Customer Reviews

A Year with the Queen

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I suppose I can understand why a prior poster would label the life of the Queen and her family as 'small talk'. It is difficult for those of us who are American to understand the significance of the continuity of the British royal family, even in this year of elections over here. Unlike the house of Orange in the Netherlands, the Queen is sworn to work for her country until she dies. Not a burden many of us would choose, regardless of all the finery.

Most of us will live our lives in anonymity, and the ability to do what we want, when we want, without much public scrutiny. That this woman hasn't had a day of privacy since childhood is indeed an amazing concept in this day where any obligation, even marriage, is taken lightly.

This is an excellent insight into the amount of work the Queen and family perform, certainly not just 'small talk'. Would only that our politicians could turn out the same amount!

I am an avid royal watcher and my personal library contains well over 30 books and DVDs, plus over 20 year's worth of Majesty magazines on the British royal family. While I haven't kept every book I've ever read on this subject, this book is definitley a keeper. It is my new favorite. This is because it gives the reader a "fly-on-the-wall" look at some of the events that mark the royal calendar. While there are other books and videos that have done this in the past, none have ever done it as well.

The book describes how each member of the royal family helps to support the Queen; contains interviews with some of the less well known members of the royal family such as the Duke of Gloucester; goes behind the scenes to give the reader an idea of what goes into planning and preparing for a royal event; explains the honors system; and provides quotes of the various people who either work for the Queen or are about to meet her, and their impressions afterward. The book also invites the reader to one of the Queen's tea parties and makes the reader feel as though they are right there. None of the books or videos I own have given such a comprehensive peak into the inner workings of what life is like behind the palace walls.

This is just a quick overview of the book's contents, but the book is easy to read and contains great photographs. I can't lavish enough praise for this book.

This is a pleasing adjunct to what is being broadcast now on our national broadcasting network - the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) with the last 2-hour instalment being aired on February 24th.

The cover photograph by Annie Liebovitz is STUNNING and the tale behind that photographic session is quite amusing. Annie really got to like HM's feistiness and frankness - after all she is a Taurus - and even stood up to that sometimes bossy woman - Leibovitz I mean, NOT HM. But Ms. Leibovitz got the results she wanted except for having The Queen being mounted on a horse in Garter robes in one of Buckingham Palace's drawing rooms. What WAS she thinking?

THe State Visit to Washington was intriguing to see and the preparations were exhaustive. Even President Bush's comments showed him to be almost human and he appears to have really like and actually admired our Queen of Canada (by law). Laura Bush got her white-tie dinner with the Queen of England and more power to her, even if President Bush looked a bit uncomfortable at times.

Some of the photos reproduced are a bit fuzzy as if improperly scanned or from secondary or tertiary sources but, for the most part, the photos are crystal clear.

Having been to Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland they really do put on a show and serve a nice tea. The lemon tarts are to die for.

This is the perfect book to accompany the television series and you can rest assured that when the DVD of it comes out I will buy it posthaste.

An enjoyable read, if not overly scholarly, but then it was designed for a mass audience and for that it does RObert Hardman much credit. The appendices are helpful and will explain much to the American reader.

Much recommended and an enjoyable read.

Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA

It was a great book, and I really enjoyed what goes on behind the scenes to get the Queen or other members of the Royal Family for engagements, cermonies, etc.

However, the author got a few facts wrong when he wrote about the recent state visit to the U.S. To begin with, (1) Virgina Tech is a university, not a college. (2) The Queen's bedroom in the White House was called that after the Queen Mother stayed in that room,at the White House, with her husband (George VI) in the late 1930's. (3) The calbarias (is that how you spell it?) that the Queen gave when she was Princess Elizabeth, they have been on that mantle since the TRUMAN era, not the Kennedy era.

Also, I would have loved seen how the people at the Kentucky Derby got things ready for the Queen's visit.

Great book! From the colorful photography to the amusing, easy-to-read text, this book is a delight to read. It takes the mundane routine of the monarch and makes it interesting, all while providing an up-close, behind-the-scenes account of the life of this extraordinary woman whose life and reign span more than 80 years of modern history.

A Year with the Queen, by Robert Hardman

I spent all day immersed in this book, and didn't put it down until I had read every page. I've always been curious about the Queen of England - and always been curious about what, exactly, she does. This book attempts to answer that question.

"A Year with the Queen" is meant to accompany the BBC television documentary of the same name, which I have not seen, so my opinions are based solely on the information in the book. I get the feeling that there is much more information in the documentary.

But that aside, "A Year with the Queen" is a great standalone book, that gives insight into England's monarchy. I'd describe this book as lush - something to be enjoyed slowly. The glossy photographs, book design, fonts, and additional information sections made this book a complete package - pleasant to look at, as well as enjoyable to read.

There are fun facts scattered throughout - for example, did you know that if someone in the line of succession marries a Roman Catholic, they're out? I did not. Or did you know that each invitation sent out from the palace is handwritten? Or did you know that the Queen awards 2,500 honors to deserving people each year? The book is full of facts like that, facts that go toward answering just what it is that the Queen does.

I would have liked to see a little more input from the Queen herself referenced in the book. But I think the author does an overall great job in keeping a balance between giving information and keeping a veneer of privacy on the monarchy - as he explains in the introduction, part of reverence towards the monarchy is from the mystery surrounding them. I'm personally going to use this book as a springing off point for continued reading. Even while I read "A Year with the Queen," I kept my computer handy so I could look up some of the people and places that were mentioned.

4/5.

This marvellous book chronicles a year in the life of the British Royal family and accompanies the brilliant BBC series. It encompasses the work and leisure time of the major figures in the family and quite a bit of the works of the more junior members also. The reader is privy to meetings with heads of state, the British Prime Minister and delegations from overseas countries, and may enjoy many photographs which have never before been seen. I especially enjoyed it as a coffee table book, picking it up and delving into it at the odd moment and loved it so much that I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to keep up with what's happening to the Queen and her family.

This book is a companion to the PBS series from several years ago.It is a good addition to the series if you have it or have seen all or parts of it. The book itself is photographed beautifully and the text is a good read.Definately a book to be looked at and re-looked at for many years to come.Funny, with all the fuss Annie Leibovitz seemed to cause at the "shoot", it is one of her pic's that made the cover. She makes the Queen look beautiful and regal.Hopefully,the Queen is appreciative of Annie's talent.

I bought this as well as the DVD. I found this book to be interesting, innformative, and surprisingly candid.

This is a lavish book, and, by its presentation and style, as well as

its text, it reflects the royal life-style excellently.

This is a companion book to "Majesty -- The Royal Family At Work". Both it and the DVD do show that the Royals do not just sit back and sip tea all day long. Although they have the best, in transportation, clothing, etc., their schedules can be very hectic. No -- they do not dig ditches for a living -- but they really do work very hard...and this book shows how, and why.

The only thing I have against this beautiful book, with its lavish paper stock, and lovely photographs, is the text size. It is SO small! I doubt that even the Queen could read it without glasses. For a book of this type, with everything else so grand inside it, the few extra pages, that larger-size print would have mandated, should not have been left out!