Mrs. King: The Life & Times of Isabel Mackenzie King

by Charlotte Gray

Book by Gray, Charlotte

Genres: Biography, History, Canada, Nonfiction

386 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Charlotte Gray is one of Canada’s best-known writers, and author of eight acclaimed books of literary non-fiction. Born in Sheffield, England, and educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, she began her writing career in England as a magazine editor and newspaper columnist. After coming to Canada in 1979, she worked as a political commentator, book reviewer and magazine columnist before she turned to biography and popular history.

Charlotte's most recent book is Gold Diggers, Striking It Rich in the Klondike. In 2008, Charlotte published Nellie McClung, a short biography of Canada’s leading women’s rights activist in the Penguin Series, Extraordinary Canadians. Her 2006 bestseller, Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell, won the Donald Creighton Award for Ontario History and the City of Ottawa Book Award. It was also nominated for the Nereus Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize, the National Business Book Award and the Trillium Award. Her previous five books, which include Sisters in the Wilderness, The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill, Flint & Feather, The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson and A Museum Called Canada, were all award-winning bestsellers.

Charlotte appears regularly on radio and television as a political and cultural commentator. In 2004 she was the advocate for Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, for the CBC series: The Greatest Canadian. She has been a judge for several of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes, including the Giller Prize for Fiction, the Charles Taylor Prize for Non-fiction and the Shaunessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

Charlotte has been awarded five honorary doctorates, from Mount St. Vincent University, Nova Scotia, the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, York University and Carleton University.

An Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of History at Carleton University, Charlotte is the 2003 Recipient of the Pierre Berton Award for distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history. She is former chair of the board of Canada’s National History Society, which publishes the magazine Canada’s History (formerly The Beaver.) She sits on the boards of the Ottawa International Authors Festival, the Art Canada Institute/Institut de l’Art Canadien, and the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa. Charlotte is a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Charlotte lives in Ottawa with her husband George Anderson, and has three sons.

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating biography of Isabel Mackenzie King, the mother of Canada's longest serving Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, which is also a portrait of the Mackenzie and King families, nineteenth century Kitchener (then Berlin) and Toronto, and Victorian middle class life. Isabel Mackenzie King is often judged harshly by historians because of her intense relationship with her son and determination to manage every aspect of his life. Without excusing Isabel Mackenzie King's often self centered behaviour, Gray explains the challenges faced by women of the 19th century "shabby genteel" class who were expected to keep up the appearance of leisure, fashion and gentility while spending hours doing labour intensive housework with little help. Isabel Mackenzie King had neither the wealth to live according to the expectations of her social class nor the freedom to seek employment to better her family's circumstances and so she devoted her efforts to managing her family, especially her famous elder son.

[Victoria Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biography of Isabel King was interesting. Her fear of poverty due to her childhood, will power and trying to be the backbone for her family is very telling. King had such an influence over her eldest son. If correct in the hints of description, then it was almost like a romance between the two. Her dislike of her husband that grew over the years was not surprising.

However, the biography could have been shorter in a sense and seemed to pour more into William Lyon MacKenzie Kings. I kniw that the two were interwoven due their relationship and support of each other. Yet, wanted to read more about the mother versus her son.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a deep interest in the subject matter which made this book more interesting. But honestly most of it was about her son, especially the second half of the book, and I lost a bit of interest. I found the book dragged in places especially towards the end. The beginning painted a vivid picture or Victorian life and eventually Edwardian life but once that ground work was laid the rest was a bit dull. If you have interest in the subject I highly recommend. If you don’t, it’s not especially interesting

[TK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciate Ms Gray portraying the life of the WOMAN who was: the daughter of William Lyon Mackenzie (Upper Canada Rebellion 1837), as well as the mother of one of Canada's best known Prime Ministers, William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Definite creepy aspects to the mother-son relationship, but here is a woman who was working to have the best life she could inveigle on her own behalf, in an era that didn't begin to respect the role woman play in the lives of others.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theatrics of politics are well grounded by the point of view of this Mrs. King. Valuable as a historical piece, yet intimate and entertaining, this work is a 'widely read piece'. A great stage where all of the performance values are so close that you smell modest Toronto history, almost tripping over a broken floorboard, or pricking yourself with a needle (and thread). The life of King runs through the niceties and anxiety of the family life in extraordinary -- yet very ordinary-- terms, with eccentricity in the family. How uncomfortable it is to be in power.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

We gave this one to my grandma for Christmas one year. She read it, liked it, loaned it to my mum, who read it and liked it, then I took a turn with it and liked it as well. Plenty of fascinating facts and a new perspective on Mackenzie King. We also visited Kingsmere around the time that the book was making the rounds of our household, and it was interesting to see in person things we'd read about. Recommended for Canadian history buffs.

This book is also on the Canada Reads 2012 longlist.

[Joan Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Charlotte Gray for a fascinating peak into life in Victorian Canada & the early 20th century. I wish history had been this interesting in my school days.

[Frances Philpott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a very interesting book. Very good read.

[Lee Torvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Charlotte Gray makes history so interesting.