“Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch” by Sally Bedell Smith

Let me just start with all the reasons to read this book: 1) There is no more powerful woman in the world right now; 2) She has been on the throne and ruled over 16 sovereign states and multiple territories for 60 years; 3) She became queen at the age of 25; 4) She kept a marriage intact, gave birth to and raised four kids, cared for her widowed mother and nutty sister – oh, and ran a country; and 5) as an American, I find this whole monarchy thing fascinating.

At over 670 pages, this is no small book, but it reads very fast and well. Because the reader has seen the queen and known of her life, this book will not seem so foreign – we remember Diana’s death and the recent marriage of William and Katherine. The movies “The Queen” and “The King’s Speech” are familiar to us. She has just always seemed to have been there. And, really, she has.  Her life has been dedicated to her people and that in itself is an amazing thing. She comes from a long line of reluctant monarchs – in fact, it seems that many of the well-known kings and queens with great impact where not supposed to be in their position (or at least not ascend as early): King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II.

I have great appreciation and admiration for her and I found the book informative, enlightening and very interesting. The author does not let the queen off the hook for some of her actions (putting her duty above her children) and responses (inaction after Diana’s death), but you can tell the author is a fan and often gives her the benefit of the doubt. It is not merely a salacious tell-all, filled with rumors and unsavory details – the author had approved insider information and relies well on her facts. The queen didn’t “cooperate” but many close to her were interviewed and provided help. Who knows – this book could be a scandal in London and I have no idea.

I do recommend it and do not let the size of the book deter you – it is worth-while and it is not dense or dry that you would need to commit an enormous time to reading it. Cheerio, pip pip and all that.