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The Queen And I
by
Sue Townsend
Townsend, author of the phenomenally successful Adrian Mole books, here brings off an audacious notion with considerable elan. She imagines a Britain where an unforgiving, newly elected Republican Party decides that the entire Royal Family must learn to live like other Britons--or in their case, like desperately poor lower-class Britons on a hideous housing estate in a pro...more
Hardcover
Published
September 14th 1992
by William Heinemann
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This is a solid four-star comic book of that particular kind of dry British humour but more bouncy, because Sue Townsend of the The Adrian Mole Diaries series fame is bouncy. She has also been a noted and outspoken socialist (for Americans: this is a perfectly acceptable and mainstream thing to be in the UK, Europe in general, unlike in the US) and here she carries all that to the extreme.
Essentially the book is about what would happen if a Marxist government took over and tossed the Queen and h...more
Essentially the book is about what would happen if a Marxist government took over and tossed the Queen and h...more
REVIEWED BY JOJO WRITES
The Queen and I
By: Sue Townsend
Where do I begin with this one? Delightfully funny and light, this is definitely one to read on cold, winter nights with a glass of wine or hot chocolate or on a hot beach with a cocktail. Basically, location doesn’t matter as everything dissolves into the background once the first chapter is completed.
When it was originally published in 1992 I borrowed a copy from my Mother and devoured it cover to cover. I was only 10 or 11 years old at ti...more
The Queen and I
By: Sue Townsend
Where do I begin with this one? Delightfully funny and light, this is definitely one to read on cold, winter nights with a glass of wine or hot chocolate or on a hot beach with a cocktail. Basically, location doesn’t matter as everything dissolves into the background once the first chapter is completed.
When it was originally published in 1992 I borrowed a copy from my Mother and devoured it cover to cover. I was only 10 or 11 years old at ti...more
Although this book is not aimed at children, I used extracts from it (with adult language edited out!) for Year 5/6 Literacy lessons during ‘Jubilee Week’. It’s a very entertaining fantasy about a republican government taking office and ordering the Queen to abdicate. The Royal Family are then ‘relocated’ to Hellebore Close (but the missing letters from the street sign leave “Hell Close”), a council estate somewhere up the M1. Elizabeth gets a social worker, Phillip gets clinical depression, Cha...more
Although some details of the story are hilarious and even witty, when I finished the book, I was not content and happy. I will not say that I truly enjoyed the book and admire the author.
Indeed this fantasy was evoked by the arguments whether Britain should keep their royal family and continue spending people's tax money to keep the royal family's life style, I think it's rather indecent for the author to develop the story based on the royal family members' individual characters (or rather the s...more
Indeed this fantasy was evoked by the arguments whether Britain should keep their royal family and continue spending people's tax money to keep the royal family's life style, I think it's rather indecent for the author to develop the story based on the royal family members' individual characters (or rather the s...more
Apr 18, 2012
Nora Branch Library
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites
Britain has established a new Republican government and the various members of the royal family have been evicted from their palaces and relegated to council (slum) housing. Queen Elizabeth and her mum are doing quite nicely in their new circumstances, actually, stiff upper lip and all that. Diana is shopping for trendy cast-offs at the local Oxfam and Anne is revelling in new-found romance. Charles calls himself "Charlie Teck" (maiden name of Great-Grandmother Queen Mary) and has allowed his in...more
This is a humorous read, easy to pick up and put down - you may not laugh out loud, but you will chuckle and smile. Written in 1992, this story supposes 'what if' the Republican Party in Great Britain won the election and kicked the Royal Family out of their palaces, made them live in council housing, ride the bus, struggle with obtaining their share of the 'dole', National Health, and the criminal justice system. Townsend takes each of the Royal Family members with their personalities as the pu...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A new republican government is voted in England, and the new Prime Minister, Jack Barker has decreed that there is no more monarchy. The royal family are told they have 2 hours to pack a few necessities before they are moved to Hell Close to pensioner bungalows, and Buckingham Palace becomes a fancy hotel, and They can hear their next door neighbors very clearly, and make friends. The dog goes with the pack, the Queen learns to cook, shop, etc, and their pensions are late coming so they make do...more
A charming what-if, fish-out-of-water story. Anti-monarchists win the election and their first action is to transfer the royal family into low-income housing in a rough neighborhood. The author does a good job of applying characteristics of the real-life individuals to their corresponding characters, so it's entertaining to see how each copes with the drastic change in circumstances. At turns bittersweet and amusing, it's a thought-provoking and insightful yarn. Some have complained about the en...more
One of the best and funniest books I've read in a long time! Set (and written) in early 1990's England, Ms. Townsend explores a England where the Labor party has been set aside in favor of the "Republican Party", and the royal family is made null and void and sent to live amongst the London poor. The story was written prior to the nasty divorce of Charles and Diana, so they are featured as still married. How each royal adapts to his/her new situation will leave you in stitches. And what happens...more
Republicans win the election, and the Royal family is forced to step down and live amongst the commoners!
