But the take-away from The Uncommon Reader, for me, was much more about the motivations, implications, and pitfalls of reading. The novella is tightly written and rises rapidly to a sliding-doors conclusion that I will leave you to discover for yourself. “You don’t put your life into your books. She lends him books on the history of the Middle East: enjoy the side-eye.

I will never catch up”.īennett invents also Regina’s regular talks with the Prime Minister – never named, but the novel is set very definitely in the early- to mid-2000s – and there are some delicious lines to savour in their conversations. He also gives us a glimpse into her hopelessness, shared at some time by every reader: “ The sheer endlessness of books outfaced her … I have started too late. Through discovery of new authors, a variety of genres, and efforts to share her new love of reading with her loyal subjects she encounters on her official visits, Bennett takes us on the voyage of Liz’s discovery. “ I read, I think, because one has a duty to find out what people are like” – Bennett imagines Queenie’s sense of obligation extending even into this new pleasure, but as he says, “ books did not care who was reading them or whether one read them or not”. Done whether for information or for pleasure, to expand horizons or to escape reality – everyone has their own motivation. The Uncommon Reader is, as much as anything, an extended musing on the nature and function of reading.

“All readers were equal, herself included” She calls him her amanuensis, or literary assistant. He is often sent to procure a book’s sequel, or to find a novel referenced in the pages of the Queen’s current read. Norman – he of the library van – is promoted to position of page Upstairs in the palace, as he alone understands her literary love. Quickly, and to the dismay of her staff, the Queen’s love of reading blooms and begins to edge out everything else, both pleasure and duty. The following week the Queen returns to the mobile library van and takes out a new book – Nancy Mitford this time, The Pursuit Of Love ( “novels seldom came as well-connected as this … the mother in law of another sister was my mistress of the robes”). Here also in the van she encounters Norman for the first time, a gangly kitchen porter from her own staff, who comes to figure prominently in the tale. The librarian recovers quickly from his shock, even able to answer her questions ( “have you come far?” … “Only from Westminster, ma’am”) and stamps out the book she chooses to borrow. Bennett’s imagined premise is that Queen Elizabeth II, out on a walk around Buckingham Palace grounds with her corgis, comes across a mobile library van, and decides on a whim to pop in.

At around 120 pages, it’s a quick read and in fact I re-read it in just a couple of hours in prep for this post.

The uncommon reader book review