Publication Date:September 30, 2008 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:Expedited shipping available Shipping:International shipping available Condition:New. Domestic orders ship immediately with tracking information. All international orders will ship Airmail to all destinations.
From one of England's most celebrated writers, the author of the award-winning The History Boys, a funny and superbly observed novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading
When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J. R. Ackerley, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with the routines of her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large.
For readers and about a reader -- absolutely delightfulNovember 20, 2008 Bennett is one of the very best comic writers presently working in the English language, and this short book -- only 120 pages -- will keep you thoroughly entertained for the few hours it takes to read it. The set-up is simple. Queen Elizabeth II, pursuing a corgi around the corner of Buckingham Palace one afternoon, encounters the bookmobile that supplies her staff with its reading on a weekly basis. Looking inside from curiosity, and startling the librarian and the young man from the kitchen staff patronizing the collection, her natural politeness drives her to check out a book. Having done so, she feels duty-bound (duty being something Her Majesty understands thoroughly) to actually read it. And the experience is transformative. So begins her amazed discovery of an entirely new world she never really knew existed -- the world of literature. And Norman, the young kitchen skivvy (well, he is gay), becomes her guide and amanuensis. Her first approach to reading is omnivorous and her tastes, as she begins to develop them, are highly eclectic. Many of the more modern authors are people she has actually met, in her capacity as monarch -- a few of them she has even knighted -- but she never knew what to say to them before. Her enthusiasm for opening fire stations and attending youth concerts, which she has done for half a century, begins to wane. She'd rather be reading. The Prime Minister and the various equerries who surround her worry about this tendency and try to stave off what they fear is a signal of the queen's decline, but she's been in this business far longer than any of them and manages without much difficulty to follow her own desires. And after a few years, the time comes when she realizes that to read is essentially to be a spectator -- and Her Majesty has always been a doer. And what should one "do" in regard to books? Why, become a writer, of course. The narrative flows effortlessly and the sly and dry humor will keep you smiling. Bennett is also paying the queen quite a compliment by assuming she possesses the intellect to discover (given the opportunity) that there's more to life than horses and corgis. One sincerely hopes the Sovereign acquires a copy of the book. One never knows.
A perfect gift for someone who is a compulsive reader!November 18, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This will be a very short synopsis because at only 128 pages, if I give you any more than a couple of sentences, it will end up longer than the book itself.
Quite by accident, the Queen of England (yes, that Queen) stumbles upon the bookmobile that visits Buckingham Palace each week. To be polite, she checks a book out from the traveling library and what follows is an adorable story in which HRH develops quite an obsession with books and sends the palace into an uproar.
Written from the Queen's perspective, this novella is both charming and witty. Watching the Queen's progress as she begins her literary explorations is, in it's own way, inspiring. She starts out as most of avid readers do, picking and choosing books based on interest. As she becomes more accomplished, she begins taking notes and venturing her own thoughts on reading. Her new hobby becomes a full-time obsession and hilarity ensues as the Queen's reading begins to interfere with her royal duties.
But aside from the quaintness of the story, there is also some serious philosophical musings on why we read, why we chose to read what we do, and the myriad of ways reading can determine one's character. There's a lot more to this novella than first meets the eye. And the ending ... well, suffice it to say that the ending is a puzzle-perfect fit.
This is a wonderful choice for a gift book for the reader in your life. To be honest, the sticker price somewhat baffled me: I thought the MSRP of $12.00 a bit steep for this small novella, but perhaps I'm out of touch. And of course you can get it for less here at Amazon, too. Very sweet book ... I do recommend it.
One Has An InterestNovember 11, 2008 This little book is a joy. Always witty and amusing, often laugh-out-loud funny; Alan Bennett brilliantly captures the controlled upset that ensues within and without Buckingham Palace when the Queen pursues the joy of reading to the detriment of her usual routines.
Uncommonly Good Book!November 4, 2008 Alan Bennett's charming, clever, witty The Uncommon Reader is a novella which begs for the accessibilty of a nearby pencil and pad of paper; there are such astute observations on the transformative power of reading that most avid readers will want to ponder and share all the author has woven into the plot of this very funny book.
The story is straight and to the point: the Queen of England has developed a love of reading. So what? Well, if you've ever succumbed to the Harry Potter virus - meaning, you've let every last shred of housework, relationships, and personal hygiene fall to the wayside while you plow through another year at Hogwart's with Harry - then you know how reading can both enrich your world and simultaneously pull you out of the reality of it. But what if you weren't the housewife or the co-worker or the school librarian, but the QUEEN OF ENGLAND? What do you suppose would happen while you're holed up in the den, sequestered in your newest adventure? Yes, the stakes are a little higher for a Royal Reader.
It's not just the international ripple which results from Her Royal Highness' reading that makes the book so funny - it's also the amazing voice that Bennett has given to the Queen. She is touching and thoughtful; the feeling you get while reading is so microscopic and almost intimate. I couldn't help but imagine Helen Mirren while I read this book, mostly because she did such a fabulous job humaninzing HRH in The Queen. Whomever I was meant to imagine while I read, by the time I finished I could certainly picture this fellow reader as a friend.
Charming, and very funny.November 2, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In this short hilarious novella, Bennett imagines a scenario where, following some errant Corgis, the Queen discovers the mobile library parked in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and feels obliged to borrow a book, out of courtesy. One book leads to another (as books will tend to do), and before long, Elizabeth has developed a serious reading habit. The consequences are far-reaching, and very funny.
Within this framework, Bennett provides an incisive (and entertaining) exploration of the power of reading. Despite being one of the planet's most-traveled inhabitants, her majesty's horizons are broadened in ways she could not have imagined.
