The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett

As the Grand Old Man of British letters and unofficial Writer Laureate, it is fitting that Alan Bennett should have chosen the Queen as the subject of this story. Not that this is his first foray into royal subject-matter: the Madness of King George was a successful play and film. But George III is a dead and gone figure of history. The Queen is very much alive, and writing a fictional piece about a well known public figure is quite a different proposition. The result, however, is an absolute delight. The premise - and this is no more than appears on the dust jacket and summaries - is that the corgis wander off and the Queen, in hot pursuit, follows them into ...  Read the complete review

There is no doubt that Alan Bennet's novella, "The Uncommon Reader" is a little jewel. In the two years since it was first published it has attracted almost universal critical acclaim and, for this reason I have been reluctant to review it because I seem to be rather out of step with the literati! For me this work may be a jewel but it's one which fails to sparkle as brightly as I had hoped. It's undoubtedly a great premise for a story. The Queen is walking her corgis in the Palace grounds when they scamper off route and start yapping at a Travelling Library parked by the kitchen doors. Embarrassed by their bad behaviour Her Majesty goes in to ...  Read the complete review

Uncommon Reader was one of those books that for some reason I just wanted to read. I'm not quite sure what drew me towards the book but something must have done because it's been sitting in my to read pile, which is getting larger by the day, for quite a while. I eventually got down the books ahead of it three days ago and because Uncommon Reader is only a short book managed to devour the whole thing in my lunch hour at work on Thursday. Like I have just mentioned this book is very short indeed, coming in at just over 100 pages and small pages at that. This however is in my opinion what makes the book so appealing as upon picking it up you are immediately ...  Read the complete review

I have to be honest and admit that while of course I know of Alan Bennett, I had not read any of his work until I read The Uncommon Reader, which is one of the latest books set for the reading group I go to monthly. Bennett has had a very distinguished career, as both a novelist and a playwright, but somehow I've never actually read anything by him. The Uncommon Reader is a novella of only 120 pages. It is a simple "what if" story - what would happen if the Queen, having come across a travelling library at the palace doors, became engrossed in reading? I don't want to give too much away, but that is the main premise of the story which is written in ...  Read the complete review