Headlong

I picked this up used because I was intrigued by the story behind "King Ralph." Now I admit...I like the movie...it's a guilty pleasure, but you have to admit it's hardly high-brow entertainment. The source material on the other hand, definitely is. Yes, it is NOTHING like the movie. The common elements are few: ordinary joe discovers he's related to royalty, is inducted as king...and that's about it. Those wishing for a novelization of the movie will be sadly disappointed (I'm not sure why you would want one, really --- slapstick doesn't translate well to the written word). Instead, you get an eminently likable hero --- one who is MUCH MUCH more believable. He, unlike Goodman's character, is actually COMPETANT! Which makes his subsequent trials all the more poignant and really underscores what a thankless job sovereignty seems to be. Williams' strength here is in setting up Jack's character and then his relationship with his two flatmates that he forms a strong bond with while living a vagabond life in the B-tier of London theatre life. You really get a strong sense of his ties with these characters, Kathy and Bruce, in the early part of the novel. What's bizarre (though very ingenious) is how after Jack is wrapped up in the royal life, he has very little contact with these people in person (they correspond mostly by letter --- AGAIN much more believable) but their bonds only seem to grow stronger....which considerably jacks up the tension towards the book's end, which comes sadly too soon. Apart from a few chapters in the middle that sag under the copious details of Jack's royal duties, this is a surprising page turner for the intelligent, thoughtful reader. Again, don't expect "King Ralph"...but if you're a fan of the movie and found the basic premise more than a bit interesting, you will be regally rewarded. It is like reading a story you've never heard before...it is THAT different.

Emlyn William's "Headlong" is the source work for the movie "King Ralph". Although the vague outline of the plot is the same, the details are quite different. "Headlong" (without it's americanized additions) presents a much more complex man thrown onto the throne; you learn much more about who he is and how he copes with the demands placed on him. The background gives the reader a much better understanding of the events during his reign."King Ralph" was (admittedly mildly entertaining) fluff; "Headlong" is far superior.