Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
15th out of 36 books
—
290 voters
The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
by
Andrew Marr
A surprising and very personal biography of a woman who may be the world's last great queen, published to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of her reign
Elizabeth II, one of England's longest-reigning monarchs, is an enigma. In public, she confines herself to optimistic pieties and guarded smiles; in private, she is wry, funny, and an excellent mimic. Now, for the firs...more
Elizabeth II, one of England's longest-reigning monarchs, is an enigma. In public, she confines herself to optimistic pieties and guarded smiles; in private, she is wry, funny, and an excellent mimic. Now, for the firs...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
January 3rd 2012
by Henry Holt and Co.
(first published October 1st 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,082)
The cover says that it is an intimate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The product description says that it is "a surprising and very personal biography of a woman...". Who were they trying to kid? It was more a biography of the monarchy.
I didn't enjoy the writing. The author tended to be all over the place. He would move on to another subject and then come back and revisit a current one. For example, Marr kept coming back to his assertion that the Queen's audiences with her premiers were private...more
I didn't enjoy the writing. The author tended to be all over the place. He would move on to another subject and then come back and revisit a current one. For example, Marr kept coming back to his assertion that the Queen's audiences with her premiers were private...more
By Andrew Marr. Grade: B+
With London Olympics going on, I received a copy of ‘The Diamond Queen’ by Andrew Marr, and since history is gradually becoming my favorite subject, I started flipping the pages right then. The book was written during research for a documentary series on Queen Elizabeth II for BBC. However, according to author’s note, it’s not an officially authorized book. Andrew Marr is a renowned journalist and famous historian and his book about monarchy and its influence holds a cul...more
With London Olympics going on, I received a copy of ‘The Diamond Queen’ by Andrew Marr, and since history is gradually becoming my favorite subject, I started flipping the pages right then. The book was written during research for a documentary series on Queen Elizabeth II for BBC. However, according to author’s note, it’s not an officially authorized book. Andrew Marr is a renowned journalist and famous historian and his book about monarchy and its influence holds a cul...more
The biography was completed in time to correspond with the 60th anniversary of her reign. What an amazing life she has had. A life of privilege with huge responsibilities. She ascended the throne in 1952; all my life she has been the queen. Her first child, Prince Charles is a few years older than I am --- when I was little my mother would tell me I could become a princess if I married him. Hummm...where did she get that?
She became queen in her mid-twenties, married only a few years and with you...more
She became queen in her mid-twenties, married only a few years and with you...more
I'm a firm believer that the best way to learn history is by reading biographies. It's a far more insightful and interesting way to face the past then by memorizing dates and wars. History is all about people, after all. And Queen Elizabeth II holds a unique position in the history of the 20th century. She knew all American presidents from Harry Truman through President Obama. I read this book, however, because of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. The UK...more
I've been looking for quite a while now for a good book about Queen Elizabeth II. I finally found it. This book traces the Queen's family back to its roots and has a lot of wonderful information about her formative years, without going too in depth at the risk of being dry or boring. It also spends time discussing Prince Philip and his role in the Queen's life. I've always liked Prince Philip and I really enjoyed reading about his life before and after the Royal Family and I liked reading about...more
Everyone's got their celebrity obsession, and I've confessed before that mine is the British royal family. On top of that, I'm definitely an Anglophile, too. So as you can imagine, between the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics, I've been enjoying 2012!
I found this to be an absorbing book. It really isn't a biography of the Queen, per se, though: it's more of a history of the House of Windsor and how the monarchy has changed since the reign of Elizabeth's grandfather George V. (I would imag...more
I found this to be an absorbing book. It really isn't a biography of the Queen, per se, though: it's more of a history of the House of Windsor and how the monarchy has changed since the reign of Elizabeth's grandfather George V. (I would imag...more
I feel like this book has been badly marketed in the States, where it is called 'The Real Elizabeth.' If you are looking for a no holds barred, no stones overturned tell-all biography of the Queen, this isn't it. I don't think there can be such a thing, the Queen and Duke having been to careful with the people they trust. In the UK and NZ (where I read it) the book is titled 'The Diamond Queen' and that title is far more apt. It is a touching look back on the life and reign of one of Britains lo...more
Having a dear friend in England, who just sent me a Diamond Jubilee commerative plate, I decided to read this latest book on The Queen. Who knew? I have never read a bio on her before, and most of what I knew about her stemmed from readings through the British, Canadian and American press, plus having seen her many times on CBC when there were specials on her or when she visited Canada.
