Author: Wendy Holden
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Brief Summary:
The book is a fictionalized account of the childhood of Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret, as seen through the eyes of their governess, Marion Crawford. In essence, it is Marion's story as much, or perhaps more than the royal family. It tells of the young Marion's (soon dubbed "Crawfie") employment by the Duke and Duchess of York, years before they were to rise to the heights of King and Queen.
Marion is quite reluctant to take the position, having intended to devote her life to the city's poorest of children, the street urchins, and the homeless population. She felt that this was her heartfelt calling, and had no desire to be ensconced with spoiled princesses. She never counted on those same princesses winning her heart. For the love of them, she gave her all. Sometimes, however, as Marion would soon learn, one's 'all' may not be enough in the end.
Here is what Goodreads had to say:
My take:Sunday Times bestselling author Wendy Holden brings to life the unknown childhood years of one of the world’s most iconic figures, Queen Elizabeth II, and reveals the little-known governess who made Britain’s queen into the monarch we know today.
In 1933, twenty-two-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring their Royal Highnesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she brings some doses of normalcy into the sheltered and privileged lives of the two young princesses.
At Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral, Marion defies oppressive court protocol to take the girls on tube trains, swimming at public baths, and on joyful Christmas shopping trips at Woolworths. From her ringside seat at the heart of the British monarchy, she witnesses the upheaval of the Abdication and the glamour and drama of the 1937 Coronation.
During the war, as Hitler’s Heinkels fly over Windsor, she shelters her charges in the castle dungeons (not far from where the Crown Jewels are hidden in a biscuit tin). Afterward, she is there when Elizabeth first sets eyes on Philip. But being beloved governess and confidante to the Windsor family has come at a cost. She puts her private life on hold until released from royal service following Princess Elizabeth’s marriage in 1947.
In a majestic story of love, sacrifice, and allegiance, bestselling novelist Holden shines a captivating light into the years before Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, as immortalized on the popular television series The Crown.
I am a self-confessed Anglophile, so this book was one I greatly enjoyed. The author really bought the character to life and gave a little (albeit fictionalized) peek behind the proverbial curtain. She captured the true essence of the time period as well, which I found quite commendable.
Perhaps what impressed me most was the way she 'humanized' people that are far-too-often put on a golden pedestal. She did not shy away from pointing out flaws, especially in the main characters. Even though it was history, it read like the novel it was meant to be. I highly recommend this one!
