Books Time – The Uncommon Reader

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Wow, it's been ages since the last time I spoke about books! I did actually read a lot over the past months, and I am writing a post about it. For now, I would really like to talk with you about a delicate, cute book I recently read, The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. What is it about? It is about the Queen, and what might happen if she suddenly fell in love with books.

It is a book far from being a historical or autobiographic work of course, but a simple, ironic novel of fantasy about how Her Majesty the Queen might react to the beauty of reading.

The novel starts with the Queen discovering in the back yard of the Palace a moving library, one of those caravans borrowing books to people interested in them. The Queen approaches the caravan more moved by curiosity than proper interest towards it, and finds there on of the boys working in the kitchens, Norman, who borrows a few books. As she is there, the Queen decides to borrow a book as well, and picks a Ivy Compton-Burnett one.

From that moment on, the Queen starts devouring books. From the Bronte sisters to Proust, from Nancy Mitford to Jean Genet, the Queen gets so involved into books to slightly put aside her duties as a sovereign. That will obviously rise concerns and disapproval from the whole entourage of the Palace, who tries to dissuade her from reading (or at least to read that much) and go back on track with her responsibilities.

The books is lovely and delicate, and one cannot but feel affection for Norman, who soon leaves the kitchen to become the Queen personal book consultant, and the Queen herself, who tries every possible tricks to cut as much time as possible to dedicate to her readings.

Funny fact about the title, it is an expression used to indicate a person who reads for pleasure, and not for work or duty (like a scholar or a critic), but it also indicates those books read in a class for example, which are the reading in common to the whole class.

“Commoner” is also a person other than royalty, and that, according to me, if the cleverest, funniest word play made by the author in regards to the title.

I do strongly suggest you to give this book a go, and then let me know what you think about it.

We're speaking about books very soon again, so stay tuned! Until then, take care

Xx