A feather-light little book about what happens when queen Elizabeth by accident borrows a book, and gets bitten by the reading bug. It's charming but predictable, and puts a little too much trust into the reader being fascinated by unusual people doing ordinary things. I'm left with a feeling Bennett could have done much more with this (something funnier, for a start), but is inhibited by an almost comical respect for his main character. Meh. ( )

“The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett is a novella that has a very British feel to it. Not surprising, since it is about the current Queen Elizabeth, and written by a British author. This novella imagines what the Queen’s life would be like after she suddenly becomes an avid and voracious reader. There are touches of humor throughout; but also tidbits to ponder, usually about the act of reading itself. I got a good feel for the Queen’s character (as portrayed in the novella) and the characters around her, especially Prince Philip. The characterization of a long-married, creaky couple was enjoyable. I liked the twist at the end of the novella, although I had to read it twice to understand it!

Here is a quote from this book, when the Queen discusses the difference between being briefed about a book and actually reading it:

“…..briefing is not reading. In fact it is the antithesis of reading. Briefing is terse, factual and to the point. Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it up”.

I’d say “The Uncommon Reader” is a quirky novella that –while I enjoyed it very much– may not be for everyone. Not everyone has the same taste in humor, for example. Also, while it didn’t bother me, there are frequent references to homosexuality (such as which books the Queen is reading are by authors that are/were homosexual). However, since it is a novella, it doesn’t take too much of your time whether you like this novella or not. ( )

The best way of describing this book is short, sweet and cute. One day the Queen happens upon the mobile library on the grounds of Windsor and on a whim decides to borrow a book. This one decision unknown to everyone including the Queen will have far reaching consequences.

When she begins to read in earnest, many are alarmed including her some of her family, most of her staff and the prime minister. They all in one way or another try to quench this desire by all means necessary including sabotage, persuasion and coercion. But all their attempts fail and in fact one incidence of persuasion leads to a very surprising end to the book. Her personal secretary goes as far as saying that reading on the scale that she had embarked on it was not desirable as it was too solitary a task and one that may be seen as exclusionary.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was extremely entertaining. It was very funny and also made me feel sorry for the Queen because in many ways her life though certainly one of privilege must also be very lonely in its own way. ( )

A silly short book. ( )

This is not an awful book, but it's certainly not to my dry and usually classical literary/academic tastes. It's cute I suppose, but even just as a piece of fluff its premise- the Queen of England takes up reading, hilarity ensues -just does not tickle this American's fancy. That said, unless your taste in books is ailed with mine I would not let this very personal appraisal get in your way of taking a look at this. ( )

This is an adorable little book, well written and funny. As a person who obsessively reads "books about books," however, I wouldn't say this is the best in that genre. It's a cute idea that the Queen is really into reading, but if you want to read an intelligent, thought provoking novel with a British slant that opens you to a new world of books, read anything by Iris Murdoch.

Excellent ( )

Entertaining but slight. While the book does a great job of evoking the way a discovery of reading can really capture your spirit and become almost compulsive, the cartoonish "villains" and the heavy-handed satirical story just don't work all that well. The whole "reading changes your life" message is sort of trite and the dismissiveness of the other characters just didn't ring true to me (granted, it might be more effective to a british reader who engages with a popular conception of the Queen). Again, it's an entertaining read, and so short that the downsides are negligible, so it's worth the time, at least.

Listened on audio 2008. Read the book 2009. Joyful and abundant.
"You don't put your life into your books. You find it there."

Alan Bennett reminds us all of the benefits of reading for pleasure. His choice of the Queen as the uncommon reader is a superb exposition of the importance of reading and its potential to change even the most preordained life. While walking her rowdy dog pack, Her Majesty discovers a mobile library parked outside the palace kitchens. Not wanting to seem rude, she enters and borrows a book.

“She’d never taken much interest in reading. She read, of course, as one did, but liking books was something she left to other people. It was a hobby and it was in the nature of her job that she didn’t have hobbies……. Hobbies involved preferences and preferences had to avoided; preferences excluded people.”
page 6

Her first choice, by Ivy Compton-Burnett, is “a little dry” but, having been brought up, “always to finish what’s on one’s plate,” she completes the book, and borrows another. She continues to read capriciously, diversely, and for pleasure.

