Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II [Hardcover]

Carolly Erickson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312287348 | ISBN-13: 978-0312287344 | Publication Date: January 26, 2004 | Edition: 1st

In Lilibet, master biographer Carolly Erickson turns her skill at writing un-put-downable narrative to telling the remarkable story of Elizabeth II, Queen of England.

With her customary psychological insight, historian Erickson traces the queen's gilded but often thorny path from her overprotected girlhood to her ascension to the throne at twenty-five to her personal and national difficulties as queen.

Lilibet shows us an Elizabeth we thought we knew-but shows her in a different light: as a small, shy woman with a sly and at times raucous sense of humor, a woman who appears stiff in public, but in private enjoys watching wrestling on TV. A woman most at home among her horses and dogs. And a woman long annealed to heartbreak and sorrow, who has presided over the decline of Great Britain and the decline in prestige of her own Windsor dynasty.

Far from being a light, gossipy treatment of a celebrity, Lilibet tells the queen's story from her point of view, letting the reader relive Elizabeth's long and eventful life with all its splendid ceremonies, momentous responsibilities and family clashes. Through it all we glimpse, as never before, the strong and appealing sovereign who has ruled over her people for half a century and more, a ruler of immense wealth, international esteem and high character whose daily life is grounded in the bedrock of common sense.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Erickson, having written 10 biographies of long-dead European monarchs, now tackles a breathing royal. Hats off to her: she's done an admirable job. With a novelist's sense of pacing and a historian's love of fact collecting, she's put together a biography that is both entertaining and substantial, if unrevealing. The last isn't exactly her fault. As Erickson shows, the unflappable Elizabeth was raised to be reserved and in total control of her emotions. It makes her a fine leader, but a less-than-colorful biography subject. Yet even while covering familiar ground, Erickson freshens things up with perfectly placed bits of trivia. Who'd have imagined, for example, that the queen watches televised wrestling matches? It is telling that the most memorable section of the book isn't about Elizabeth but about Michael Fagan, the mentally disturbed intruder who broke into her Buckingham Palace bedroom early one morning 20 years ago, hoping to pour out his heart to his sovereign. Poor man-as Erickson and biographers before her have made painfully clear, Elizabeth II is apparently a woman who lacks the will to hear the problems of her own children: the royal family, Erickson writes, was "emotionally distant, the relationships between them full of strain and unspoken grievances and festering disappointments-as well as costive affection." It's a sad portrait, in the end, one not only of emotional absence, of a disappointing heir and public humiliation by family and palace affairs, but of loss of royal significance: being a realist, according to Erickson, the queen recognized that her political and moral influence have greatly declined over the years. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Rather than dishing the dirt, biographer and historian Erickson opts to provide a portrait of Elizabeth II as decorous as the aging queen herself. While acknowledging that Elizabeth was a less than perfect wife and mother, the author views her subject in a primarily sympathetic light. Her formative years as a queen-in-training are given the most attention--she is portrayed as a strong-willed and intelligent young woman who often subjugated her own needs and desires to the realities of her exalted station. Never one to shirk duty, Elizabeth seemed to lose her way when her children failed to respond in kind. Emotionally distant and seemingly unable to adapt to changing times, she grew increasingly irrelevant in both her own family and her nation. Despite her very public trials and tribulations, she has recently shown signs of mellowing. Though Erickson treads a cautious and careful line, she has managed to pen^B a respectful biography that still commands attention. A treat for royal watchers who have grown weary of tabloid-style Windsor bashing. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (January 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312287348
• ISBN-13: 978-0312287344
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carolly Erickson is the bestselling author of many distinguished works of nonfiction and a series of historical entertainments, blending fact and invention. She lives in Hawaii.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely Captures Its Subject, May 14, 2004

By 

Allyn "pianogirl" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II (Hardcover)

Initially, I was wary of reading this book. I thought it had a pretty cover and a relatively intriguing title, but didn't figure that Elizabeth II would be anyone who was fascinating enough to write about. But nonetheless, envisioning a book filled with an agonizingly boring chronicle of this seemingly "deadly dull" woman's life, I began "Lilibet."

And was I ever in for a surprise! Carolly Erickson has done an outstanding job with this biography and completely captured the essence of this queen. The pages keep turning, and it is one of the highest compliments I can give to a biography to say that it "reads" like a good novel-I can certainly say that in this case. Chronicling the Queen's life from birth until 2002, Erickson uses a winning "formula" to ensure a satisfyingly complex character portrait.

Granted, the simple factual matter of "Lilbet" was admirable. Yet other characteristics make "Lilibet" so enjoyable. First, I enjoyed the quotes/testimonials from the queen and others that Erickson used. It sometimes seems in a biography that the quotes chosen are unremarkable and cliche, yet "Lilibet" includes sparklingly memorable quotes from those who know Elizabeth as well as intriguing "morsels" from the queen herself.

Furthermore, "Lilibet" was enhanced by the way English history (and crucial royal family events) were woven into the story line. These happenings are presented to the reader in a clear and interesting manner, and as said, they add richness to the story. Time and time again, Erickson deftly shows how events like the World War 2, the Wallis Simpson incident, and the scandals recently plaguing the royal family played their part in the life of the Queen.

But best of all, the author shows excellent psychological insights during her writing. When I think about why exactly I found this book so fascinating, I realize that it was due in part to the sharply intelligent analysis of Lilibet's character. Erickson does not portray the queen as a "whitened" saint or as a cruel elderly woman-she seems to understand and empathize with the queen's character enough to see both the good and the bad in it.

Solid facts, expert inclusion of history and background information, memorable psychological insight, and just plain an interesting read! What an EXCELLENT biography!

5.0 out of 5 stars Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II, June 5, 2011

By 

summersister_vix - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lilibet : An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II (Hardcover)

The book was in really great condition.
I would recommend this book to anyone
who would like a really great insight
to the REAL Qeen Elizabeth II and why she
is who she is - a very regal lady.

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, January 17, 2004

By 

Judith Noone (Rome, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II (Hardcover)

The trouble with writing about the Windsors is that alot of other people already have. There are a number of things in "Lilibet" that are different, to say the least.

To begin with Ms Erickson mentions that King George, the Queen's grandfather, may have been the one to first call her Lilibet. Other people have said the name came into being because Margaret Rose, her baby sister, couldn't pronounce Elizabeth and it came out as Lilibet. A small thing but somewhat jarring.

Then she says that during the blitz of London, the German planes were steadily declining and the British became stronger. That Churchill's memorable reference to the "few" RAF pilots was effective rehetoric, but a distortion of the military situation.

Another incident was the fire at Windsor Castle. According to Ms Erickson Andrew accompanied the Queen from Buckingham Palace to Windsor. As I understand it Andrew was already there helping people to get the artifacts out of the burning building. If he had truly waited for his mother it would have been too late to save much of anything.

As for Prince Philip, she seems to have done a hatchet job on him. His love affairs have never been proved as she states repeadly. No one has ever come forth. Her theory seems to have been where there's smoke there must be fire.

I have read many of Ms Erickson's biographys. I loved the ones about the Tudors, but then, they are safely dead. This book is interesting, tho. Enjoy!