Name: Elizabeth the Queen
ISBN: 9781400067893

Sally Bedell Smith

A tribute to the life and enduring reign of Elizabeth II draws on numerous interviews and previously undisclosed documents to juxtapose the queen's public and private lives, providing coverage of such topics as her teen romance with Philip, her contributions during World War II and the scandals that have challenged her family. (This book was previously listed in Forecast.)

Inside the Life of a Modern Monarch

Elizabeth the Queen

Lacy W

For the record, I would like to state that the book i read was 887 pages because it was the large print edition (the only copy my library had). Goodreads doesn't have the large print edition (either that or they do and I am just blind). Just wanted to clear that up. 

I didn't realize that I had been reading this book for that long. 7 days was how long it took me! I haven't taken that long to read a book in quite a while, probably since high school. It wasn't that the book was bad. It was good actually. It was just incredibly dense. 

The book is literally a biography of Elizabeth II, the current monarch of the United Kingdom. It starts literally at her birth and ends at around 2011, after the marriage of William and Kate. That is a long time considering the monarch is probably about 85 years old or so. 

We become privy to the life of Elizabeth. Every single detail. Every new person that came into Elizabeth's life got a mini biography. It got to be quite confusing after a while and I think it added to the denseness of this book. 

That's pretty much it. I did learn that the monarch's do more than just be figureheads like I thought. They are actively involved in the government and, to some extent, rule. That was a pretty cool thing. 

If you are really into Elizabeth, then check this book out. I wouldn't recommend this if you are interested in some light reading. Because it is anything but. But overall, it really is a solid book.

Lisa Miller

The first 3/4 of this biography was fantastic, if you like the TV series The Crown you will enjoy it. It was the last quarter of the book that began to feel like a recitation of tabloid news with no depth or analysis, especially the last part about "Wills and Kate" up until then I thought she was going to miss them and their wedding out altogether which would have been surprising and welcome but nope in the last chapter there they were - but where was the Queen? For a biography on the Queen by that point it had lost it's focus and instead had become royal family gossip and milestones.

Jeni Enjaian

I was extremely disappointed in this book. I expected a modicum of unbiased treatment of the queen. I understand that a biography of a living person is difficult but Smith royally (pun intended) mucked up this biography. Any criticism of the queen was couched in either "you just don't understand" or "she was misunderstood" terms. Anyone who opposed her was just plain wrong. 
I strongly recommend that everyone stay as far away from this book as possible.

Elizabeth the Queen Inside the Life of a Modern Monarch

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