The Queen’s reading is a worrying concern for her private secretary; the use of Buckingham Palace gardens for occasional concerts, pop and otherwise, was in line with his aim of making the monarchy more accessible; the reading, though, makes him uneasy.

“‘I feel, ma’am, that while not exactly elitist it sends the wrong message. It tends to exclude.’

‘Exclude? Surely most people can read?’

‘They can read, ma’am, but I’m not sure that they do.’”
page 27

Undaunted, the Queen reads in her carriage, holding a book in one hand and waving to please the crowds with the other. She reads for pleasure and yet:

“pleasure had always taken second place to duty.”
page 30

It is not long before the seditious world of literature has the Queen examining her life and the politics of her court. For the Queen duty is everything but even duty is no longer above question.

‘I would have thought,’ said the prime minister, ‘that Your Majesty was above literature.’

‘Above literature?’ said the Queen. ‘Who is above literature? You might as well say one was above humanity.’”
page 117

As her reading progresses, she realizes it is like a muscle, responding to exercise. When she re-reads Ivy Compton-Burnett, she has a greater understanding and appreciation; she also begins to hear the writer’s unique voice..…”The novel she had once found slow now seemed refreshingly brisk, dry still but astringently so, with Dame Ivy’s no-nonsense tone……reading was, among other things, a muscle and one that she had seemingly developed.”
page 100

She could now read a novel with ease and great pleasure but this joy is tempered with the realisation that she, herself, has no voice. After a year or so of reading, the Queen puts books aside and decides to write.

“Reading was not doing, that had always been the trouble. And old though she was she was still a doer.”
page 101

She announces her intention to write a book at an informal birthday get together for her eightieth. The announcement is met with universal dismay by her entourage as she proposes, not a facile reminiscence but,
“…something more thoughtful.”

At this, the prime minister loses all taste for the champagne and slips along the corridor to the toilet, where he gets on his mobile phone to the attorney general. On his return, the prime minister advises the Queen that the monarch has never published a book. The Queen disputes this and cites several examples, including her uncle: the Duke of Windsor.

“Furnished with the advice of the attorney general on this very point, the prime minister smiled and almost apologetically raised his objection. ‘Yes ma’am, I agree, but the difference, surely, is that His Royal Highness wrote the book as Duke of Windsor. He could only write it because he had abdicated.’”
page 121

The ending line of this wonderful romp is a final testament to Bennett’s skill as a dramatist: he knows exactly when to stop.

‘Oh, did I not say that?’ said the Queen. ‘But…….why do you think you’re all here?’”

General Fiction Novella
Published in 2007 by Faber and Faber ( )

A funny thin book for just in between. Fun to see the Queen finding a book in the driving library and then getting hooked to reading.

And the book also made me think about the low number of people that are readers.

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2009/1... ( )

A quirky little book, certainly, about the Queen of England's late-in-life discovery of the joy of reading. You could easily read this in one sitting, or enjoy small pieces of it here & there (as I did) & gain a chuckle at the typical British humor throughout. I was quite curious how such a little novelette would end, and was pleasantly surprised at the rather abrupt, but appropriate, ending. ( )

Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader is a surprisingly interesting novella chronicling the Queen of England's (fictional) realization of the vast world of books and reading. If she were anyone else but the Queen, this might be a wonderful and pleasant journey - the discovery of a traveling library practically at her doorstep, receiving book recommendations from a young man working with her kitchen staff, sparking bookish discussions with everyone she meets - sounds delightful, right? Well, despite having a marvelous time, the Queen's advisers and staff decide that her reading would only serve to show favoritism and might make some people excluded from the Queen. These nuts go to great lengths to halt the Queen's reading, by hiding her books and having them misdirected at airports - it really is crazy!

I really enjoyed reading The Uncommon Reader (Ha! that sounds funny!) The characters were unique and quirky - from the Queen herself, a self described opsimath; to her politically correct aide, New Zealander Sir Kevin, forever concerned with the negative impact that the Queen's increased literacy might have on the Monarchy; to the kitchen boy turned literary advisor, the Queen's amanuensis, Norman - they are all multi-dimensional, realistic, well-written characters.

