3.5 stars
The Queen: Her Life by
Andrew Morton
My rating:
3 of 5 stars
I admit to being American, and that may be coloring my review a bit. (only because of what I was lacking in understanding the roles everyone played) I didn't know all that much about the Queen and looked forward to reading this book and getting to know her and her Queendom better. Perhaps if I had watched many of the film adaptions of her life, I would have liked and understood this book better.
What I found was a mind-boggling amount of dry facts, people I had no clue as to who they were, and early on in the book-a Queen who put everything else but her family in the forefront. I suppose that is the life of a Monarch ( as well as a President). I was left thinking, what a cold woman. She seemed to care about her horses more than her family. Unlike many reviewers, I felt that the book's first and last third were more interesting as they put Queen Elizabeth in a warmer, more touchable light.
As a woman, I did not like Elizabeth all that much. But as a Monarch and a leader, I admired her greatly. To have accomplished so much starting as a very young woman, she was fantastic. As the years of her reign went by, she loosened up. This began with the death of her mother.
As I said earlier, I didn't have the background to understand who was who and what was what. However, I believe that if you are enamored with learning about Great Britain and the Monarchy, this will be your cup of tea.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley
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#1 New York Times bestselling biographer Andrew Morton provides the definitive, most comprehensive account of Queen Elizabeth II's legendary reign.
Painfully shy, Elizabeth Windsor’s personality was well suited to her youthful ambition of living quietly in the country, raising a family, and caring for her dogs and horses. But when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, she became heir to the throne—embarking on a journey that would test her as a woman and queen.
Ascending to the throne at only 25, this self-effacing monarch navigated endless setbacks, family conflict, and occasional triumphs throughout her 70 years as the Queen of England. As her mettle was tested, she endeavored to keep the monarchy relevant culturally, socially, and politically, often in the face of resistance from inside the institution itself. And yet the greatest challenges she faced were often inside her own family, forever under intense scrutiny; from rumors about her husband’s infidelity, her sister’s marital breakdown, Princess Diana’s tragic death, to the recent departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Now in The Queen, renowned biographer Andrew Morton takes an in-depth look at Britain’s longest reigning monarch, exploring the influence Queen Elizabeth had on both Britain and the rest of the world for much of the last century. From leading a nation struggling to restore itself after the devastation of the second World War to navigating the divisive political landscape of the present day, Queen Elizabeth was a reluctant but resolute queen. This is the story of a woman of unflagging self-discipline who will long be remembered as mother and grandmother to Great Britain, and one of the greatest sovereigns of the modern era.
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