From one of England's most celebrated writers, the author of the award-winning The History Boys, a funny and superbly observed novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Briskly original and subversively funny, this novella from popular British writer Bennett (Untold Stories; Tony-winning play The History Boys) sends Queen Elizabeth II into a mobile library van in pursuit of her runaway corgis and into the reflective, observant life of an avid reader. Guided by Norman, a former kitchen boy and enthusiast of gay authors, the queen gradually loses interest in her endless succession of official duties and learns the pleasure of such a common activity. With the dawn of her sensibility... mistaken for the onset of senility, plots are hatched by the prime minister and the queen's staff to dispatch Norman and discourage the queen's preoccupation with books. Ultimately, it is her own growing self-awareness that leads her away from reading and toward writing, with astonishing results. Bennett has fun with the proper behavior and protocol at the palace, and the few instances of mild coarseness seem almost scandalous. There are lessons packed in here, but Bennett doesn't wallop readers with them. It's a fun little book.-Publishers Weekly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alan Bennett has been one of England’s leading dramatists since the success of Beyond the Fringe, which brought him to New York in the 1980s. His work includes the Talking Heads television series and the stage plays Forty Years On, The Lady in the Van, A Question of Attribution, and The Madness of George III. His debut novella, The Clothes They Stood Up In, was a Today Show Book Club Pick. His most recent play, The History Boys, won six Tony Awards, including Best Play. It was also released as a feature film. His memoir Untold Stories was a #1 bestseller in the U.K., and he was named the Author of the Year at the 2006 British Book Awards.