The Uncommon Reader: A Novella

Completely charming. God Bless the corgis. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time -- and I'm sending it to a writer friend of mine who, after winning the Commonwealth Prize, recently met Herself!

It's good to be Queen, but it does have its drawbacks -- long periods of tedium in slow-moving vehicles, a relentless round of ceremonial duties, and a bird's eye view of everyday life. What better solution to these drawbacks than the pages of a good book? The Uncommon Reader: A Novella is a quirky little book about Queen Elizabeth II and her discovery of the joys of reading. Pursuing her yapping corgis through the grounds of Windsor Castle, she ends up in the library bookmobile and checks out a book to be polite. From this beginning, guided by kitchen hand-turned-equerry Norman Seakins, she is soon deep in the world of books. This new habit of hers is unpopular with the people around her. She's becoming too "remote," they say; Alzheimer's is suggested. Her punctuality and attention to formal routine are slipping. Norman is spirited away from her staff but she keeps reading. Author Alan Bennett packs a lot into this compact book. Through all the palace intrigue, Mad Hatter's tea parties, and hilarious references to writers old and new, the queen keeps reading. Her point of view widens exponentially and she begins making notes -- and then writing more seriously. There's a little treasure around every corner in this wry book. The final scene is pure theater of the absurd, and the final paragraph will probably make you laugh out loud. Highly recommended. Linda Bulger, 2008

Blame it on the corgis. They discover a bookmobile parked near Buckingham Palace and get the Queen's attention when they start yapping. Since she is every inch a queen, HRH borrows a book, a novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett even though she has previously left liking books to other people. Although she finds Compton-Burnett rather dry with the characters all sounding like each other, the fire has been lit. The Queen becomes hooked on reading; neither she nor eventually England will ever be quite the same in Alan Bennett's quietly humorous short novel THE UNCOMMON READER. The Queen discovers Jean Genet, Nancy Mitford, E. M. Forster, Emily Dickinson, Alice Munro, Proust, Charles Dickens, Dostoevsky. She has difficulty with Jane Austin because that writer is so concerned with social distinctions. She at first is put off by the verbosity of Henry James, something she has in common with any reader I have ever known ("'Am I alone,' she wrote, 'in wanting to give Henry James a good talking to?'" Later, however, James' "divagations she now took in her stride," opining that "'novels are not necessarily written as the crow flies.'" She even reads the memoirs of Lauren Bacall and is envious of her. In the beginning the Queen reads indiscriminately as one book leads to another, but she eventually becomes a very discerning reader. Reading this little book as delicious as an English trifle, I was reminded of how gentle Mr. Bennett is with his velvety barbs and so different, for instance, from American writers like Molly Ivins or Calvin Trillin when they harpoon the current resident of the White House. There is much here to make you smile. The dogs, for example, destroy an Ian McEwan novel, "the James Tait Black Memorial Prize notwithstanding." Also in the past when the Queen is out in her kingdom meeting her subjects, before her obsession with reading, she would have asked them questions perhaps about what mode of transportation they used to get to their meeting with her. Now she asks what is the latest book they have read. Since they invariably answer that they have read nothing-- although one did say the Bible-- she produces a book from that handbag that is always on her arm-- now we know what she carries it it-- and gives to the surprised nonreader who later sells it on eBay. THE UNCOMMON READER is quite a joy to read, from start to its surprising ending. Emulate HRH and purchase this British treasure or check it out from your local library.

For such a slim novella, "The Uncommon Reader" operates on many levels. Most obviously, it is a charming, comedic story. But it's also a meditation on the merits ... and the limits ... of books and reading as a means of opening one's eyes (as the book's subject might say) and softening one's sensibilities. It's about what an awakening familiarity with literature can do to a person, and also the havoc it can create for people who expect life to be led in certain familiar pattern. That's a lot to fit into a hundred-and-some pages, but Alan Bennett does it extremely well. Though I'd been somewhat familiar with him for some time, this is the first time I've really explored his writing. No wonder he's thought of so highly. One of the things that most pleased me about this book was the sympathetic and affectionate portrayal of Her Majesty. With so many people evidently taking it for granted that the Windsors are all a bunch of cold-hearted nitwits, Bennett's Queen is -- if admittedly somewhat limited in the breadth of her education -- thoughtful, self-aware, eager to learn, and on the whole a most memorable personality. I think anyone who enjoys reading and appreciates the power of books will enjoy watching The Queen's royal progress in these pages. But beware: the realization she eventually reaches (about writing as well as reading) is one I believe Bennett wants to lead every reader to, common or otherwise.

... as well as the perfect antidote to my last few weeks of reading: Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Graham Greene. After finally digesting those two huge "meals", this was like finding the perfect chocolate when one is feeling just a little peckish. If you're an avid reader, you will empathize with the Queen as she embarks on her literary voyage, remembering how you, too, loved discovering "new" authors. (I'm even eager to tackle Proust once again!) And let's be honest; isn't it great to laugh now and again? You not only get all the above, but there's a suprise ending that speaks to the enormous inventiveness and talent of Mr. Bennett. Beg, borrow, steal or buy -- but don't miss this!