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Mrs Queen Takes the Train Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,104 listener ratings
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An absolute delight of a debut novel by William Kuhn - author of Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books - Mrs Queen Takes the Train wittily imagines the kerfuffle that transpires when a bored Queen Elizabeth strolls out of the palace in search of a little fun, leaving behind a desperate team of courtiers who must find the missing Windsor before a national scandal erupts. Reminiscent of Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader, this lively, wonderfully inventive romp takes readers into the mind of the grand matriarch of Britain's Royal Family, bringing us an endearing runaway Queen Elizabeth on the town - and leading us behind the Buckingham Palace walls and into the upstairs/downstairs spaces of England's monarchy.
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"What a totally charming book. Queen Elizabeth II is feeling her age and is understandably depressed. Her beloved mother and her sister died within a month of each other, her children have nearly driven her mad with their escapades, affairs, bad behavior , and divorces, Windsor Castle burned, her royal yacht (where she spent some of her happiest times) has been decommissioned, the royal train is about to go, and the popularity of the monarchy is at an all-time low. It seems that the one bright spot in her life is her increased flexibility brought on by the yoga classes that her son, Prince Edward, pressured her into taking. One afternoon, she impulsively goes over to the Royal Mews to spend some time with her beloved horses. Noticing that the Queen is cold, Rebeccah, who works at the stables, insists that the Queen slip on her hoodie--complete with a skull and crossbones on the back. On her way back into the Palace, two painters, not recognizing the Queen, refuse her entrance through freshly painted doors and the Queen suddenly finds herself outside of the Palace grounds. On an impulse, she decides to travel to Edinburgh, Scotland where the decommissioned Britannia is now a tourist attraction. Who pays attention to a little old lady in a hoodie? Apparently, no one. Trying to prevent the public from discovering that the Queen has apparently run away, the Queen's dresser, a lady-in-waiting, a butler, an enquerry, Rebeccah, and a clerk from a London cheese shop join forces to find the Queen, protect her, and return her to Buckingham Palace before any one realizes that she is gone. Along with the tale of the runaway Queen, the author looks at areas of class and racial tension in modern England as well as tensions between upstairs-downstairs members of the staff, the government and the Royal Family, and the young and the old. Readers who enjoyed The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, as I did, will certainly fall under the spell of this book."
— Judy (5 out of 5 stars)
Mrs Queen Takes the Train Listener Reviews
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" A charming light read. "
— Louise, 2/4/2014 -
" Utterly charming, with a few deliciously sharp edges lurking within. "
— Olivia, 1/31/2014 -
" Bland but pleasant like vanilla pudding. "
— Eleanor, 1/28/2014 -
" Even mentions The Uncommon Reader! "
— Caroline, 1/21/2014 -
" Elizabeth ll goes walkabout. Charming. "
— Carla, 1/11/2014 -
" I love all things British and love reading about the Queen. This book starts off great and then falls apart. I skimmed the last half to find out what happens to everyone. I wouldn't recommend it. "
— Ellen, 1/11/2014 -
" A whimsical novel which imagines the queen as a kind of closet hipster who does yoga, tweets, and wears hoodies. It's a sweet fable if you can actually buy that vision of the queen. "
— Amy, 1/10/2014 -
" Clever and interesting with its facts interwoven into the fiction. "
— Sandy, 1/10/2014 -
" A light, delightful,easy read for those times when you don't want anything too serious :) "
— Christie, 1/1/2014 -
" I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction! A fun, easy read! "
— Rene, 12/17/2013 -
" Loved this book. Charmingly odd and well developed characters. "
— Claudia, 11/30/2013 -
" The perfect book for Anglophiles and lovers of Downton Abbey. Surprising, refreshing, funny. Loved it! "
— Kirsten, 11/23/2013 -
" One of the better books of this genre. "
— Deb, 11/20/2013 -
" Just loved this book. Such a nice story and very well written. Funny and altogether uplifting. "
— Pat, 10/12/2013 -
" It had some wonderful moments... "
— Libraryassistant, 9/14/2013 -
" Very fun listen! "
— Jan, 7/26/2013 -
" What a delight. "
— Laurie, 4/11/2013 -
" Below par. Lacks sophistication, sly wit or dry humor. I'd liken it to a deflated souffle. Alan Bennett's, "The Uncommon Reader" is far superior. "
— Julie, 1/15/2013 -
" Lovely and the odd bits of history and protocol thrown in keep it interesting. "
— Jennifer, 11/11/2012 -
" Incredible in its sweet wit! Fantastically whimsical. Not really a "light" read, but truly witty and sometimes laugh/giggle-out-loud-producing. A truly well-written and almost consciously adorable fictionalized look at Elizabeth. HIGHLY recommended as a happy book. "
— K, 10/31/2012
About William Kuhn
William Kuhn is a biographer and historian, and the author of Reading Jackie, a look at the personality of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis through the books she chose to edit at Viking and Doubleday. His other books include Democratic Royalism, Henry and Mary Ponsonby, The Politics of Pleasure, and Mrs. Queen Takes the Train. Kuhn lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
About Simon Prebble
Simon Prebble, a British-born performer, is a stage and television actor and veteran narrator of some three hundred audiobooks. As one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices, he has received thirty-seven Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie in 2010. He lives in New York.