A Brief Life of the Queen is a succinct, personal and beautifully illustrated biography of Elizabeth II, who has managed to remain an enigma, despite being the most recognised woman in the world. For more than thirty years Robert Lacey has been gathering material from the members of the Queen's inner circle - her friends, relatives, private secretaries and prime ministers - and the results are distilled in this elegant hardback which marks the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Tracing her life through its major stages, and uncovering her greatest personal loves and trials, A Brief Life of the Queen offers the freshness of the first-hand insights and compelling storytelling for which Robert Lacey's best-selling biographies are renowned.
A Brief Life of the Queen
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
Robert Lacey is the King of royal biographers --Kitty Kelley
A unique insight… Respected for the depth and extend of his research and contacts, Robert Lacey knows arguably more about the Queen than any other commentator writing today --Daily Mail
Robert Lacey makes you feel like you're right there, in the palace, in the castle --Vanity Fair
A unique insight… Respected for the depth and extend of his research and contacts, Robert Lacey knows arguably more about the Queen than any other commentator writing today --Daily Mail
Robert Lacey makes you feel like you're right there, in the palace, in the castle --Vanity Fair
About the Author
Robert Lacey is a British historian noted for his in-depth research and page-turning narrative style. He is the author or the several international bestsellers including Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor, The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Saud and Great Tales from English History.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By G. Russell
Format:Hardcover
A short but succinct life of the current Sovereign, Robert Lacey's book is beautifully illustrated and a sympathetic approach to the life of Elizabeth II. A few members of the Royal Family, namely the current Prince of Wales, do not emerge too well from Lacey's narrative and he doesn't gloss over the Queen's rage at her courtiers' advice during the weeks after Princess Diana's death in 1997, but overall this is a fast-moving and convincing biography of one of the most successful leaders of the modern age.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Yes, it's short, the title is A Brief Life of the Queen. Author Robert Lacey tells us up front that it's an introduction to the Queen and her family and it's meant to be read in a single afternoon, a few hours at most. He's written longer, more detailed books about the Royal Family, and this 157-page book is based on that earlier research.
In advance of the Diamond Jubilee, I wanted to read one book about the Queen, but I didn't care about a lot of detail, and I definitely did not want a fawning hagiography. This book was just the ticket.
We get a quick bio of the Queen and even quicker profiles of her immediate family. There's not a lot of gossip, because when it comes to the Queen herself, there isn't any. On the other hand, her family is a wealth of scandal and gossip, and Charles, in particular, gets a rough ride in this book, but not undeserved.
Despite the brief nature of the book, there is enough here to make some interesting observations about the Queen. You would think that in 21st century Britain, it would not be important for the monarch to have leadership skills. And Elizabeth doesn't have any. If she leads at all, it's only by example. So when the public didn't follow her subdued example of private mourning, and were outraged that she failed to show an adequate amount of public grief over Diana's death, she took Tony Blair's and Alistair Campbell's advice to go on television. And when her children have failed to imitate her conservative and scandal-free lifestyle, she finds herself powerless.
There are plenty of photos and Lacey has accomplished his goal of providing this reader, at least, of a single afternoon's pleasant reading.
In advance of the Diamond Jubilee, I wanted to read one book about the Queen, but I didn't care about a lot of detail, and I definitely did not want a fawning hagiography. This book was just the ticket.
We get a quick bio of the Queen and even quicker profiles of her immediate family. There's not a lot of gossip, because when it comes to the Queen herself, there isn't any. On the other hand, her family is a wealth of scandal and gossip, and Charles, in particular, gets a rough ride in this book, but not undeserved.
Despite the brief nature of the book, there is enough here to make some interesting observations about the Queen. You would think that in 21st century Britain, it would not be important for the monarch to have leadership skills. And Elizabeth doesn't have any. If she leads at all, it's only by example. So when the public didn't follow her subdued example of private mourning, and were outraged that she failed to show an adequate amount of public grief over Diana's death, she took Tony Blair's and Alistair Campbell's advice to go on television. And when her children have failed to imitate her conservative and scandal-free lifestyle, she finds herself powerless.
There are plenty of photos and Lacey has accomplished his goal of providing this reader, at least, of a single afternoon's pleasant reading.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By AJC
Format:Hardcover
I enjoyed the book about the Queen, but I was disappointed that her Majesty's date of birth was wrong, especially when the author has written numerous books about the Queen.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > British Royalty
- Books > Biography > Historical > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > Royalty
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
