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A Novella
by Alan Bennett
Book Reviewed by:A deliciously funny novella that celebrates the pleasure of reading. When the Queen in pursuit of her wandering corgis stumbles upon a mobile library she feels duty bound to borrow a book. Aided by Norman, a young man from the palace kitchen who frequents the library, the Queen is transformed as she discovers the liberating pleasures of the written word.
The author of the Tony Award winner The History Boys, Alan Bennett is one of Britain’s best-loved literary voices. With The Uncommon Reader, he brings us a playful homage to the written word, imagining a world in which literature becomes a subversive bridge between powerbrokers and commoners. By turns cheeky and charming, the novella features the Queen herself as its protagonist. When her yapping corgis lead her to a mobile library, Her Majesty develops a new obsession with reading. She finds herself devouring works by a tantalizing range of authors, from the Brontë sisters to Jean Genet. With a young member of the palace kitchen staff guiding her choices, it’s not long before the Queen begins to develop a new perspective on the world - one that alarms her closest advisers and tempts her to make bold new decisions. Brimming with the mischievous wit that has garnered acclaim for Bennett on both sides of the Atlantic, The Uncommon Reader is a delightful celebration of books and writers, and the readers who sustain them.
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BookBrowse Awards
2008
It is immaterial whether in real life the Queen is an avid reader or not (one is told she's not) - her perceived character is merely the foil through which Bennett can poke some heartfelt fun and take the reader on a Queen's-eye whistle-stop tour through the best and worst of English literature...continued
Full Review
(377 words)
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Author and actor Alan Bennett
was born in Armley in Leeds,
Yorkshire in 1934. He attended
Leeds Modern School and learned
Russian at the Joint Services
School for Linguists during his
National Service, during which
he attended Cambridge
University. After this, he
applied for a scholarship to
Oxford University, from which he
graduated with a first-class
degree in History.
In 1960, after some time
teaching and studying at Oxford,
Bennett, along with Dudley
Moore, Jonathan Miller, and
Peter Cook, ...
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