Listen with a huge pinch of salt

I’m not really sure how to summarize his book. There is very little here about the queen mother‘s life. Lots of opinions and gossip. Lots of journeys down speculative roads. I would’ve preferred to hear about the political and social, accomplishments and impact that the queen mother had on her family the country and the world. Having said that the insights that the author gives based on her social connections and interactions with those that knew the queen mother is very interesting and like I said if taken with a pinch of salt, quite entertaining. A little more validation of allegations would have given this book some more clout in its authenticity. It has the feel of a gossiping, name dropping social expose rather than a serious look into the life of the wife and subsequent mother of two monarchs, Which would have provided us with extremely valuable and poignant information.

14 people found this helpful

A Real Person

Being an anglophile, I read everything concerning the Royal Family, English history, English gardens and English architecture. I have read the official biography of the Queen Mother and gave it positive reviews but did not write a review. This book I wanted to because of the negative reviews. One of the items I listen for is the references by an author. If I like a book I will purchase that book for my library for my own reference. Lady Colin Campbell, I feel, did a very thorough writing by referencing what she found thru her many years of research. Yes, part of the references can be hearsay, but the listener wants this too because it gives a well-rounded overall view of the person. Many of us never are given the complete view of history. But when you read as many books on one subject, biographies for me, your view is more complete and in depth. Thus, I would highly recommend this book. The narrator is well chosen, Jennifer M. Dixon. Her melodic voice was perfect for this piece. This is now in my Library both in Audibles and at home.

12 people found this helpful

Pulp - and full of inaccuracies

Author had an agenda and stuck to it. Many wrong facts. I listened all the way through but felt committed.

8 people found this helpful

Drones on and on

This book is painfully long and boring. It may have been tolerable with a different reader. The author very frequently goes off topic to name drop about people she knew but is not related to story. She obviously dislikes Elizabeth the Queen Mother and it was evident all the way through the book. Don’t waste your time.

5 people found this helpful

A gossipy novel about the Queen Mother

As I listened to Lady Campbell's book I wondered if she was attempting to create another she-wolf queen consort of England. The queen she described could be compared to other she-wolf queen consorts: Eleanor of Aquitane and Margaret of Anjou for example who were strong women, stronger than their king husbands.
The Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Lady Campbell describes is narcissistic, manipulative, and extremely controlling. While she may not have had a perfect caring and loving personality, one has to look at her position in life. She was very powerful and used her power to help the people of the UK. She and her husband led the people through the horrors of WWII. They helped people survive and thrive during the Battle of Britian and were bombed along with them. Queen Elizabeth was a smiling tower of strenghth the her people during the was and afterward. In her long widowhood she continued to serve her country and her people. Whatever her motives, she helped people and did not sit back and enjoy the luxurious life to which she was entitled.

Yes this is an untold story of Queen Elizabeth. However, it seems based on gossip not fact. How sad. I suppose there are people who enjoy reading about the deep flaws in famous people. However, if we are to believe Lady Campbell, queen Elizabeth did bot have a authentic, or good bone in her body. She was pure selfishness. As a psychologist, I find this difficult to believe.

4 people found this helpful

Harsh but occasionally interesting

This book was sadly mean-spirited, with an overload of speculation and questionable information. However, it also provided some authentic and substantiated fresh insights... occasionally.
It was a real challenge to listen to the entire book at times because it was so overloaded with unnecessary detailed information about royal and aristocratic bloodlines that it was extremely monotonous.
The author seemed to absolutely prize caustic, (but irrelevant), gossip which often rabbit-trailed away from the ‘story-line’ while peeking through the windows of acquaintances, strangers, and even those who were long dead and buried... most of whom, (both dead & alive), were irrelevant to the life story of the queen mother Elizabeth... having exerted little or no influence over her or her life.

2 people found this helpful

life

I found the book interesting but harsh in personal comments about queen mother .but the book was good little dry in the middle l have re-read so not that bad

1 person found this helpful

Unnecessary information

At one point I felt like I was in a British History class and we were going over family ancestry of 1900 England. Not a book I liked because the author got held up with family connections and jumped around from decade to decade at points. If she would have just focused on Elizabeth it would have been half as long.

Not my favorite Royal book

1 person found this helpful

Excellent but...

I loved everything about this book but one thing: there is no mention of the Queen mum's role in the War Years (WW2). I know the King and Queen's fortitude and presence in the streets of London was an incredible tonic to the morale of Europeans of which were my parents. Otherwise it's a very incisive portrayal of the Queen Mum whom I actually always found a tad not real in my lifetime so this biography put words to my instinctive sense.

Too one sided

Most of her info was from Duchess of Argyll, an intriguing woman, but notorious liar who was channeling the Windsors who hated her. Just seemed like everything, even positive things were painted in the worst light. I did not have a strong feeling for the Queen Mother one way or the other, but it was just so slanted.