As a "man who supposedly trades in throwaway wisecracks", you wouldn't think the satirist Craig Brown would be the person to "tell us something thought-provoking, perhaps even deep, about monarchy", said Stephen Smith in The Observer. Yet in his glorious new book – a follow-up to similar works about Princess Margaret and the Beatles – that's exactly what he does.
Brown has hoovered up virtually everything ever written about Elizabeth II – decades-old newspaper reports, the "memoirs of courtiers, flunkies and hangers-on" – and out of this material has crafted 112 thematic chapters, focused on everything from the Queen's love of horse racing to the dreams people have had about her. (The oddest belongs to Paul Theroux, who imagined "her nipples cool against my ears".)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Brown devotes a chapter to the "brisk dispatch with which she would terminate conversations". "How very interesting," she'd intone, before moving on. As much as this "wonderfully readable" book is about the Queen, it is also "about ourselves as a nation, reflected and refracted through our own relationships with one person".
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
What are the best investments for beginners?The Explainer Stocks and ETFs and bonds, oh my
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st century
in depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
A thrilling foodie city in northern JapanThe Week Recommends The food scene here is ‘unspoilt’ and ‘fun’
-
Tourangelle-style pork with prunes recipeThe Week Recommends This traditional, rustic dish is a French classic
-
Samurai: a ‘blockbuster’ display of Japan’s legendary warriorsThe Week Recommends British Museum show offers a ‘scintillating journey’ through ‘a world of gore, power and artistic beauty’
-
BMW iX3: a ‘revolution’ for the German car brandThe Week Recommends The electric SUV promises a ‘great balance between ride comfort and driving fun’
-
Mail incoming: 9 well-made products to jazz up your letters and cardsThe Week Recommends Get the write stuff
-
Arcadia: Tom Stoppard’s ‘masterpiece’ makes a ‘triumphant’ returnThe Week Recommends Carrie Cracknell’s revival at the Old Vic ‘grips like a thriller’
-
My Father’s Shadow: a ‘magically nimble’ love letter to LagosThe Week Recommends Akinola Davies Jr’s touching and ‘tender’ tale of two brothers in 1990s Nigeria
