Counting One's Blessings
11 October 2012Imprint: Macmillan
Synopsis
One of the revelations of William Shawcross's official biography of the Queen Mother was her private correspondence. Indeed the Sunday Times described her letters as 'wonderful ... brimful of liveliness and irreverence, steeliness and sweetness.'
Queen Elizabeth was a prolific correspondent from her earliest childhood and her letters offer readers a vivid insight into the person behind the public face. They...
Details
11 October 2012524 pages
9780230767416Imprint: Macmillan
Reviews
With correspondents ranging from Kenneth Clark to Osbert Sitwell, as well as her parents-in-law, daughters and eldest grandson, the Queen Mother's selected letters - collated by her official biographer, William Shawcross - are seldom dull . . . [Counting One's Blessings] provides a study of maturing character against the background of great eventsThe Times Literary Supplement
A fascinating, provocative first-hand glimpse into another world . . . Elizabeth clearly delights in her friends, and is charmingly quick to offer assistance, take an interest in others' lives, and have a laugh at her own expense . . . Read [Counting One's Blessings] for the sheer entertainment valueHeather Horn, The Atlantic
One of the most appealing aspects of the Queen Mother was her zest for life to the end - her passion for the arts, horse racing, foreign travel and whizzing round the country in helicopters. She cared nothing about money; even the Queen complained wryly about her extravagance. 'There's something about her that's kept very young, ' Ted Hughes wrote . . . [Counting One's Blessings is] expertly edited and introduced by William ShawcrossSarah Bradford, Literary Review
