The Autobiography of the Queen [Hardcover]

Emma Tennant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1905147880 | ISBN-13: 978-1905147885

Queen Elizabeth has gone AWOL from Balmoral, and no one can find her. Where has she gone and why? This winsome, if unlikely, account of the Queen's disappearance recounts the monarch's solo journey to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia to take possession of her recently purchased home in the idyllic-sounding Joli Estate. Here, after more than half a century on the throne, she will recall the years of her reign in peace and tranquility, in the guise of her new identity as Gloria Smith. But the house is no more than a muddy hole in the ground, and the Queen must punt. She is not used to asking for anything, carrying cash, fending for herself, introducing herself, or being ignored. The story of the sovereign's sojourn in her former colony is a funny and touching account of the sometimes contentious and occasionally baffling friendship between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and a scruffy young St. Lucian, Austin Ford. How this radical change of life and circumstance affects the Queen-and how she is transformed as a result-make for a hilarious and moving tale, in which her need for her subjects proves to be as strong as their desire that she remain on her throne.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emma Tennant is the author of more than 20 books, including Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued, The Private History of the Aspern Papers, and Thornfield Hall: Jane Eyre's Hidden Story. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Books (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905147880
• ISBN-13: 978-1905147885
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,930,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Alternately Wry and Frustrating, April 20, 2009

By 

Graceann Macleod "Books Fuel My Life" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autobiography of the Queen (Paperback)

Understandably, HM Queen Elizabeth II decides that she's had enough of her duties, her children and her husband, and takes off for warmer climes and the temptation of anonymity. The initial vignettes in which she attempts to navigate the check-in desk at Gatwick and Upper Class seating on Virgin are hilarious, but the author doesn't build on this theme all that well.

Unfortunately, the Queen starts to seem pathetically inept at even the most mundane tasks (I'm sure she'd know how to lock a door, or open one, for that matter), and in this there is a loss of credibility to the story. I can fully believe her not ever having packed her own clothing, but I am fairly certain that even the Queen has operated a door at some point in her life.

All in all, I enjoyed Autobiography of a Queen, but felt that there could have been more to it, and was disappointed by the lack of fulfillment of the promise made in its starting pages.

4.0 out of 5 stars Whimsy, June 27, 2008

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autobiography of the Queen (Hardcover)

This is a quick, amusing read that's just the thing to read in between heavier works. The Queen decides that she's had enough of being on duty for her entire lifetime and is equally sick of the scandals and ructions caused by her own troublesome children and cranky husband, so flies first class to one of the Virgin Islands where she's made a down payment on a soon to be built villa. Calling herself Mrs.Gloria Smith, she has no luggage with her as her luggage has always previously been transported to wherever she goes and she somehow assumes that things will just keep happening as before. Playing the role of an ordinary person, she is amazed at the lack of courtesy from people who should know better and the effort required by ordinary mortals, just to live from day to day. She somehow manages to serenely sail through a few days, relying on the kindness of strangers to make things happen. It's a strangely moving little book and I'm not sure that HM would perceive herself as quite as inept and other worldly as Mrs.Gloria Smith.