesting characters of the second part of the novel. Unfortunately, the character of Dr. Halliwell is rather irritating in my opinion. Though we don’t really know how she views herself, since the narrator or narrators, rather oddly, are spirits of some sort who seem to observe her every move. There is also the Crown Princess who is also involved in the watching of Babs. I think this sort of mystical spirit aspect of the book really took away from everything else. It wasn’t necessary and was almost annoying. I didn’t particularly care about these mystical spirits and the agenda of the Crown Princess was also a lame addition.
But you know, though the second part started off strangely and it was really a weird shift it wasn’t such a bad story. I enjoyed it, but it did have several slow parts that made me feel like it was a bit of a chore to get through at times. I was a little disappointed when the shift to modern times began because just as Dr. Halliwell was so captured by the Crown Princess’ story, as was I. I do love history and this was a history that I knew little about. I’m now very much interested in learning more not only about the history of Korea but also about more modern events that have taken place there.
I suggest this book to people who like detail, who enjoy history and perhaps those who have a particular interest in South Korean history.

The Red Queen
Author: Margaret Drabble
2004, 325 pages.
Rating: 3/5