I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. It was a quirky read. There was a whole chapter on the corgis and another entire chapter on people's dreams about the queen, but there was also some interesting information.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth, I’ve been wanting to read a bio of her. But I haven’t been able to steel myself for a hefty, pages and pages long, brick of a book, which they all seem to be. And I wasn’t attracted to the idea of a hagiography, nor to a scandalous tell-all. So when the opportunity to read this unconventional biography arose, it seemed the answer to my prayers. And, for the most part, it was. It ended up being a lengthier read than I’d expected. No surprise, I guess, since Elizabeth R had quite a long life. Instead of a straight year-by-year slog through her 96 years on the field, Brown chose to reveal the Queen’s life through various sideways lenses. It was fairly linear, which helped keep it organized; sometimes funny, sometimes poignant and always affectionate. I did find it to be just a bit too long. For one example, the section on the Royal Yacht, while interesting, was far longer than it needed to be. And, while the first chapter outlining dreams that various people have had about the Queen was fun and clever, the several more chapters about dreams were unnecessary. It drug a good thing out too long. And I didn’t care for the several chapters which were written as if by Elizabeth II herself. Those seemed disrespectful, especially in a book that, as I said before, otherwise treated her with such generosity and warmth. These minor quibbles aside, I really enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to anybody interested in the Royal Family.

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy to review.

It was...interesting. There was a lot of intriguing stories about HM and her world, but I was kind of not expecting all the background information about other things/what was going on in the world at the time as well. I was more thinking it would be a straight book about her, so I found those parts a little bit distracting.

I really needed an introduction to set the stage for this book, I needed more information about why it was written and what the intended output was.

3.5 Stars
I very much enjoyed this author's similarly styled book about The Beatles, so was intrigued to ingest this one about Queen Elizabeth II. This, too, was a delight. The book clocks in at almost 700 pages, crammed with stories about this royal icon's Coronation, The Royal Yacht Brittania, conversations with dignitaries and famous people on meet and greets, her death in 2022 and the worldwide reaction to it...and so much more. Each chapter addresses a topic, so it's helpful to finish the chapter because if you leave it aside and come back to it there's a disorienting effect. It's also possible with this type of book to skim through chapters if you're not particularly interested in that spectrum of royal life discussed. For instance, I've read quite a lot of books on this Queen that covered her Coronation, and there's so much to "talk" about that day. The author really goes into the weeds about random people touched by this event from average Brits having Coronation celebratory lunches in the streets to a young Paul McCartney who won a writing contest with his essay about the new Queen. I was particularly interested in how Queen Elizabeth II conducted her conversations with countless people on meet lines, often using the parting comment "Very interesting!" as a trope to move on to the next person. This voluminous book is chock full of quirky facts to satisfy both the avid and casual royal readers.

Thank you to the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I have been dipping in and out of this book for a couple of months now. It is a delight, you can read a chapter of two when busy and come back later and start again. A delight.

This book is written in an anecdotal style so it is not chronological.
I have been reading many excerpts which led to my request.
It is interesting but far too long.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

111 short chapters do their best to give us chronicles of Queen Elizabeth that we may NOT have heard or been aware of (no small feet indeed). One chapter stood out for me- the topic of the national anthem "God Save the Queen"- go back and look at video of the Queen whenever it was played- she had to suffer thru it for over 50 YEARS, sometimes even multiple times a day. How hard it must have been to keep a look of interest and a smile on her face, while probably thinking 'oh not again!' It's topics like that, that Brown looks into- who were her ACTUAL friends (did she ever really have any?), the story of her US doppelanger, what her corgis were really like. It's the things we may have wanted to know, but never found out about- Brown did his research and found the evidence for these bon mots. History lovers and royalists alike will get lost in this book. It would make a great gift for Christmastime to those fans too!

This book has a lot of detail and is not like a biography. There is much in it about people other than Queen Elizabeth; people who are more or less related to her or in her orbit. I could only read a couple chapters at a sitting so it takes a long time to read. Good as a reference but not a story.

“Q” by Craig Brown offers a unique and engaging exploration of Queen Elizabeth’s life through an unconventional narrative format. Although the structure might surprise some readers, it beautifully captures the multifaceted nature of the Queen’s reign and personality. The book contains a large collection of captivating photos, making it not only informative but also a visual delight. As a lover of Queen Elizabeth, I found this book to be a worthwhile addition to my coffee table collection, combining both historical insights and aesthetic appeal.

I was excited to receive this ARC as I was a fan of Craig Brown already after reading his books on the Beatles and Princess Margaret. His style of examining his subject through a multifaceted lens shines a light on unseen and unrecognized views and opinions that add much needed color to an already fascinating life. I plan on purchasing this title for my library and for my personal collection.

What a charming book! Most biographies start with the subject’s birth (or perhaps their ancestors, if they’re that kind of person). Craig Brown’s take on Queen Elizabeth is not linear, not at all reverent, but is quite respectful. Using some incredible source material (how did he gain access to those letters?), Brown paints a compelling picture of a girl and then a woman who had very little true privacy, had to listen to countless renditions of God Save the Queen, be gracious in the face of endless monotony and somehow, pulled it all off. For ninety-six years. This is a lovely book of reminiscences and vignettes about a woman we all thought we knew.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was born in 1973 and Queen Elizabeth was, without exaggeration, the most consistent thing in my life. Even as a N American, she was always there - on magazine covers, in the news, on the news. Her presence loomed larger than any other person and in many ways, I knew (and know) more about Queen Elizabeth than I knew about my own grandmother who was also born in 1926. Her life and presence were so iconic and consistent that I imagine so many people grieved her loss as I did - someone we never met but felt we partially knew nonetheless.

“No one in human history lived a more chronicled life than the Queen.” - the author.

To ponder that quote is horrifying - I can’t imagine living my life under such a microscope as the working royals have had. Her legacy will live on.

I was thrilled to receive early access to this book, and at 672 pages, what a book it is.

It’s a fascinating look at the most famous woman in the world. - 111 chapters, with numerous photos, history, trivia, quotes about and by. I enjoyed this one very much and it’s a book I’ll be buying for my own bookshelf.

Q: A Voyage Around the Queen is an absolute must for fans, royalists, monarchists, and those interested in history.




Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the DRC

If you love all things royal, this is for you. Fun stories, snippets, anecdotes, quotes, dreams (lots of dreams) about the one and only Queen Elizabeth….if you were waiting for the book on the Queen where Rob Halford from Judas Priest weighs in, well, here’s your book (he was impressed, naturally)!

This book has it all, from long sections on the coronation and her death and funeral to lots of little impressions about the Royal Effect on people famous, infamous and humble (and it really is a thing.). When you keep in mind that “no one in human history lived a more chronicled life’ than the Queen;” we knew what she was doing from the moment she was born to the time of her death. She was photographed every week of her life, generally by hundreds or thousands of people. For NINETY-SIX YEARS. A singular life, for sure, regardless of how you feel about the monarchy, the royal family, etc.

I liked this book. I might have loved it, but it was SIX HUNDRED PAGES long. I read them all, but that was too, too many for most people, and probably not near enough for some. I guess it just depends on whom Brown was aiming toward here. But, a worthy effort, definitely more fun than another boring biography.

Oh, and the corgis? They are awful, and do not give a damn. Just as I suspected.

Delicious, Wicked. Insightful. Compulsively readable, i really enjoyed this book on Queen Elizabeth by the author of 99 Views of Princess Margaret.. Here he employs the same kaleidoscopic approach to the Queen with fruitful results. A mustbfor anyone interested in a fresh view of the Queen