The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (2008)
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The Uncommon Reader is none other than the Queen of England, who one day happens to visit a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She borrows a novel because she feels she probably ought to… And from then on, nothing is quite the same!
I listened to this short novel (124 pages in print) as audio book in Swedish translation. To me it seemed to end a bit abruptly; but then (just listening to it) I was not prepared for it to be that short. On the whole, I’d say the author was probably wise not to try to stretch the story further. As a short satire, I found it amusing - even if not as great literature as many of the books mentioned within it. (I wonder if the Queen read it?!)
PS. My advice would be to borrow it from the library :)
10 comments:
Some years ago (it must have been just before I began blogging, otherwise there would be a review on my blog) I read this book; I am not sure now but I even think it was a birthday present from my sister. I enjoyed it very much and thought the idea original and the writing clever and witty.
Thanks for this Monica. I'd forgotten all about Allan Bennet. I must catch up on his books.
when I saw the title I thought you were doing a post on ME... LOL the uncommon reader of my Kindle....this brought back memories of the book mobile coming to our street for many years, it only came every 2 weeks and I would read all my books the first week and have to re-read them while waiting for more.
What a strange little book this must be! So is is just for amusement and funny, or is it actually a way to convey good books to read?
I enjoyed it too even if I'm sort of in two minds about using a still living person (Queen Elizabeth) as main character in a work of fiction. On the other hand it's hardly the first time it's been done (thinking of the film The Queen).
I don't think I've read anything else by him (yet), Adrian.
I do like the ambiguity of the English title. (Not quite translatable into Swedish so here it got a different one.)
It think it is probably a bit of both, Ginny.
What a strange and interesting concept for a book, and certainly not one I have ever heard of before.
I can't imagine the Queen borrowing a book from a mobile library, except as a public relations stunt.
This set me off on a twenty minute ramble through the archives of my mind via Google. I saw Alan Bennet in O What a Lovely War at the Piccadilly Theatre, London, back in the late sixties. I've had a considerable respect for his wit ever since even though I'm not sure that I always understand it.
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