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Jan 27, 2012

Gavin rated it:

What would happen if the Queen started to notice the little things in life? You know, the type of things that seem to only matter to the lower stations. Futhermore, what if she was only noticing these things because she started reading books? That is the premise to this very fast-paced novella from Alan Bennett.

Overall, this story has some wonderful insight in to the magic of reading, exploring new worlds and meeting new characters through the written word. Additionally, this sl More...

2 comments like (16 people liked it)

Dec 21, 2007

Melissa rated it:

Oh wow. If I could give this book six stars, or heck, even ten, I would. It is so great--there's a lot of subtlety in here that Readers' Advisory librarians will definitely clue into, especially in how society views readers, reading, and books.

A lot of us read, sure. A lot of us really enjoy books. But because we are average joes, commoners, small potatoes, this is nothing groundbreaking. It likely will not become upsetting if we take up reading as a hobby. But what if someone import More...

1 comment like (18 people liked it)

Dec 15, 2011

Petra X rated it:

Utterly charming book about the Queen stumbling across a mobile library that visits Buckingham Palace regularly and being helped to choose reading matter by the helpful Norman. It's unusual because it shows how limited the Queen is by her very proper job which might not look like one, christening ships, knighting people, opening hospitals, hosting dinner parties and being nice to foreign politicians, but it certainly would feel like one. She escapes not from reality with a book, but into it, int More...

19 comments like (23 people liked it)

Dec 03, 2008

Elizabeth rated it:

Are people really uncomfortable with those who read extensively?

Look at who I'm asking.

This is a fantastic book. It's funny. It's clever. It's all the things you would expect from Alan Bennett and it's about books! It's about being a reader and discovering the joy of reading as an adult. I remember when I switched from someone who read some times to an avid reader. I was a lot younger than the Elizabeth in this book but Bennett captured the feeling perfectly. And looki More...

6 comments like (17 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

James rated it:

This new novella from the pen of Alan Bennett (author of the The History Boys) is without a doubt the funniest book I have read in recent memory. I started it while riding home on the bus and had a hard time keeping my seat as my laughter was almost nonstop. What a wonderful premise! Imagine the Queen of England patronizing a lending library van, and then imagine her actually reading books. The incongruity of the situation leads to hilarious consequences for the Queen, her family, her household More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 09, 2008

Kathryn rated it:

A book in which one learns the joys of reading is destined to have some charm for me--even better that the budding bibliophile resides in England--and in Windsor Castle, no less! Yes, it was quite fun to read about present-day Queen Elizabeth and her awakening to the wonderful world of literature--and, indeed, the way in which opening one's eyes to literature helps one see the real world more clearly.

I liked Bennett'scharacterizations and wit, though sometimes the prose got a bit sp More...

10 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 21, 2012

Kinga rated it:

What’s better for a book lover than a book about books? It’s like when Xzbit in Pimp My Ride puts a car inside of your car because he knows you love cars.
And Alan Bennett puts books in your book. He also puts the Queen there, so you know you are in for a treat.

Imagine that the Queen, old as she is, suddenly discovers the joy of reading. She engages a certain Nelson to help her acquire books and guide her through the world of literature. That does sound like a dream job, doesn’ More...

4 comments like (12 people liked it)

Mar 14, 2011

Janet rated it:

I saw Bennett's play The Habit of Art a few months ago and have been picking up his writing ever since. I found this audiobook at my local library and listened to it on a road trip this weekend.

Bennett himself reads the story and it's wonderful. A novella that comes in at under 2.5 hours listening time, this hilarious tale depicts what might happen were the Queen to pick up reading as a habit. After chasing her dogs around back of the Palace, the Queen wanders into the local librar More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

May 26, 2011

Emily rated it:

This novella is like a small, tart, confection, and I have absolutely no idea why I put on my to read list a year ago, but I'm glad I did. Although the premise -- that the queen becomes an avid bibliophile and intellectual -- is rather absurd, Bennett handles it deftly and there are many moments of insight into the reading life, its rewards and limitations, and some nice acerbic touches of humor. I was also amused in a way that the author did not intend; throughout I was forcibly reminded of t More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 07, 2008

Bonnie Gayle rated it:

The Queen of England follows her Corgis into a Bookmobile one day, and to be polite to the driver, checks out a book. Her cabinet has always disuaded her from reading, since it is seen, by them, as a solitary, selfish, and snobby pursuit(!) Despite their opinions, she soon discovers that she loves to read, and, from then on, is seldom seen without a book in hand.

