The Queen

By: Matthew Dennison

Narrated by: Eleanor Bron

An elegant and magisterial new biography of Her Majesty the Queen, tracing the events of a reign that now spans seven decades and evaluating her achievement as a practitioner of monarchy across the entirety of her reign.

For millions of people, both in Britain and across the world, Elizabeth II is the embodiment of monarchy. Her long life spans nearly a century of national and global history, from a time before the Great Depression to the era of COVID-19. Her reign embraces all but seven years of Britain's postwar history; she has been served by 15 UK prime ministers from Churchill to Johnson, and witnessed the administrations of 13 US presidents from Truman to Trump. The vast majority of Britons cannot remember a world without Elizabeth II as head of state and the Commonwealth.

In this brand-new biography of the longest-reigning sovereign in British history, Matthew Dennison traces her life and reign across an era of unprecedented and often seismic social change. Stylish in its writing and nuanced in its judgements, The Queen charts the joys and triumphs as well as the disappointments and vicissitudes of a remarkable royal life; it also assesses the achievement of a woman regarded as the champion of a handful of 'British' values endorsed - if no longer practised - by the bulk of the nation: service, duty, steadfastness, charity and stoicism.

©2021 Matthew Dennison (P)2021 W. F. Howes Ltd

A British perspective

The narration is wonderful which, in my opinion, is almost as important as the story. I’m now a confirmed Eleanor Bron fan and will seek out other books narrated by her. The author is sympathetic to Queen Elizabeth but not sycophantic. He admits errors in judgment and missteps; however, it’s his opinion that she has devoted her life to her understanding of her duty and this biography celebrates her for it. It held my attention all the way through. Highly recommended.