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The book is a skimming-stone biography – the story of a life without the boring bits – and a travel guide to a world that no longer exists. Cecil Beaton, the photographer, once described Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as a marshmallow made on a welding machine. The author clearly has an affection for the Queen Mother, but this is definitely not a saccharine-loaded memoir. Following a disappointing portrayal in each season of "the Crown", the Queen Mother comes alive on the pages of this anecdotal autograph. We know their names; King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, Prince (now King) Charles, Princess Diana, and Prince William.
She and Winston Churchill are given honors for keeping the spirit of England encouraged during the years of the blitz of London. Russell’s wide variety of anecdotes, especially from people that have not been interviewed before, set this biography apart. It is clear that she really enjoyed an intense drink quite regularly and the way that she forced guests to imbibe was also quite entertaining to read about.This book is a totally delightful, humorous, and compelling collection of 101 vignettes about the Queen Mother during her lifetime. Elizabeth would try and intercept the postman each morning, just in case there were any unwanted telegrams for them. He is the author of "Young and Damned and Fair," "The Ship of Dreams" (A Daily Telegraph Best History Book, 2019) and "Do Let's Have Another Drink" (A Times Book of the Year, 2022).
She was sneered at (behind her back) for her weight, her perceived common touch, her perpetual smile (described as a grin, and giving rise to the nickname of Grinners), and her husband. However, these minor shortcomings do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment and informative nature of the book. However, after the war and the death of her husband she continued her years of service to the crown and her daughter, the Queen. Her own very privileged upbringing meant she wasn't that awed by the luxury of the royal lifestyle, and she knew it would be a near total loss of freedom for her.Even though I've watched The Crown, The King's Speech and been alive for decades of her life, I really didn't know that much about her.
This is not a traditional biographical book, so if you do not know a great deal about Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the Queen Mother, I would recommend starting with a different book. With 101 anecdotes that span the 101 years of the Queen Mother's life, it was like walking through history through the narrow (euro-centric, aristocratic) window of one person's life. The Queen Mother, who died in 2002 at the age of 101, led a fascinating life where she encountered many of the well-known people of the day. As Queen of England and later the Queen Mother, we see her tenacity and humorous side emerge as Elizabeth could be herself.Those in their fifties might say that the life and death of Diana created an unprecedented media storm. If you watch The Crown , none of this wit and fizz makes an appearance, which is a shame (if watch The Crown got should also listen to this, I beg of you). Russell does a magnificent job telling the story of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother thoughtfully and engagingly. William Shawcross’ biography is a time investment for sure…) However, Russell chose 101 different anecdotes from Elizabeth’s life to highlight her wit and levity. The book rightly celebrates her sense of humour but also explores her enmities and feuds, including the truth about her behaviour towards Wallis Simpson, Nerissa Bowes-Lyon and Diana, Princess of Wales.
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