I did enjoy this book. Sue Townsend has a way of bringing characters to life that engages the reader and makes you want to know what happens to them.
That said, I started to have a horrible foreboding about halfway though regarding the ending. And yes, I was right. I felt that it was a total let-down, a horrible cliche, and almost made reading the book a waste of time. I am glad I read it beca...more
I did enjoy this book. Sue Townsend has a way of bringing characters to life that engages the reader and makes you want to know what happens to them.
That said, I started to have a horrible foreboding about halfway though regarding the ending. And yes, I was right. I felt that it was a total let-down, a horrible cliche, and almost made reading the book a waste of time. I am glad I read it beca...more
This is a what if book. What if the Queen of England and all the royal family are fired and must go to live in Council Housing. The Queen must stand in the pensioners line to get money , must endure the nightmare of the health clinic. Her family members are lost at sea and she must remain stoic as ever and lead her family in the harrowing neighbor hood of the English downtrodden. She finds friends in strange places and her family makes strange alliances. Charles ends up in jail and Phillip in th...more
Not sure where to start with this one. The blurb on the back-cover looked quite an interesting premise: A socialist government wins the election and the Royal family are evicted to council housing, and told to get on without any staff or commodities.
Apart from Harris, the corgie, all the family members are portrayed the same way as you would expect in the papers or a pretty lame impressions show, which makes the plot quite tepid and disappointing when comparing it to other caricatures such as G...more
Apart from Harris, the corgie, all the family members are portrayed the same way as you would expect in the papers or a pretty lame impressions show, which makes the plot quite tepid and disappointing when comparing it to other caricatures such as G...more
1 like · like · see review
Spoiler alert. In reviewing this, I'm going to ruin the ending!
I picked this up as a desperation buy at Barcelona airport, having discovered that I'd failed to bring the book I was currently reading. I CANNOT be without reading material, especially not on holiday. Forgetting my underwear would be less cause for panic!
I enjoyed Townsend's Adrian Mole books as a teen, and felt this a sure-fire bet for a light, enjoyable holiday read. I'm happy to say that Townsend's warm, irreverent voice still...more
I picked this up as a desperation buy at Barcelona airport, having discovered that I'd failed to bring the book I was currently reading. I CANNOT be without reading material, especially not on holiday. Forgetting my underwear would be less cause for panic!
I enjoyed Townsend's Adrian Mole books as a teen, and felt this a sure-fire bet for a light, enjoyable holiday read. I'm happy to say that Townsend's warm, irreverent voice still...more
A true laugh-out-loud novel! From the off this story jumped straight in at the deep end with the upheaval of the royal family to an estate living off state benefits. It may be because I can relate to the situation that the royals are swept into, but I found each and every page to be full of thrills and humour, especially at the complete disbelief of the royals at what little people have and the amount of effort that has to be put into everyday life.
I think I can say for most people that the bes...more
I think I can say for most people that the bes...more
I know this book was published years ago, but somehow I just never got around to reading it until now.
It is 1992, a Republican Government has got into power in Britain and The Queen and her family are ordered out of Buckingham Palace and forced to move onto one of the worst council estates in the Midlands.
This is such a funny read and although dated, it is still pretty relevant today - and shows the holes in our society. There is no major plot line and to be honest not a lot does happen in the...more
It is 1992, a Republican Government has got into power in Britain and The Queen and her family are ordered out of Buckingham Palace and forced to move onto one of the worst council estates in the Midlands.
