The Uncommon Reader: A Novella
by Alan Bennett
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Book Reviews of The Uncommon Reader: A Novella
Book Review: A Clever Fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
I suppose we all have a bit of curiosity about the most public/private person in the world. Alan Bennett has given us a plausible fantasy about how becoming a reader in later life might affect the Queen. In the process he reminds those of us who love to stick our head in a book and lose the rest of the world for awhile how seductive the tales within those pages are. How we might let pots on the stove boil over or burn dry because we can't stop turning pages. The Queen might be tempted to do her duties rather peremptorily, with the wish to get back to her book.
Bennet makes The Uncommon Reader, the Queen, very human, desirous of knowing more about a world in which she has seen more than most, but still regrets she didn't know something of the works by the writers she has met along the way in her duties. She discovers a whole new way of perceiving the world, and learns that those around her don't see this as the proper thing for her to do. It might even be elitist. If she isn't an elite, who is?
Though the book is short, Bennet makes it possible for us to know and care about the characters, though the Duke (the Queen's husband) is handled rather tersely, probably due to his reputation for not being warm and fuzzy.
We get a picture of what it might be like to be visited by every prime minister since Churchill. And her awareness that people often can't say to her what they like because they are overawed in her presence.
Bennet's book is charming, funny, and lively. A tiny book that can be read on a short flight or an evening at home, but will leave the reader with fresh ideas on the monarchy, the adventure of reading and its impact on the rest of our lives.
Once you've read it, pass it on.
Book Review: A spoof--so understated you might not even realize it
Summary: 3 Stars
In my opinion, this novella didn't quite live up to the incredible reviews it has received (as a 25 year old, I don't think I quite fit the target age demographic, if that says anything). I won't deny that the book was certainly good, but slightly duller and less "spoofy" than I had been led to believe.
The titular "reader" of this book is none other than Queen Elizabeth II. One day she follows her barking Pekineses into a portable library, and ends up borrowing what turns out to be a barely tolerable book out of politeness (the author had been made a Dame of the Empire , so the Queen assumed it had to be good, since she had already done the honors...). Luckily, the Queen's second book is a page turner, and thus she becomes an insatiable reader, to the dismay of the household, equerry, and the Duke. There are some amusing tidbits here: the queen perfects the art of waving from a coach while hiding a book beneath the window. She hires a homosexual kitchen boy--another patron of the portable library--to suggest new reads (some of the titles he suggests one would imagine to be quite shocking to a grandmotherly monarch). It is obvious that the queen begins to think about her duty and her people in new ways as she is exposed to literature (which says much for the value of fiction), although I imagine that using a contemporary and very much alive public figure as the central character would prevent the author from trying anything drastic, unexpected, or *gasp* the least bit unflattering. Which he doesn't. An interesting premise, some humor, a very understated (borderline yawn-provoking) style, and nothing earthshaking. Unlike the books the queen devours, I don't feel this one changed me all that much.
Book Review: Are not we all uncommon readers?
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this charming novella from a friend. Can I just tell you? There can be no more perfect gift for the bibliophile in your life. What a joy!
The story is simple. The Queen of England has some very bad corgis. One day on a walk through the grounds at Windsor, the dogs start barking their heads off at a mobile library. (What I'd call a bookmobile.) Neither the Queen, nor the dogs apparently, had ever noticed it parked by the castle before. Propriety being everything, the Queen pops her head in to apologize for the corgis' behavior, but then feels compelled by that same sense of propriety to borrow a book while she's there. (It would be rude not to.)
She asks for help selecting a book from the librarian, and also consults with a young man who happens to be picking out a book of his own. It turns out that the young man, Norman Seakins, works in the castle's kitchen. So begins an odyssey that changes the monarchy, because quite by accident the Queen discovers that reading is the great passion of her life.
Not that everyone is happy with the Queen's new, all-consuming pursuit. She has to deal with Kiwi private secretaries and the Prime Minister, among others. This slim book is the story of an extraordinary friendship between a Queen and a dish washer. It explores the camaraderie of the literate. There are ruminations on books, and ruminations on writers--and why the latter are more enjoyable on the page than at a party.
The Uncommon Reader is short, sweet, funny, smart, and utterly delightful! It's just the thing to stuff into a stocking or give to a bookish friend "just because." Or, even better, just give it to yourself.
Book Review: A perfect gift for someone who is a compulsive reader!
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Book Review: The Uncommon Reader
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a delight. As a fan of the Royal Family and most especially the Queen. The book brought to life the life of the Queen and how her Government tries to hold her close to the vest to even restrict her level of intelligence to prevent her from raising the level of intimidation she causes. It is also sad to me that she has no one close to her to express herself and to tell her amazing story. When someone like Norman gets close the government removes them to increase their power. What I liked was that the book showed a side of a woman who has been so removed from the world that if the opportunity was created for her to gain insight to "normal" life, she would not hesitate to experience it. The book is very real by the examples of both The Queen and her Consort sneeking out at night to just have a night together with "common folks". Also with the push to place William on the throne as the Queen approaches her 60th year there, it is feasible that she could write a book about her amazing life her point of view.
The book immediatly grips you and tugs at the strings of your heart for the sacrifices the Queen makes in her position. It also grabs at her fiestiness and awareness of her role she is an expert and far smater than she is given credit. Mr Bennett grabs all of the splendor and power of being a royal as well as its isolation, and how something as simple as a book can open a world undiscovered by the reader and feed the mind with lives yet unrealized. The book is a beautiful testament to the joy of reading from Royal to serf and the doors that are unlocked through books.