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The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,434 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The King's Speech was written by London Sunday Times journalist Peter Conradi and Mark Logue—grandson of Lionel Logue, whose recently discovered diaries and correspondence contain fascinating details about these true events.
At the urging of his wife, Elizabeth, the Duke of York (known to the royal family as "Bertie") began to see speech therapist Lionel Logue in a desperate bid to cure his lifelong stammer. Little did the two men know that this unlikely friendship—between a future monarch and a commoner born in Australia—would ultimately save the House of Windsor from collapse. Through intense locution and breathing lessons, the amiable Logue gave the shy young Duke the skills and the confidence to stand and deliver before a crowd. And when his elder brother, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry for love, Bertie was able to assume the reins of power as King George VI—just in time to help steer the nation through the dark waters of the Second World War.
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"Listened to this one on audiobook and I'd have to say, I probably enjoyed it more than I would have had I read it in print. Loved this one though! I enjoyed learning about Logue, as I've heard the movie focuses more on the king than Logue. This will likely give me new perspective when I finally see the movie!"
— Kathryn (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Simon Vance…offers such a fluent and silky reading, it’s as if he too, had practiced his speechmaking with Logue. The audiobook’s highlight is the recording of the speech delivered on September 3, 1939. Having been so lavishly informed of the struggles that went into the preparation of the speech, its delivery, the listener hears each pause and intonation with the greatest drama.”
— Publishers Weekly (audio review) -
Simon Vance . . . offers such a fluent and silky reading, it's as if he, too, had practiced his speechmaking with Logue. The audiobook's highlight is the recording of the speech delivered on September 3, 1939. Having been so lavishly informed of the struggles that went into the preparation of the speech, its delivery, the listener hears each pause and intonation with the greatest drama.
— Publishers Weekly Audio Review -
“Narrator Simon Vance delivers an outstanding performance, convincingly evoking the mood and spirit of the era.”
— Library Journal (starred audio review)
Awards
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New York Times bestseller
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Publishers Weekly bestseller
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Library Journal bestseller
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Winner of the 2012 Audie Award
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
The King's Speech Listener Reviews
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" I enjoyed this book. It educated me on the events of the 2nd World War. The friendship between Bertie and Logue was beautiful. "
— Darth, 2/8/2014 -
" Very good book. Provided more background and details than the movie as well treatments for stuttering, gave glimpses into the young Princesses lives. "
— Betsy, 1/22/2014 -
" Much more indepth than the movie although I enjoyed both immensely. A great insight into the Royal Family written with a great amount of pathos. "
— Kerri, 1/12/2014 -
" Not a dramatic as the movie, but a nice story of a friendship. "
— Annie, 12/27/2013 -
" Very interesting story. I really liked the movie (*sigh Colin Firth) and I like biographies, so win-win. Their relationship is fascinating and the letters and notes are great to read. It was an interesting time period anyway and it's a lovely story. "
— Abigail, 12/21/2013 -
" This is a very interesting true story. "
— Artemis, 12/16/2013 -
" I enjoyed the book but that could be because I am in the field of speech-language therapy. I found the book enjoyable on two levels: the first, its portrayal of the impact of speech disorders on a person's life and second, the view of the world and its history at that time. "
— Lori, 12/15/2013 -
" I read this after seeing the movie. The movie was told more from King George's POV, I liked that the book told the story more from the POV of Lionel Logue. "
— Amy, 11/8/2013 -
" I must admit I am glad I saw the film first. However very interesting read "
— Sue, 10/29/2013 -
" the movie was much better "
— LeAnn, 10/28/2013 -
