Queen Camilla is the sequel to Townsend's hysterically funny 1992 novel, The Queen & I. Thirteen years on, the Royals are still living in Hellebore Close, but now, however, the former estate of council houses has been made over into an "Exclusion Zone" where suspected terrorists, sexual perverts, the morbidly obese and other unsavory groups of people are house to keep them from contaminating the normal law-abiding public.

In a portrait of the nanny state run amok, Townsend paints a portrait of politicians who live by the public opinion polls & use the media to distort that public opinion. In this mirror, the Royals, especially the Queen, seem to stand head & shoulders above the crowd.

Unlike the first book, Townsend's humor in this volume seems dripped with acid, not unlike John Mortimer's in his Paradise Postponed & Titmus Regained novels. Perhaps this is just a reflection of the times when subjects that used to a source of fun are now too serious (or irritating) to be mocked without a sense of hard feelings. ( )

Something of an absurdist comedy, the Royal Family is still in Hell Close but Life as They Know It is threatened by the Cromwellian Government's plan to out-law dogs.

Only a change of regime will save the monarchy's beloved canine pals and the leader of the Opposition has plans to restore the house of Windsor - but who will rule?

Elizabeth abdicates: Charles is unwilling to assume the crown but his oldest son William is more than keen. However, a long-lost son, the result of a brief fling between Charles and Camilla back in the 60s, makes himself known.

Despite his illegitimate status there is no bar in the new England to his succeeding to the throne - a potential disaster because he is a frightful oik.

All's well that end's well - at least for the nation's dogs. The Republicans are overthrown, the new dog laws are repealed and the Royal Family are given a job to do in Windsor Castle where they form a living tableau for the edification of paying gawkers.

The book is mildly amusing although we do miss Princess Diana's single-minded selfishness and the Duke of Edinburgh; a little too dark and bitter though to be really funny. ( )

I loved the Queen and I, so I had high expectations for the sequel. I was, however, a little bit disappointed. Townsend has obviously chosen for a more critical approach, which is good, but not why I wanted to read the book.
Also, she doesn't seem to make a choice about the feelings of Charles and Camilla for each other. Do they annoy each other, or do they love each other?
I hated the ending. So many plotlines still hanging...what happened to Gin and Tonic, what happened to Dwayne, etc etc etc. We will never know. ( )

In order to understand this story comprehensively, I advise you to read The Queen & I first. If you don’t want to go through the hassle to turn 200 pages before reading Queen Camilla, you can purchase The Queen in Hell Close. It is a chapbook of The Queen & I. If you could get it, that would save a lot of your time. Most of the characters are introduce in The Queen & I and this novel vaguely explain why the Queen was thrown out of Buckingham Palace.

I love the fictitious politics imagined by Townsend and the complexity of the royal family. The ability of the dogs to communicate to each other makes this who story interesting. Conversations of the dogs are put in human words, and that is the funniest part.

I was surprised by the character of Graham Cracknell, Prince Charles and Camilla’s illegitimate child. I got myself worried in between the story that Cracknell would eventually rule England.

Most of all, I love the way Sue Townsend present her story. It's worth every cent you pay for it.

http://reading-now.blogspot.com/2007/... ( )