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A seventeen-year-old book blog offering book reviews and news about authors, publishers, bookstores, and libraries.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Uncommon Reader
Once upon a time the Queen of England was walking her dogs in the Buckingham Palace gardens when they took an interest in the bookmobile parked behind the palace kitchens. When the dogs refused to come back to her, Queen Elizabeth went to retrieve them and decided to borrow a book from the mobile library just to be polite. Before she knew it, one book led to another, and the good Queen became an avid reader and lived happily ever after.
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I've heard positive things about this one. Well, the title alone is intriguing, isn't it? Thanks, Sam, I'm going to look for this one on my next trip to the library!
ReplyDeleteYou've enticed me, Sam.
ReplyDeletePoppycock. The Queen is an intelligent and educated woman, and is no doubt better read than the vast majority of English-speaking world. Not to mention that neither she nor her dogs would ever come into contact with a bookmobile. How can one get over such glaring improbabilities?
ReplyDeleteI had no problem with that, Sylvia, because it's written in such a way as to be an obvious fairy tale kind of thing. It doesn't really make the Queen appear to be all that foolish. I saw her as a very sympathetic character, in fact.
ReplyDeleteJenclair, trying it out is relatively painless because it can be read in 90 minutes, at most. I found it to be a nice change of pace.
ReplyDeleteTed, let me know what you think. It's a good natured little book and it made me smile just when I needed that kind of thing.
ReplyDelete"showing the first signs of senility"
ReplyDeleteLove it! Do you think this had any relevance to the Madness of King George? What! What! Bah!
I knew there was a reason I'd put this on my TBR list. I just sounds perfect. I really happy you liked this one.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, Maggie. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it, J.S. Do let us know, one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds like great fun, but oh...my plan of keeping my TBR list to 200 is quickly going down the tubes... :)
ReplyDeleteIt really was fun, TLLibrarian, especially the first half of the book. It slowed down a bit in the second half, but I loved the book.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about our TBR lists...I don't even have a total on mine, just stacks of books put aside and waiting for me to get to them. One day...
Sam, I'm glad you liked this also. It's funny that we both highlighted the same quote. I've just gone on to read The Clothes They Stood Up In, another Bennett novella. I recommend it, if you haven't already read it.
ReplyDeleteThat quote thing is quite a coincidence, Becky, considering all the possibilities. I really did enjoy this one.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautifully subversive book - it brutally stabs the English establishment but is the best piece of advocacy for Her Majesty in years. It is clever, beautifully written, funny, enticing and has the best last page twist since Jeannette Winterson's Written on the Body. Do yourself a favour....
ReplyDeleteI largely agree, Denmark...and, on top of all you said, it was fun and it made me laugh...too good things.
ReplyDelete