I found this a very interesting look into not only her life, but also that of the British monarchy. And for all...more
I found this a very interesting look into not only her life, but also that of the British monarchy. And for all...more
Although this was written to coincide with the TV series the author presented it is not the official book of the series.
This book does not give a lot of detail into the personal day-to-day aspect of the queen (what she is like behind closed doors) but instead focuses more on the ceremonial role as monarch.
It goes through her reign but at the end of each decade there is an interlude section dealing with a specific issue eg her role in the world, the royal yacht Britannia, cost of monarchy etc. I...more
This book does not give a lot of detail into the personal day-to-day aspect of the queen (what she is like behind closed doors) but instead focuses more on the ceremonial role as monarch.
It goes through her reign but at the end of each decade there is an interlude section dealing with a specific issue eg her role in the world, the royal yacht Britannia, cost of monarchy etc. I...more
While this is a comprehensive biography of Queen Elizabeth II, it is not an in-depth look at her daily life, which is kept very closely guarded. Rather, it is more about the monarchy as an institution and how her role as Queen has evolved over the years. We are shown the figurehead of England, but not necessarily Elizabeth Windsor as a person. We are given details about events and figures around her (Princess Margaret, Charles and Di), but only speculation about her actual feelings. Yes, it port...more
A beautifully written and thoroughly researched biography on the Queen. It gives a fair amount of insight on an old fashioned woman living in a modern world. This biography helps the reader understand the Queen to the point where you can truly put yourself in her shoes. This is a woman who doesn't give her personal opinion on things and the book does a good job of that, with one glaring exception: Diana. This book paints a very negative view of the late Princess of Wales. Instead of the wronged...more
While some, such as the color of Charles Astin Martin (BLUE not green) do not detract too badly, saying that King George VI suffered from BOW LEGS defies imagination! Knock knees are not the same thing! I could go on and on here. More serious is the fact that he comments on Philip's "Nazi" relatives without reading the main book on the subject--The Royals and the Reich.
There is absolutely nothing new here. Unnamed "court officials" could be anyone--the lady who irons the dinner napkins or a Guar...more
There is absolutely nothing new here. Unnamed "court officials" could be anyone--the lady who irons the dinner napkins or a Guar...more
I received this book in a GoodReads first-read giveaway.
The astonishing amount of research that went into writing 'The Real Elizabeth' is clearly evident in this book.
The first part is a very precise, genealogically correct, historical account of Queen Elizabeth's ancestry -literally from the first seeds all the way to the present day royal family. And while I truly appreciate the effort, I found this part of the book terribly confusing. During the very intense look at the family tree, some par...more
The astonishing amount of research that went into writing 'The Real Elizabeth' is clearly evident in this book.
The first part is a very precise, genealogically correct, historical account of Queen Elizabeth's ancestry -literally from the first seeds all the way to the present day royal family. And while I truly appreciate the effort, I found this part of the book terribly confusing. During the very intense look at the family tree, some par...more
Elizabeth II, one of England's longest-reigning monarchs, is an enigma. In public, she confines herself to optimistic pieties and guarded smiles; in private, she is wry, funny, and an excellent mimic. Now, for the first time, one of Britain's leading journalists and historians gets behind the mask and tells us the fascinating story of the real Elizabeth.
Born shortly before the Depression, Elizabeth grew up during World War II and became queen because of the shocking abdication of her uncle and t...more
Born shortly before the Depression, Elizabeth grew up during World War II and became queen because of the shocking abdication of her uncle and t...more
This is a bit frothy, though not quite at the level of PR. It does give glimpses of how the queen has handled the numerous bits of turmoil in her family (including but not limited to Charles), and ex-family (Diana!). It also gives glimpses of how she handles her role as a constitutional monarch, especially in dealing with prime ministers.
That said, without spilling dirt, let alone playing in it, Marr could have had a little more depth all the way around on this book.
This is ideally rated as a 3....more
That said, without spilling dirt, let alone playing in it, Marr could have had a little more depth all the way around on this book.
This is ideally rated as a 3....more
Fascinating. Easy to read and bang up-to-date. I thoroughly enjoyed it
Although The Diamond Queen is marketed as a very personal account of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, it isn't really. It's a history of her dynasty (the Windsors) and her reign. It covers major world events, her relationships with various Prime Ministers and above all seeks to answer the question of whether monarchy is still relevant in twenty-first century Britain and what the Queen's role actually is. Of course there are mentions of various scandals and her private life is covered, but anyone...more
As part of the celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year (sixty years on the throne), Andrew Marr has written a very good in depth, candid story of Elizabeth’s journey to the throne and the sometimes bumpy ride that has been the wonderful and glorious sixty year reign of our octogenarian Queen.
