The Princess Diarist and the Woman Behind Princess Leia
There’s a certain risk in reading memoirs from people whose characters feel larger than life. Because once you peek behind the curtain, you can’t always unsee what’s there. As a longtime fan of Star Wars, picking up The Princess Diarist felt like stepping into familiar territory.
But this isn’t Princess Leia’s story.
It’s Carrie Fisher’s. And it’s far more complicated than the galaxy ever let on.
Hype Report
Goodreads: 3.7 | Storygraph: 3.73
My Take: Appropriately hyped
Aesthetic
The Cover
The very recognizable image of Princess Leia’s hairstyle interrupted by a pen in her bun graces the cover of The Princess Diarist. Bobbly hand-drawn lettering and a signature set the stage for a tongue-in-cheek retelling of the early years of Carrie Fisher.
Interior
The ebook of The Princess Diarist includes photographs. The portions of the book that were designated as being from her original diaries were highlighted to differentiate from commentary. Chapter headings had lowercase letters as drop caps, which is an interesting feature that speaks to the tone of not taking yourself too seriously.
Did the design affect whether I bought the book?
As a Star Wars fan, I was drawn to the image on the cover of The Princess Diarist. While I don’t read a lot of memoirs, I felt compelled to buy this one.
“Because what can you do with people that like you, except, of course, inevitably disappoint them.”
Summary
In Short
The Princess Diarist is a memoir where Carrie Fisher shares intimate journal entries from Star Wars filming, including her teenage crush on Harrison Ford and reflections on Hollywood fame.
From the Publisher
This last book from beloved Hollywood icon Carrie Fisher is the crown jewel of ideal Star Wars gifts. The Princess Diarist is an intimate, hilarious, and revealing recollection of what happened behind the scenes on one of the most famous film sets of all time.
When Carrie Fisher discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Before her passing, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon was indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a teenager with an all-consuming crush on her costar, Harrison Ford.
With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars.
“I act like someone in a bomb shelter trying to raise everyone’s spirits”
Character Analysis
The Princess Diarist focuses mainly on Fisher’s memories and diaries from shooting the first Star Wars film, her meteoric rise to celebrity, and how that followed her throughout her life. Her relationship (infatuation) with Harrison Ford acts as the central relationship. However, Fisher really examines how her life and Princess Leia Organa’s on-screen persona were intimately intertwined.
“Carefully selecting and gathering all the ingredients for my recipe for ruin.”
Writing Style
Carrie Fisher writes in her own unmistakable voice. The more recent parts of her memoir are simply a more mature version of the snippets from her on-set journals. Fisher’s tone is witty with a touch of sarcasm, but underlined by low self-esteem.
The Princess Diarist is easy to read and written in a style that genuinely feels like a person is talking to you and telling their story, maybe getting off track, then pulling it back to the point.
“That’s when Cinderella’s pre-shattered post-ball shoe was scheduled to drop.”
Themes
The Princess Diarist is an insightful and nuanced look at celebrity, especially the kind that ties a person to a single character portrayal for their entire adult life.
Infatuation and low self-worth take up a large chunk of the memoir, but ultimately make Carrie relatable and also present the dichotomy between the woman she portrayed and the real-life woman.
“I can charm the birds out of everybody else’s trees but his.”
Critical Evaluation
A bit rambling and disjointed, The Princess Diarist really does read like a person’s unfiltered diary. This creates an almost uncomfortable voyeurism into the mind of a person who has lived her life in the spotlight.
It also turns a bit of the spotlight onto the fans. Recounted conversations and snippets of what it feels like to be on the other end of a fan encounter should make us all take pause before intruding on the life of a celebrity as if we have earned the right to be there.
“George says that if you look at the person someone chooses to have ‘a relationship’ with, you’ll see what they think of themselves.”
Personal Opinion
The Princess Diarist was a bittersweet read for me. Part of me is glad that I read it. It is so interesting to learn more about Carrie Fisher’s experiences and feelings. But it was also a bit sad. I fear that I may not be able to separate this person from her character, and it may influence the way that I feel when rewatching the Star Wars movies. Yes, I am a long-time fan of the franchise (a big part of why I chose this memoir to read).
“I had never been Princess Leia before and now I would be her forever. I would never not be Princess Leia. I had no idea how profoundly true that was and how long forever was.”
Recommendation
Princess Leia Organa fans, be advised, you may not want to know how it felt to be Carrie Fisher. Or maybe you do. The Princess Diarist might appeal most to those who are interested in celebrity stories, broken hearts, Taylor Swift songs, old Hollywood, and have at least seen Star Wars. At under 300 pages, this is a quick read that might make you feel a little forlorn – a great moody, rainy day read.
“Kidding yourself doesn’t require that youhave a sense of humor. But a sense of humor comes in handy for almost everything else.”
What memoir made you see a person in a whole new light?
May your life be as full as your bookshelf and as long as your TBR list.
Happy Reading!
Spill the tea or put it on your grocery list.
“Juicy Gossip” lined, 120-page, paperback journal.
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