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The Life of a Modern Monarch
Random House
January 2012
On Sale: January 10, 2012
576 pages
ISBN: 1400067898
EAN: 9781400067893
Kindle: B004X6PRIM
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction Biography
In this magisterial new biography, New York Times
bestselling author Sally Bedell Smith brings to life one of
the world’s most fascinating and enigmatic women: Queen
Elizabeth II. From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at
the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II has been the
object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of
glamour and gossip, how well do we really know the world’s
most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and
never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally
Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate
detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II,
who has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars
and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled
composure, intelligence, and grace. In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who
suddenly becomes “heiress presumptive” when her uncle
abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet
as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip
and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents
prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage
Lilibet repairing army trucks during World War II and
standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham
Palace on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to
balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother
of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside
the palace doors and into the Queen’s daily routines—the
“red boxes” of documents she reviews each day, the weekly
meetings she has had with twelve prime ministers, her
physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny
of the press—as well as her personal relationships: with
Prince Philip, her husband of sixty-four years and the love
of her life; her children and their often-disastrous
marriages; her grandchildren and friends. Compulsively readable and scrupulously researched,
Elizabeth the Queen is a close-up view of a woman
we’ve known only from a distance, illuminating the lively
personality, sense of humor, and canny intelligence with
which she meets the most demanding work and family
obligations. It is also a fascinating window into life at
the center of the last great monarchy.
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Comments
4 comments posted.
Re: Elizabeth The Queen
would love to read this. I'm a history buff
(Kathy Weber 11:20pm June 4, 2012)
I'm with you Kathy. I so want to read this. I didn't realize how young she
was when she took over the crown or how striking she is in some of her
pics. She was laughing and didn't look all stodgy like she seems to to me
now. Some of her pics just floored me. She is obviously an amazing
woman. Can you imagine the life she has led and the things she has seen
and done? Wow!
(Vicki Hancock 11:44pm June 4, 2012)
I think she is still beautiful. And, I think, her stoicism is the way she was raised to be Queen. But during the Jubilee she did show emotion and smiled quite a bit...for her. ;)
(Penny Mettert 2:39am June 6, 2012)
I have to read this great book.
(Wanda Maynard 2:36pm June 7, 2012)
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