Reading slowly but surely changes her, as she loses her interest in her procession of public duties, begins to see the wor More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 30, 2008

Mona rated it:

In just under 120 pages, Bennett explores the journey the Queen of England might take if she suddenly developed an obsession with reading. One day, after following her dogs out into the yard near Buckingham Palace, the Queen of Bennett's imagination happens upon the City of Westminster's mobile library. She decides leaving without a book would give off a negative impression, so she checks out a volume by Ivy Compton-Burnett. So begins the Queen's associations with the library mobile, and althoug More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 16, 2008

Alana rated it:

I really didn't like this book at all. I picked it up because so many people seem to like it and I thought it would be probable that I would like it too. However, I found it to be extremely boring. This author is supposed to be a great wit and I just didn't "get" his humor in writing style or otherwise. This book seems to be an endless author and book review which I didn't like. The book moved along so slowly that I was surprised to find that I was halfway through the book still w More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 23, 2008

minnie rated it:

This little book is a witty and enjoyable read. Its about what happens when the Queen takes up reading and books become the most important thing in life. Everyone is against the idea', even the Corgis, so instead of the usual small talk like,'Did you have far to come?' the Queen now asks ’What are you reading ?’This book has a lot to say about the nature of reading, how one book leads to another, how books can be so consuming you don’t want to do anything else.(Anyone who ever stayed up all nigh More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2008

David rated it:

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 More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 27, 2009

Krista the Krazy Kataloguer rated it:

Alan Bennett has written a quick, humorous tale of what would happen if the Queen became a voracious reader. It's really about two things: how reading can change a person, and the nature of the monarchy in Britain. I enjoyed the insights into the monarchy, some of which are obvious but which had never occurred to me before, being American and unused to royal customs. The only fault I had to find with the book was that, given the Queen's sudden interest in reading, the author didn't adequately More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 26, 2008

Trin rated it:

Kind of adorably awesome RPF in which the Queen discovers reading, and thus discovers herself. This is a delightful little cupcake of a book. I guess I can see how some people could find it twee, but I think Bennett make the humor just sharp enough to keep things sweet but not saccharine. And I can’t help be enchanted by the idea that books and reading really might be this transformative.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

Silletta rated it:

La sovrana lettrice è uno di quei tipici libri scritti per gonfiare l'ego del lettore accanito, per farlo sentire un gran pezzo di figone intellettuale in quanto osteggiato dal brutto mondo cattivo e barbaro che lo guarda con sguardo torvo di compatimento. È un libro senza tante pretese, ma veramente delizioso e simpatico, in grado di regalare qualche ora piacevolmente rilassante.

(ché poi, va bene, alla fine ci tocca ammetterlo: che siamo dei gran fighi è proprio vero, ma non ce la t More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 19, 2008

DL rated it:

The Queen of England as a late-in-life book lover, annoying her staff and confusing the public as she undergoes the personal change that only reading and writing can effect.

I received this book in the mail today, and immediately sat down with it, finishing in a couple of hours. This never happens: I usually let new books sit for quite a while before the bug really strikes, but it's a credit to this book in every way that I was unable to put it down before I was finished.

Not More...

1 comment like (7 people liked it)

May 23, 2010

Lilian rated it:

In The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, Queen Eliabeth I chances on a mobile library and, to be polite, takes out a couple of books, thereby starting herself on a literary road that takes unexpected turns, some humorous, some serious. To make such a prominent person (who is still alive and, given the longevitiy of the family, likely to be for another 20 years!) the main character of a work of fiction, takes guts.

Alan Bennett writes with wit, intelligence, and a talent for surprise. I’ More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 22, 2008

Rose rated it:

Playwright Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader is a quaint novella about the transformative power of literature. When the Queen of England accidentally happens upon the local library's bookmobile parked outside the kitchen of Windsor palace, decorum demands that she check out a book, lest she give the impression that the bookmobile is somehow sub-standard. Though she does not particularly enjoy the book, she finds herself checking out another when she returns the first. Much to her surprise, Her More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 01, 2008

April rated it:

I love to read about other people's reading.

