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Product Description
One man saved the British Royal Family in the first decades of the 20th century - amazingly he was an almost unknown, and certainly unqualified, speech therapist called Lionel Logue, whom one newspaper in the 1930s famously dubbed 'The Quack who saved a King'. Logue wasn't a British aristocrat or even an Englishman - he was a commoner and an Australian to boot. Nevertheless it was the outgoing, amiable Logue who single-handedly turned the famously nervous, tongue-tied, Duke of York into the man who was capable of becoming King. Had Logue not saved Bertie (as the man who was to become King George VI was always known) from his debilitating stammer, and pathological nervousness in front of a crowd or microphone, then it is almost certain that the House of Windsor would have collapsed. The King's Speech is the previously untold story of the extraordinary relationship between Logue and the haunted young man who became King George VI, drawn from Logue's unpublished personal diaries. They throw extraordinary light on the intimacy of the two men - and the vital role the King's wife, the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, played in bringing them together to save her husband's reputation and his career as King. The King's Speech is an intimate portrait of the British monarchy at a time of its greatest crisis, seen through the eyes of an Australian commoner who was proud to serve, and save, his King.
From the Back Cover
Lionel Logue was a self-taught and virtually unknown Australian speech therapist. Yet it was this outgoing, amiable man who almost single-handedly turned the nervous, tongue-tied Duke of York into one of Britain's greatest kings after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 over his love for Mrs Simpson. The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy is the previously untold story of the remarkable relationship between Logue and the haunted future King George VI, written with Logue's grandson and drawing exclusively from his grandfather Lionel's diaries and archive. This is an astonishing insight into the House of Windsor at the time of its greatest crisis. Never before has there been such a portrait of the British monarchy seen through the eyes of an Australian commoner who was proud to serve, and save, his King.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 61 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved the film so when I saw there was a book as well I was intrigued. This tells the full story of Lionel Logue and his friendship with the Duke of York/King George VI, from the birth to death of both men. There's lots of fascinating historical and personal details and the book complements the film really well. The Lionel Logue who emerges is quite a different character to the one portrayed by Geoffrey Rush, and the book reinforces what a special story this is. If you enjoyed the film I recommend this book.
115 of 122 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In lieu of being able to watch the movie "The King's Speech" because it hasn't been released yet, I ordered the book by the same name, written by Lionel Logue's grandson, Mark Logue, and his co-author, Peter Conradi. The book is a well-written biography of Australian-born speech therapist Lionel Logue and his work with Britain's Prince Albert when he was Duke of York in the 1920's and continuing on in the 1930's when "Bertie" became King - George VI - in 1936, and then afterward during WW2.
Albert, son of King George V and younger brother of Edward VIII, had developed a stammer during his youth, which made him shy and uncommunicative. As someone who has struggled all my life with a relatively mild stutter, I thought it was good that Mark Logue did not attribute the cause of Bertie's stammer to any one thing. Stuttering is an impediment which seems to arise from both/either physical and psychological reasons and most of the time cannot be properly ascribed to any one thing. In Bertie's case, it was possibly from a difficult youth. He and his siblings were not close to their parents - as was common in those days - and his parents seemed to rather scare him when they were together. A sadistic nanny and the changing of his left-handedness to right may have contributed to his stutter. In any case, he was a man who could not always control his own speech, and he was moving into some situations where he would be called on to speak publicly and to do so often.
After his marriage, Bertie consulted Lionel Logue who had emigrated to England from Australia with his wife and young family and set up a practice in speech therapy in London's Harley Street. After much practice, Bertie was able to give speeches, but he depended on Lionel Logue's continued help as he became king - first in peacetime and then in wartime. The many speeches by radio that George was called on to make in the 25 or so years of his rule were always difficult for him, but Logue's work made them bearable to the king. Logue and George VI became friends - of a sort - because of their work together.
Mark Logue and Peter Conradi were able to look through Lionel Logue's case files and put together a very good record of Logue's work with George VI. Whether Lionel Logue "saved the monarchy" is a bit in doubt, but he did give confidence and success to the George VI when he - and the nation and the Commonwealth - needed it the most.
A note to the authors, Wallis Simpson was from Maryland, not Pennsylvania.