At just 120 pages, The Uncommon Reader is a quick and amusing read - easily tackled in one sitting. It is incredibly humorous in its complete absurdity, and leaves the reader alternately shaking one's head and laughing out loud. This is a book for the reader in us all. It was a joy to read, from it's hilarious beginning to it's surprising ending. You will not be disappointed! ( )

What if the Queen of England started reading? That is the premise of this novella, which begins with the Queen visiting a bookmobile and borrowing a book out of politeness. While she doesn't love the book, she does come back and discovers a new love that could change her life (not to mention drive her advisers mad).

Though an interesting idea, I felt a little left behind when it came to English politics. I had a really hard time following the time progression in this story, but the Queen seems to read very fast and have a lot of free time. She very quickly moves from reading Ivy Compton-Burnett and finding it dry to reading Proust and loving it. I had trouble buying how quickly she loved the Great Works of Literature. Oh, and did I want to talk back about some of her likes and dislikes when it came to that! Not a bad read; I may have enjoyed this fictional discussion of reading more if I had not read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler first. ( )

Are not we all uncommon readers?

I received this charming novella from a friend. Can I just tell you? There can be no more perfect gift for the bibliophile in your life. What a joy!

The story is simple. The Queen of England has some very bad corgis. One day on a walk through the grounds at Windsor, the dogs start barking their heads off at a mobile library. (What I’d call a bookmobile.) Neither the Queen, nor the dogs apparently, had ever noticed it parked by the castle before. Propriety being everything, the Queen pops her head in to apologize for the corgis’ behavior, but then feels compelled by that same sense of propriety to borrow a book while she’s there. (It would be rude not to.)

She asks for help selecting a book from the librarian, and also consults with a young man who happens to be picking out a book of his own. It turns out that the young man, Norman Seakins, works in the castle’s kitchen. So begins an odyssey that changes the monarchy, because quite by accident the Queen discovers that reading is the great passion of her life.

Not that everyone is happy with the Queen’s new, all-consuming pursuit. She has to deal with Kiwi private secretaries and the Prime Minister, among others. This slim book is the story of an extraordinary friendship between a Queen and a dish washer. It explores the camaraderie of the literate. There are ruminations on books, and ruminations on writers—and why the latter are more enjoyable on the page than at a party.

The Uncommon Reader is short, sweet, funny, smart, and utterly delightful! It’s just the thing to stuff into a stocking or give to a bookish friend “just because.” Or, even better, just give it to yourself. ( )

I have never used the word "charming" in a book review before, but this one totally qualifies. This quick read is a captovating one for anybody who enjoys books and the discussion around them.

The basic premise is that the Queen of England takes up reading books from a local bookmobile, with the help of a poor, but knowledgeable, servant. While the Queen's tastes interests take her into new genre's and authors her advisors become scared and suspicious of effects the books are causing in the Queen's outlook on their sensible English world and political tomfoolery ensues.

It's a great read for anyone who enjoys books, reading and the discussions that surround all of the above. This short and easy treatise serves as a reminder of the power of ideas, books and why we read. ( )

This is the book for you. If you have taken a book into the bath, or to the dinner table- it is for you. If you carry a book in your handbag, briefcase, or back pocket- it is for you. If you have taken a book to a social gathering, from adinner party to a cousin's wedding, it is for you. If you have ever read anything, even the back of a cereal box, and liked it- this book is for you. This book reminds me of everything I love about reading. It will remind you too. ( )

The Queen borrows a book from the Mobile Library at Buckingham Palace, with humorous consequences. ( )

A cute quick read about the Queen of England getting in to reading and , subsequently, writing. Really, though, kind of a bland story; there's not much there. As the Queen begins to read more and more, we find how poorly read everyone around her is, including advisers, husband and even the prime minister. Bennett is most definitely poking fun at government, as well as the literary world (with the haughty authors looking down their nose at the Queen!).

