The Queen: The Life and Family of Queen Elizabeth II

Description

Biographer and novelist A. N. Wilson, whose most recent work on the life of Queen Victoria was an enormous critical and commercial success, turns his clear eye to our own Queen, Elizabeth II, as she turns 90. In this unusual and vibrant examination of the life and times of Britain's most iconic living figure, Wilson considers the history of the monarchy, drawing a line between Victoria, the murder of the Romanovs, and the bloody history of Europe in the twentieth century, examining how and why the Royal Family has survived. He paints a vivid portrait of 'Lilibet' the woman, and of her reign, throughout which she has remained stalwart, unmoving, a trait some regard as dullness, but which Wilson argues is the key to her survival. He outlines the case for a Republic, arguing that this will almost certainly happen at some point after her reign is at an end, and probably begin in the Commonwealth. In part historical overview, but with a keen eye to the future, A. N. Wilson writes with his signature warmth, intelligence and humour, celebrating the life of the Queen and her role as figurehead of Britain and the Commonwealth, while asking candidly whether we can remain a constitutional monarchy.

A. N. Wilson grew up in Staffordshire and was educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is a prolific and award-winning biographer and celebrated novelist. He lives in North London.

This superb revisionist biography is the book that he was born to write. Wilson clearly loves and admires his subject, but this is a critical biography - funny, insightful, original and authoritative. At last Victoria has been rescued from her widow's weeds. -- Review for Victoria * Spectator * Subtle, thoughtful ... a shimmering and rather wonderful biography. -- Review for Victoria * Guardian * A. N. Wilson brings his novelist's perception and immense knowledge of the era to his effervescent biography of the tiny woman (4ft 11in) who ruled Britain for 61 years... This won't be the last biography of Victoria but it is certainly the most interesting and original in a long time. -- Review for Victoria * Sunday Times * Ninety-five years ago, the standard was set by Lytton Strachey's lucid and moving Queen Victoria but A. N. Wilson has now raised the bar... And what a pity she never met A. N. Wilson: she shines in his company ... in [this] expansive and victorious book. -- Review for Victoria * Daily Telegraph * [Wilson] is affectionate without being reverential... A refreshing palate cleanser * The Times * The clear-eyed biographer sets his sights on our monarch in this unusual examination of life and times of HM The Queen * Britain magazine *