Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Since I couldn't give this book a 3.5, I went for a four-star rating. I adored the first seventy percent of this book. The author was a newspaper writer, and he did his homework researching and documenting. Up until the time of George VI's death, the book contains many sections that read more like a social commentary on England and European politics than like a biography. I rate these sections of the book at five stars. One of the major educational themes of the book is showing (in fastidious detail) the difficulties one faces and the almost complete lack of a private life that a monarch has. There is no glitz and glitter surrounding the monarchy in this book, and this is no fairytale story of the girl who marries a future king. After the king's death, the book quickly spirals into little more than a rundown of the Queen Mother's appointment book and a boring list of all her social obligations in a given year. Many of these were as dry a unbuttered toast. Of course, part of this breakdown in the book may be the result of Princess Margaret's decision to go through her mother's correspondences and to destroy anything questionable or contentious. After all, "we" do need to keep up the saintly persona of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. I'm sure that the destroyed information (including correspondences between the Queen Mother and Princess Diana) would have improved this section of the book. The Queen Mother On being pregnant with the future Queen Elizabeth II: "'The sight of wine simply turns me up! Isn’t it extraordinary?’ she wrote to her husband in September. ‘It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers.’ She need not have worried."LOL Very tame, but then again it's an official biography. Still, The Queen Mother did write very entertaining letters.
What do You think about Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography (2009)?
This is a long read - fascinating, particularly the history aspect during the Blitz. Worth reading.
—Maddie
Just plain wore me out: the weight of it, the reading, the family. Done for now.
—nick
Most enjoyable read - too many references but nonetheless revealing
—Angeliquerakel