Albert, son of King George V and younger brother of Edward VIII, had developed a stammer during his youth, which made him shy and uncommunicative. As someone who has struggled all my life with a relatively mild stutter, I thought it was good that Mark Logue did not attribute the cause of Bertie's stammer to any one thing. Stuttering is an impediment which seems to arise from both/either physical and psychological reasons and most of the time cannot be properly ascribed to any one thing. In Bertie's case, it was possibly from a difficult youth. He and his siblings were not close to their parents - as was common in those days - and his parents seemed to rather scare him when they were together. A sadistic nanny and the changing of his left-handedness to right may have contributed to his stutter. In any case, he was a man who could not always control his own speech, and he was moving into some situations where he would be called on to speak publicly and to do so often.
After his marriage, Bertie consulted Lionel Logue who had emigrated to England from Australia with his wife and young family and set up a practice in speech therapy in London's Harley Street. After much practice, Bertie was able to give speeches, but he depended on Lionel Logue's continued help as he became king - first in peacetime and then in wartime. The many speeches by radio that George was called on to make in the 25 or so years of his rule were always difficult for him, but Logue's work made them bearable to the king. Logue and George VI became friends - of a sort - because of their work together.
Mark Logue and Peter Conradi were able to look through Lionel Logue's case files and put together a very good record of Logue's work with George VI. Whether Lionel Logue "saved the monarchy" is a bit in doubt, but he did give confidence and success to the George VI when he - and the nation and the Commonwealth - needed it the most.
A note to the authors, Wallis Simpson was from Maryland, not Pennsylvania.
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Concentrating on the relationship between Lionel Logue, Australian speech therapist, and the then Duke of York - soon to be King on the abdication of his brother - this is a truly remarkable read. The book allows for more detail of Lional Logue's early life, his family and his work than the film can. Like the film, though, the real basis for the book is the relationship between Logue and the King and the help he gave him in overcoming his stammer when giving speeches. Having visited many specialists and failed to obtain help the, then Duke, was understandably sceptical that Logue would be able to help him. As he, obviously, had to do a lot of public speaking, the issue was absolutely vital to him. The book itself asks what Logue did that was different to what other specialists had suggested. It seemed to me, in reading the book, that a lot of the help was given in supporting and giving confidence and in helping to re-write speeches to avoid difficult phrases and words that could cause him to hesitate or stammer. For whatever reason, the two men hit it off and Logue demanded that his new patient come to him, perhaps to involve effort in his own therapy and give it an importance that might not have been there if Logue had visited him on home ground. Later, when the Duke became King, this changed, but the initial meetings (and there were many) helped bring the stammer under control. Logue seemed to be permanently on hand - whether at the Coronation or for Christmas speeches and he obviously had an important role to play. This is an extremely interesting read and adds much to the story in detail and background.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Finding a voice
This is a review of the audiobook, which I listened to before I saw the film.
I could happily have heard another hour of this absorbing story of barriers being crossed... Read more
I could happily have heard another hour of this absorbing story of barriers being crossed... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Lulu
Not what you'd expect. But in a good way.
It's actually quite surprising, surveying my fellow reviewer's words, how many of them haven't stopped to think about this play within the context of its production. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stuart Burns
The Kings Speech
Had seen the film so was interested on reading the book. The book gave a much deeper insight into the man who was Lionel Logue. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by DancingQueen31
The King's Speech
I read this book before watching the film. It's an excellent biography, written by Mark Logue who is the grandson of Lionel Logue, the man who helped George VI overcome his... Read more
Published 1 month ago by louisefrank
Excellent
I loved the film. It's hard to believe that it came out just over a year ago now and yet so much of the story still sticks in my mind, especially the gratuitous swearing scene. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Clarke
A high quality biog and a potted history in one
When I first heard of this I was immediately worried that it would be a run-of-the-mill biography of King George VI, much of which we would have heard before, merely peppered with... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Huw Davies
You've seen the film... now hear the book
An enjoyable adjunct to the phenomenally successful film of the same story. You won't learn anything new, but it is a good 'add on', and pleasant to listen to while driving. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Self-help junkie
A great listen, particularly for fans
I watched the film and then read the book before listening to this and *I still* enjoyed it. The voice acting is great and brings the book to life. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Majid
King's Speech Book review
Very good book, have not seen the film yet. However the bok was written after the film was finished using diaries from the speech therapist, discovered after the film was made. Read more
Published 7 months ago by G. N. Hewitt
The book of the film?
Not sure which came first - the book or the film. I have seen the one and read the other. both with much pleasure. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Kit Stephens
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