The book rather than being set chronologically has been cleverly written in themes and this keeps the reader interested. I’m not ashamed to admit I am a passionate monarchist so you wont...more
The book rather than being set chronologically has been cleverly written in themes and this keeps the reader interested. I’m not ashamed to admit I am a passionate monarchist so you wont...more
I won an Advance Reader's Copy of this book as a giveaway on goodreads. This book is a behind the scenes look at Queen Elizabeth II's life and reign. While I was disappointed that this biography focused a great deal on her political significance and public role, it's impossible to separate her as a person from her role as queen. And, seeing as she is an incredibly private person, this book could only be personal to a certain degree. That being said, I did learn more about this intriguing charact...more
Well done. Instead of a chronological repetition of already well-known anecdotes of the life of Elizabeth II, Andrew Marr examines various aspects of her life and how each aspect has affected the strength and popularity of the monarchy, for good or ill. Marr occasionally makes editorial comments that are both interesting and clearly identified as being opinion rather than fact. So far, the best of the many new biographies that have sprung up surrounding the Diamond Jubilee.
Very interesting bio. Good insights into other members of the royal family, too, especially Prince Philip and Charles.
You might think that Elizabeth has an easy life, but every time I see her on one of those "what the royals do" shows, having to make small talk with endless groups of strangers, I think that she has the hardest freakin' job in the world. I'd be suicidal - or homicidal - after a few days of that.
You might think that Elizabeth has an easy life, but every time I see her on one of those "what the royals do" shows, having to make small talk with endless groups of strangers, I think that she has the hardest freakin' job in the world. I'd be suicidal - or homicidal - after a few days of that.
I was hoping that this book would cover a bit more about Queen Elizabeth II personally - as it was called "The REAL Elizabeth." I was disappointed. But perhaps my expectations were set to high. After all, she is Queen of the Commonweatlh. Getting personal is probably not likely.
The book was far more about British politics than the monarchy.
And the way it was laid out (not simple chronology but bouncing back and forth between times and prime ministers and jubiliess)I did not enjoy.
The book was far more about British politics than the monarchy.
And the way it was laid out (not simple chronology but bouncing back and forth between times and prime ministers and jubiliess)I did not enjoy.
This is a book on the monarchy. Not just the Queen. However if you're like me and generally enjoy learning about the royals it's a good overview. I loved the little details about the Queen, namely her love of horse racing and the fact that when she looks grumpy, there's a excellent chance she's infact trying to not laugh or show a emotion. Great overall book.
Perhaps it was because this book was an ARC that I received, but I was unimpressed with the poor quality of the paper and the total lack of photos. I was not expecting a coffee-table book by any means, but a biography of a woman of 85 years ought to contain at least a few photos, I think.
The info seems solid, if the references are a bit sketchy ("a friend"). Marr's narrative voice is very simple, with nothing scholarly-sounding. The book should scare off no one, as it reads more like a gossip co...more
The info seems solid, if the references are a bit sketchy ("a friend"). Marr's narrative voice is very simple, with nothing scholarly-sounding. The book should scare off no one, as it reads more like a gossip co...more
while this was interesting, I didn't like the author at all. I found the writing very disjointed; jumping between people, events and time periods with no apparent reason. the book had no flow. the author also was very bad at introducing characters, explaining who they were/are and why we should care. I found myself struggling to get through it. there have to be better books about the subject out there! dissapointing.
My son bought this for my birthday and I have not started to read it yet. Am saving to take away on holiday when I sit quietly on a beach in France. I am quite thrilled, surprised and proud to be British when I see how many people from other countries, mainly the USA, have read this book.
This book was certainly comprehensive, but I found most of the material kind of bare bones facts. Reading it before Elizabeth the Queen did help me get a better grasp on the history of the monarchy and the history of Britain under Queen Elizabeth II.
Fascinating. Queen Elizabeth has ruled for 60 years...and it is clear that her life is filled with rich experiences during those 60 years. How wonderful that some of the walls that used to keep the Royals apart from their "subjects" have come tumbling down.
I wasn't sure at first whether I would really enjoy this book. But from start to finish I was captivated by Marr's account of the Queen's life. I loved it and it gave me a certain appreciation of the role of the Monarchy in our society.
Marr's biography of Queen Elizabeth provides good insight into her life and her family's life as well as a brief history of the family, although Marr is definitely a monarchist. There is very little criticism from him. There were a few instances in his writing that I felt a little lost while I was reading because I did not have enough background information on what he was describing.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Unreal Elizabeth | 1 | 9 | Jan 20, 2012 02:23pm |
