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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Townsend, author of the phenomenally successful Adrian Mole books, here brings off an audacious notion with considerable elan. She imagines a Britain where an unforgiving, newly elected Republican Party decides that the entire Royal Family must learn to live like other Britons--or in their case, like desperately poor lower-class Britons on a hideous housing estate in a provincial city. A notable farceur, Townsend has terrific fun imagining how they would cope: the Queen buckles down sturdily, mindful of stiff-upper-lip duty; Prince Philip goes to pieces and takes to his bed; Margaret remains a royal pain, perpetually and irritably in search of a cigarette; Diana haunts thrift shops for designer castoffs and snares a flashy West Indian boyfriend; Charles, infatuated with a zaftig neighbor, gets involved in a brawl and is jailed , while his organic garden goes to pieces; Anne copes stolidly, much helped by the gift of a horse--and the Queen Mum, never quite aware of what is happening, dies peacefully in her little bungalow, and has a splendid horse-drawn funeral in a home-made coffin. Meanwhile Harris, the Queen's corgi, runs wild with a pack of mongrels. The book is uproarious and touching by turns, with a perfect eye and ear for the class gulfs in Britain and the appalling lot of those at the bottom of the heap. Only a silly throwaway ending disappoints--but how else to end such a cautionary tale? This was a huge seller in Britain, and should delight all royalty addicts here too.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This British version of the classic role-reversal plot provides an entertaining evening of quick reading. The plot develops after the royal family, from Queen Elizabeth to little princes Harry and William, are deposed after the "republicans" win an election. All royal possessions are confiscated, and the stunned royal family members are ushered out of Buckingham Palace into modest quarters in a common neighborhood. The trials and tribulations that each of the royals endures make for amusing reading. Townsend, a British author and playwright, spins a lighthearted tale that has touched the funny bones of enough readers across the Atlantic to propel her novel to the top spot on the British best sellers list. And there appears to be enough royal family watchers stateside to consider adding this to many library collections.
- Marlene Lee, Reedsport Branch Lib., Ore.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Marlene Lee, Reedsport Branch Lib., Ore.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The Queen was in bed watching television with Harris. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The Queen was in bed watching television with Harris. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite my cup of... "royal-ty",
By
This review is from: Queen And I (Paperback)
I have read almost every book by Sue Townsend, starting from "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" and have always appreciated her ability to convey strong emotions combined with a fine humour, extrapolating a funny side to heart-knotting situations, thus usually delivering entertaining, laugh-out-loud books which also offer an opportunity to reflect and ponder over a few things in life.I got to "The Queen & I" just recently, years later it was published for the first time and this probably took some sparkle away from it. Yes, it is outdated by now and although it still proves to be an easy, quite entertaining read, I felt it was rather "lukewarm". Perhaps even the farfetchedness of the events taking place added to a raised eyebrow (as opposed to some of Ms. Townsend's other books, the Mole saga in primis, more credible, down-to-earth works of fiction). In this book, the Republicans have taken over and the Royal Family have lost all powers. They are all sent to a council estate and have to adjust to the best of their ability. Will they manage? That's for you to find out if you read this book, but should this be the first book you read by Sue Townsend, skip it altogether and get to the "Adrian Mole" books first, in chronological order, starting from "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4 ". Granted that this was published about 25 years ago for the first time (much earlier than "The Queen & I"), you would have to take the whole story into historical perspective (early 1980s) but if you like the tragic-comic genre it will not fail to engage you to this day!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!!!,
By
This review is from: The Queen and I (Paperback)
A lovely, funny read. The royals are handled with respect (well, except the bubble-headed Di) and affection. I would have given it five stars but for the ending, the writing of which was obviously farmed out to the local elementary school.
4.0 out of 5 stars
excellent story,
By Edwin (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Queen and I (Paperback)
This was an excellent story, I really enjoyed it. As ordinary people I almost started to like some of the royals, like Prince Charles for example who really turned out to be a rebel with a pigtail. The best character in my opinion was Harris, the queen's dog, who finally found his freedom. It is a shame this is a fictional story for I would love to be one of their neighbours in real life. I recommend this story to anyone who is against monarchies, for it really gives you a good laugh and the hope that you would some day really have the pleasure to see this happen.
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