" An interesting companion to the film, filling in a good deal of the before and after. I also found it quite challenging on a spiritual level in that the book clearly shows a commoner in service to the king. I am sure you can see the parallels! "
— Ben, 10/17/2013 -
" It pales in comparison to the movie, providing a lot more detail with a lot less drama. Worth a quick read, though, if the subject interests you. "
— Christine, 9/27/2013 -
" Much more detail about the therapist than the King, but a good back-up to the most excellent movie starring my boyfriend. "
— Rachelle, 6/16/2013 -
" An interesting read, but one of the very few cases in which the film is better! "
— Karyn, 5/19/2013 -
" Interesting- made me want to learn more about King George. "
— Elizabeth, 4/23/2013 -
" very long read...but worth it "
— Lisa, 1/22/2013 -
" This book was enjoyable because I'd just seen the movie. It was interesting to see how the movie timeline and situations were altered from what really happened. If you loved the movie, you will probably find this worth reading or browsing. "
— Jane, 1/4/2013 -
" This is the first time I can say that I liked the movie better. I absolutely loved the movie and I now have a freaking school girl crush on Colin Firth! I read the book just to get some historical facts straight so it was worth the time it took to read it. "
— Elly, 9/18/2012 -
" Delightful! This was actually my first adventure into audio books, and I really enjoyed this one. The history and the context were probably the best part. "
— Mikie, 9/2/2012 -
" Interesting read however, I mistakenly bought this book when I was wanting the actual novel form instead of the full history. Again, I would like to see the movie. "
— Julie, 1/1/2012 -
" I wish I had read this before I saw the movie. I thought this was a very interesting book however, I loved, loved, loved the movie and was therefore a little disappointed in the book as it was written in a much less emotional way than the movie. "
— Irene, 12/15/2011 -
" written by the grandson of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush - :) ), this book picks up where that wonderful, beautiful movie leaves off. An interesting account, taken mainly from correspondence between the king and Logue. "
— Ann, 11/23/2011 -
" OK, people like this, but - no. I'm sorry. My book club read this - I am the only one in the club who reads EVERY BOOK no matter how awful, and - I couldn't read this. I just wasn't feeling it. "
— Hillary, 5/23/2011 -
" I found this book interesting and worth reading, but not a page turner<br/> "
— Sandra, 5/17/2011 -
" This book was enjoyable because I'd just seen the movie. It was interesting to see how the movie timeline and situations were altered from what really happened. If you loved the movie, you will probably find this worth reading or browsing. "
— Jane, 5/11/2011 -
" Had trouble getting started but ended up being a good read. <br/> "
— Jill, 5/10/2011 -
" A great read for history buffs, especially WWII afficionados. "
— Eve, 5/9/2011 -
" The full story of Lionel Logue and King George VI, lovingly recounted by Logue's grandson. "
— Phyllis, 5/8/2011 -
" Very enjoyable. Absolutely loved the movie, and this book added historical detail. Less story format and more fact, it was very informative. "
— Diane, 5/1/2011 -
" Logue's grandson gives us a bigger picture of the relationship and lives of George VI and Logue. "
— Carol, 5/1/2011 -
" An easy read. Enjoyed it. Watched the movie after reading the book. The movie was enjoyable but reading the book before filled in several gaps. "
— Stradivarius517, 4/29/2011 -
" I wish I had read this before I saw the movie. I thought this was a very interesting book however, I loved, loved, loved the movie and was therefore a little disappointed in the book as it was written in a much less emotional way than the movie. "
— Irene, 4/28/2011 -
" Really interesting story of an enduring friendship. Can't wait to see the movie. "
— Dawn, 4/28/2011 -
" I liked it, but I guess I'm not enough of a Royal fever kind of person. It just didn't have that zing of a book that I must own, or really ever read again. "
— Shannon, 4/28/2011
About the Authors
Peter Conradi is a veteran journalist, an editor for the Sunday Times, and the author of several popular biographies, including the critically acclaimed Hitler’s Piano Player. He is also the author of The Red Ripper and Mad Vlad.
Mark Logue, the grandson of Lionel Logue, speech therapist to the Duke of York, is a writer, filmmaker, and the custodian of the Logue Archive.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.