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Queen Mary
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Politics & Activism
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Summary
The official biography of Queen Mary, grandmother of the current queen, originally commissioned in 1959 - with a new foreword by Hugo Vickers.
When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her - unusual for a Queen Consort. Queen Mary's life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers and Queen Mary's personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy's biography was a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.
Long out of print, this new edition of Queen Mary will be accompanied by a new foreword from royal biographer and writer Hugo Vickers.
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What listeners say about Queen Mary
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- flowertoes
- 03-03-21
Absolutely brilliant.y
What a joy to listen to this biography,interesting the whole way through,I really felt I knew Queen Mary as we moved through her life.there are some recent members of the Royal Family..initials H and M. who could take an example from this regal woman...who knew the real meaning of the word duty..not utter selfishness.
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- Debi J
- 18-02-21
Top Notch - Fascinating and Entertaining
I really enjoyed this one. I was thrilled to follow the twists and turns in the fascinating life of Princess May/Queen Mary. She lived a particularly interesting life, and this book allows one to experience some of it.
One little issue that some may have is there are quite a few times when French or German is quoted, for example from a Royal person's correspondence or journal. No English translation is ever given. My rusty school-girl French, and hardly better German, just about allowed me to guess what was meant (I hope!) and in most cases it is not really an issue if one didn't understand at all. But it is a bit of a potential negative for many listeners.
The narrator is very clear and pronounces the numerous names and locations properly (something that many Audible narrators seem to have problems with). A couple of times I wasn't sure whether he was still quoting something or had returned to narrating and this probably should have been made clearer.
I listened to the full length in just a few days because I really couldn't stop! I have always been interested in Victorian-era royalty, but hadn't read much about Queen Mary before. This was exactly what I needed!
Highly recommended. An extremely well narrated book, by an amusing, knowledgable and fascinating author.
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- Bibi Berlin
- 11-01-21
Enjoyed every minute
Beautifully written book and perfectly narrated. Couldn’t recommend more highly to those interested in Royal biographies.