Sunday, March 02, 2008

Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
We find Queen Elizabeth II in a mobile library van in pursuit of her runaway corgis and into the reflective, observant life of an avid reader. Guided by Norman, a former kitchen boy and enthusiast of gay authors, the queen gradually loses interest in her endless succession of official duties and learns the pleasure of such a common activity.

With the dawn of her sensibility... mistaken for the onset of senility, plots are hatched by the prime minister and the queen's staff to dispatch Norman and discourage the queen's preoccupation with books. Ultimately, it is her own growing self-awareness that leads her away from reading and toward writing, with astonishing results.

I listened to this novella on CD in the car - it is only 3 CD's plus it is read by the author. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a hoot!