I'm not sure that I would actively recommend this book to anyone, but if someone were thinking of reading it already, I wouldn't ward them off either. ( )

this is a wonderful little book which can easily be read in one day. The basic plotline is that Queen Elizabeth discovers the joy of reading, much to the wonderment of the English people, her advisors, foreign heads of state, etc. Someone with a review here mentioned that the idea of people not reading (despite the ability to do so) was rather unbelievable but recent surveys done in the U.S. have found that Americans read less than two books per year on average (which amounts to a great deal of non-readers as people who read often do so in much higher numbers. I also believe the book is slightly allegorical as well as a statement on the current political state (minus wars and such.) A very enjoyable and light novella. ( )

A bookmobile visits Buckingham Palace. The Queen stumbles upon in and takes up reading for pleasure. All sorts of interesting things happen when she discovers the life of the mind (from the gay page who goes to university to the surprising ending). This is a very funny little book. A very English book too. ( )

Such a cute story of the Queen of England catching on to the power and joy of reading! LOVED watching her fall in love with reading books enough to start hiding them places and beginning to resent things that got in the way of her reading time. Feels like ( )

Imagine the Queen of England stashing a book behind the pillows in her coach once she's arrived to open a new session of Parliament or consider the Queen staying in bed all day with the sniffles to read a book. Can't? Well, it indeed happens in this delightful and amusing novella by Alan Bennett. Queen Elizabeth discovers the joys of reading after she takes notice of her Parnassus on Wheels in the guise of the City of Westminster's travelling library on its weekly stop to the palace. Like many of us who have discovered a love for reading she quickly becomes addicted and often finds a remote corner of her abode to read unnoticed. Her staff becomes increasingly annoyed by this new behavior and begins to sabatage her books and Norman, a fellow reader and staff employee.
This uncommon reader makes some memorable quotes regarding her new obsession and we, the reader, can take note of the authors and titles she has read in this fictionalized account. There is an unexpected twist at the end that is quite clever. Highly recommended. ( )

It was a hobby and it was in the nature of her job that she didn't have hobbies. ... Hobbies involved preferences and preferences had to be avoided; preferences excluded people. (p. 6)

Alan Bennett's wonderful novella imagines what would happen if the Queen suddenly became an avid reader. When her much-loved corgis get loose and charge into a mobile library, Queen Elizabeth II charges in after them, and then feels an obligation to check out a book. And thus begins her obsession with reading; her discovery of great literature. Reading very quickly takes precedence over a multitude of royal obligations, sometimes causing her to be late, or creating conversational cul-de-sacs with staff and subjects alike:
Still, though reading absorbed her, what the Queen had not expected was the degree to which it drained her of enthusiasm for anything else. It's true that the at prospect of opening yet another swimming-baths her heart didn't exactly leap up, but even so, she had not exactly resented having to do it. ... Now she surveyed the unrelenting progression of tours, travels, and undertakings stretching years into the future only with dread. (p. 60)

Well, what avid reader hasn't felt the same way from time to time? Bennett keeps tongue firmly in cheek throughout this short book, satirizing the royals and English society. Yet he also paints an engaging portrait of the "real life" led by a public figure. The Uncommon Reader was a wonderful diversion that could be read again and again with enjoyment. ( )

A stylish and witty literary conceit that is ultimately as wispy, ephemeral and sweet as cotton candy. The title is certainly an allusion to Virginia Woolf's collection of essays from 1925 (Elizabeth II being born in 1926, less than a year after its publication -- though Woolf can be considered a common reader no more than the Queen).

The Queen happens to follow her ever present clutch of Corgis into a mobile library that happens to visit the palace grounds. Good form compels her to check out a book. She also comes into contact with a gay kitchen boy who becomes her early guide into all varieties of literature. Subsequently the Queen discovers that, of course, the palace has its own library. Bennett's comedic narrative of the development of this new found passion for reading (despite the disapproval of the Prince, courtiers, and the Prime Minister), and the empowerment and confidence it brings to the Queen personally, to her judgment, and to her "duty" is the central theme of the book.

Bennett's ultimate goal, and far more serious one of course, is to show how literature humanizes the reader (as the Queen says in the book, "one must take the time"), as well as the subversive nature of independent thought, and (certainly self-servingly) leads to writing as the ultimate exercise of the mind. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever little novella about how catching the reading bug affected the life of an "uncommon" person. Quick little treat. ( )