Book Review: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - Page 2

The Queen’s staff and handlers are concerned about this new obsession, which seems a little selfish and elitist. A battle breaks out behind the scenes, with everyone from the Prime Minister to the lowest servants involved in the resulting fray. Bennett is especially good at probing the subtle ways in which reading a book can cause irritation and an unexpected backlash. Any book lover who has encountered hostility from family and friends aimed at this seemingly harmless pastime will appreciate these pages.

But can all this end happily? What if the Queen decides that reading books is all good fun, but it might even be better to write one? Certainly this cannot bode well for her hangers-on? Bennett pulls it all together in the end, and concludes The Uncommon Reader with a sly, surprise ending that admirably caps a top-notch tale.

Article Author: Ted Gioia

Ted Gioia is a writer and musician. He is the author of Delta Blues, The History of Jazz and, most recently, The Birth (and Death) of the Cool. You can follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tedgioia.

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