This is such a funny read and although dated, it is still pretty relevant today - and shows the holes in our society. There is no major plot line and to be honest not a lot does happen in the...more
Aug 03, 2012
syrin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
private-collection,
read-2012
I am a huge fan of the Diaries of Adrian Mole, so when I saw "The Queen and I" at the bookshop I knew I had to give it a try, not only because I adore Sue Townsend's humor, but because the premise of the book - a Republican England and its fallout - were intriguing. While the book wasn't as laugh-out-loud hilarious as I'd hoped for, it was still very funny, and the little details of the personalities of the royals (well, at least those we can guess from the news and magazine covers) were spot on...more
Whether you like the Royal family or not this is a fantastic read. The republicans take over and the Royals are moved to the Flowers Estate and have to live their lives in council housing, relying on the inefficient offices of the State for benefits and the help of their neighbours. It is interesting to see who of the Royals settle in and who do not. Some surprises. Full of laughs and a quick read as you won't want to put it down.
Quite disappointed - I had wanted to read this for years and had loved Adrian Mole back in my youth, but I found this just a bit boring, seriously cliche'd and it didn't really tackle any of the social issues in a way that would have been really interesting and challenging. Also I felt the ending was a total cop out. I would love her to have really got to grips with this as an idea. I did like the warmth in most of the characters though.
A giggle a page. The republicans have won promising to end the monarchy. How might the assorted members of the royal family cope with being moved from privileged lives to lives of very limited resources in public housing. how indeed. The author must have had a delightful time translating various foibles to the new reduced circumstances. A delightful quick read.
Sue Townsend is probably better known for the Adrian Mole diaries, but without a doubt this book is probably one of her top 3 in my opinion. An unlikely blend of two very different worlds, and what can only be described as a unique tongue in cheek perception of the characters of the royal family, this is definitely a page turner for young and old.
I was rather excited when I picked up this book, a story of the royal family living on a council estate by the woman who brought us Adrian Mole. The book looses it's comedy and becomes quite dull. The situations the royals are put in are a bit extreme and verge on silly. Despite my negative rant I still enjoyed the book but not as much as I wanted to
I've read this book a few times and everytime, I have found myself enjoying it more! Queen Camilla (by Sue Towsend too) is the more refined version of this novel though as she developed the idea of the Royal Family living in a council estate better. I still loved this book though, Towsend is one of the best starists in the world!
Hilarious take on what would happen if the royal family suddenly had to "go on the dole" and live in government housing... without all the trappings of royalty. I suggest getting the book on tape if possible, the woman who reads it is fantastic with accents and inflections. Written by the same woman who brought us Adrian Mole.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I particularly laughed at the relationship and the over blown character traits of the royal family. Ironically since it was written Philip has become more outlandish than anyone could imagine. In fact he is a parody of the his parody in this book. Perhaps a parody too far?
Great fun read that is set durung the time when Charles and Diane were still married (but they are already disenchanted with each other).
The Royal Family loses all of their money and have to go on government assistance and live along side the working poor of London.
Very cute and fun story!
The Royal Family loses all of their money and have to go on government assistance and live along side the working poor of London.
Very cute and fun story!
The concept is funny and parts of it are amusing but to be quite honest, I was bored by about the middle of the book. The doggy humour was funny and all very well observed but there was just too much of it. I think this would have been much better as a series of short stories.
The premise of this book was fantastic and often produced hilarious moments. The royal family were portrayed is an imaginative and convincing way. This would probably be better suited to those who know about the way UK politics works. The only disappointing thing for me was the ending.
I thought this satire was amazing until the end. I can't tell you what I thought of the end without giving it away. So read the book. The audio book is Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat and she is phenomenally good. This is one of those audio books that is a must-listen, it's that good.
One of the best books I've read - originally owned it on cassette but I had to have the book and read it for myself. Satirical and thought provoking book that at the same time as questioning the monarchy, questions both politics and the way we live our lives.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Susan Lillian "Sue" Townsend is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books. Her writing tends to combine comedy with social commentary, though she has written purely dramatic works as well. She has suffered from diabetes for many years, a...more
More about Sue Townsend...
Susan Lillian "Sue" Townsend is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books. Her writing tends to combine comedy with social commentary, though she has written purely dramatic works as well. She has suffered from diabetes for many years, a...more
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Dec 12, 2012 06:57am
Dec 12, 2012 07:02am