In this book, Queen Elizabeth II is the reader, half-heartedly picking up a book from a traveling library parked in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace. As so often happens, the book marks a change in her life.

She become dissatisfied with the routine of her life and becomes more and more engrossed in reading. Having never had the opportunity to live a "normal" life, she now begins to live in the pages of books.
More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Apr 09, 2008

Tina rated it:

Reading with the Queen

I’m a huge fan of books about books. You know, books where reading, or books, or bookstores, or book clubs, or even librarians, play an important role. There are books that range from the deeply moving (Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi) to the really funny (The Librarian by Larry Beinhart). Yes, I have a list of them for you, and I’m sure you’ll find something fabulous to read. There are some on the list I haven’t read, and really, I would like to sto More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2008

Jenne rated it:

This was really unexpectedly charming.

I like that it doesn't treat "reading" and "books" as objects, like an "I HEART BOOKS" bumper sticker or those rather bossy "READ" posters. (Me, I don't really HEART books just as books, any more than I HEART cats or babies or librarians. I take them on a case-by-case basis--some have merit, others do not.)

Rather, it shows that reading can expand your life in ways you hadn't thought about befo More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Apr 18, 2009

Karen rated it:

One quite enjoys this tale of the Queen's discovery of the pleasures of reading. Indeed, one feels, along with the Queen, a renewed delight in books; and one wishes to read more. This charming novella blends whimsy with more substantial insights into reading, books, and authors.

Here are two passages one particularly enjoys:

"'I read, I think,' she said to Norman, 'because one has a duty to find out what people are like.'" (page 30)

"Authors, she s More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 20, 2007

Xarah rated it:

Such a short tale, but so interesting. It is the story about the Queen of England who comes upon the joy of reading. As times goes on, she reads more and more, tries to have dicussions regarding what she has read and tries to incorporate her reading so that the people of England would see. However, her ministers/secretaries/etc. strive to stop the Queen from reading. The Queen cannot understand why her reading is such a problem, or why it affects those people around her in such a negative way - More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 29, 2008

Rach rated it:

I read this book while fishing, and soon found that sitting counting seagulls was far more entertaining. The plot is established in the first chapter (the Queen discovering a love of books) and then sits down and refuses to budge. While a sonnet extolling the magical mystique of literature might be greatly appreciated by bookworms, an entire book is definitely overkill. Frankly, it wasn't particularly well written either. If Bennett and I ever become friends, his first Christmas present will be More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 02, 2007

Megan rated it:

A slim fairy tale of a book, this novella celebrates the joy of reading, and the wonder of exploring the vast universe of literature. The explorer in this case is Queen Elizabeth, a rather prosaic and practical woman who had no time for pleasure reading. When her incorrigable corgis stumble upon a mobile library, the Queen begins her literary journey. As we watch her passion for reading grow, it reminds me of how great it can be to see non-readers realize that books can be a pleasure. Obviou More...

0 comments like

Jun 12, 2008

Jennifer (JC-S) rated it:

Reading this novella was a wonderful way to spend an hour last night. Wondering about the Queen and her reading habits caused me great concern, though. Democratizing influences could prove to be so unsettling, and one does prefer one’s figureheads to remain remote and untainted by populist pursuits.
I jest (well, at least in part). I could think of nothing better than discussing ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ or the merits of ‘Wuthering Heights’ with Her Majesty when next she visits. In fact, I More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 27, 2007

Jen rated it:

This is a lovely novella that deserves to be given away at random to every reader and writer on your gifting list. (And, perhaps, Royal Family followers.)

To quote the Queen's thoughts: "...the more she read the more she regretted how she intimidated people and wished that writers in particular had the courage to say what they later wrote down. What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren't long enough for More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2011

Tim rated it:

I see a lot of people liked this book but I thought it was utter drivel. The first few pages set up the idea of the Queen getting into books. Then nothing happens. And nothing continues to happen for the rest of the book.

On top of that, the prose is not funny, is not insightful and not stylish. Almost every sentence has one, two, even three tedious clauses in it, making it a bumpy read.

I know it's sacrilegious to diss Alan Bennett. I’ve enjoyed his other writing. This, however, is twaddle. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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