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I choose this book from my bookshelf, partly because it was fairly short, only 117 pages long, and something I could read and write a blog post about before the end of the month. But I also chose it because of the subject matter. I really like Queen Elizabeth and know a lot about her, but I think you can always pick up some new insights.
This book, Queen Elizabeth II, is part of The History Press's Pocket GIANT series, which consists of 100 concise biographies of “people who changed the world.”
The History Press explains that Her Majesty was included in their Pocket GIANTS series:
Because she is the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
Because her rule has spanned twelve British prime ministers, twelve US presidents and seven popes [as of the book's publication in 2016].
Because she heads a Commonwealth over 2 billion citizen.
Because she is the oldest serving monarch in the world.
[From inside front cover]The book was written by royal commentator, Victoria Arbiter. And was published in 2016, to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday.
Queen Elizabeth II
by Victoria Arbiter
The book, Queen Elizabeth II, looks all the important moments [as of 2016] of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. It covers everything you need to know to understand, who the Queen is, and how the monarchy had evolved and modernized over her reign.
When Elizabeth of born in 1926, she was known as Princess Elizabeth of York. No one, at the time, expected she would grow up to be Queen. Her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne. And her uncle, Prince Edward, The Prince of Wales was heir. But in 1936, her life changed. In twelve short months:
- Her grandfather, King George V dies.
- Her uncle, Prince Edward becomes King Edward VIII.
- King Edward VIII abdicates.
- Her father, Prince Albert, becomes King George VI.
- & Princess Elizabeth becomes heir to the throne.
I very much enjoyed this wonderful book and I would highly recommend it. But if that is not enough of an endorsement, here is the back cover blurb from former US First Lady Barbara Bush:
"I am a great admirer of Her Majesty. This gem of a book beautifully encapsulates the life of one of history's most iconic royals." (Back cover)(If you are interested in learning more about King Edward & the events that lead to his abdication you should check out King Edward VIII: An American Life, which I reviewed last year.)
Some Musings on:
Queen Elizabeth II
With each month's book review, I share with you some of my musings on the book. What I thought interesting, thought-provoking and inspiring, etc.
This book covers everything you need to know about the Queen's reign and how the royal family got to where it is today. It is a short and easy read that gives a general overview. It is very fact-oriented, with a little analysis.
It is not a tell-all. There are no anonymous sources or juicy details.
This book is meant for a general audience. It is quite suitable for a reader who doesn't know much about the Queen. But if you are like me, and know a fair bit, you can still get a lot out of it. Especially if you aren't that familiar with the Queen's early reign. (One of the interesting things I learned was how the selection process for a new UK Prime Minister changed during the Queen's reign [pg. 54-55]).
The author herself is also one thing that makes this book unique. Victoria Arbiter is a seasoned Royal Correspondent who has worked with numerous news organizations around the world. She is also the daughter of the Queen's former Press secretary, Dickie Arbiter. And, while her father was press secretary, they lived at Kensington Palace in a grace & favor apartment.
Why this biography?
While this is a good book, it is one of many good biographies about Queen Elizabeth II. I choose this book because it was sitting on my bookshelf unread. But I want to take some time to explain what is unique about this Queen Elizabeth biography.This book covers everything you need to know about the Queen's reign and how the royal family got to where it is today. It is a short and easy read that gives a general overview. It is very fact-oriented, with a little analysis.
It is not a tell-all. There are no anonymous sources or juicy details.
This book is meant for a general audience. It is quite suitable for a reader who doesn't know much about the Queen. But if you are like me, and know a fair bit, you can still get a lot out of it. Especially if you aren't that familiar with the Queen's early reign. (One of the interesting things I learned was how the selection process for a new UK Prime Minister changed during the Queen's reign [pg. 54-55]).
The author herself is also one thing that makes this book unique. Victoria Arbiter is a seasoned Royal Correspondent who has worked with numerous news organizations around the world. She is also the daughter of the Queen's former Press secretary, Dickie Arbiter. And, while her father was press secretary, they lived at Kensington Palace in a grace & favor apartment.
Why Read A Biography?
While our blog, The Royal Novelist, focuses on writing fiction, I feel it is important that we also look at non-fiction. Different kinds of non-fiction each have their own benefits to a writer. But, overall, non-fiction can teach us about how things work. When you understand things better you are able to write about them in a more vivid and understandable way.While this biography is going to teach some things about The Queen, her reign, British & Commonwealth history, etc. it will also give you some general insights into royal life that you can use in your writing. You are never going to get a more accurate depiction of the royals than through examining real-life royals.
One little anecdote I particularly loved was from a reception for the press that the Queen held at Buckingham Palace in 1981. The palace held the reception and press briefing in hopes of getting the media to back off of the younger royals, particularly the newly married Princess Diana. William "Bill" Deedes [1913-2007], the former editor of the Daily Telegraph, recalls:
"I was in a small group with the Queen when she observed, 'It's hard on a girl if she can't go to the local sweet shop without being cornered by photographers.' The then editor of the News of the World, Barry Askew, said rather plaintively: 'Why couldn't she send a footman for the sweets.' The Queen replied, ' I think that is the most pompous remark I have ever heard in my life.'"
(Excerpt from The Independent, 29 October 2009, obituary page; quoted on page 71.)While biographies do deal a lot with facts, there is also a storytelling aspect. I found this book especially thought-provoking as my writing involves some back story, that I need to explain succinctly. If you think about it, back story is basically a bit of history that you share to make today's events make sense.
Chronological order
While covering events in chronological order certainly isn't groundbreaking for a biography, it was a very good choice for this book. (Opposed to structuring the book around themes, or writing it as 3 acts, In Media Res [in the middle of things], or as a hero's journey.)One of the main things Arbiter tried to show was how the royal family's image changed in the eye of the media and the public over time. And that is something you can only do by looking at events in the context of the time. I particularly enjoyed this because I know about a lot of these events already, but having this historical context added new depth.
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| BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives from Canada [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
"Thirty thousand spectators spend a damp night camped along the processional route, and a further 3 million swarmed into London in the early hours. Seats in the stands were filled to capacity, and across the country people gathered around newly bought television sets. Churchill was staunchly opposed to televising the ceremony, but Elizabeth went against the advice of her ministers, believing the nation had a right to participate. [...] It was estimated that 27 million Britons tuned in to watch the coronation. The young queen's decision to televise the event proved a wise one."
(pg. 45, 47)Chronological order also helps show you how one event led to another. This helps to illustrate the impact and importance of each event.
Quotes
One thing I especially loved about the book was the use of quotes. Each chapter begins with an epigraph that helps to set up the chapter's topic. And then Arbiter used quotes inside each chapter as needed. Quotes can add a lot to the book's credibility since we are hearing things directly from the Royals themselves. Quotes can also help to ground the narrative to a specific event at a specific point in time. This is especially useful in a book that is very fact-oriented.I loved that Arbiter quoted from so many of the Queen's iconic speeches. I actually took the time to read thought some of them that I wasn't so familiar with. And as a result, I created a blog post with links to the texts of some of Queen Elizbeth's speeches, which includes most of the ones referenced in this book.
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