3: The Uncommon Reader

So, this is the vacation where I'm only reading 10 books, right?  So, this is the first day and I've already read 3, right?  So, I've actually read 4 already today - and it was really sunny and I swam a lot, too.  And I took a trip to the grocery store to pick-up stuff, too.  SO...clearly I'm not keeping this absurd promise.

Anyway, Alan Bennett's book is a gem for book lovers.  I'm a fan of great pagination, and I really have to add that the layout of the last page is a knockout.  I turned the page, and the end of this book hit me right between the eyes.  I'd recreate the wonderful last sentence here, but I'd be afraid that the three of you would be upset with me, as I'd ruin this novella.  Suffice it to say that it's a powerful, wonderful ending that does not, in any way, feel forced.  Bennett has a wonderful way with dialogue and storytelling (I'm a fan of The History Boys) and knows his way around a castle, as well.

One bit I happen to really like is that, as Bennett points out, it's all the fault of the dogs.  And if dogs are to blame, this is my kind of book!  If they hadn't been out around the side of the house, then the Queen herself (yes, the Queen of England, you dumbass) wouldn't have seen the book van and gone in to borrow a book.  It's the fastest, most lovely 120 pages after that, as the Queen goes on a magical journey, rediscovering herself - and the world around her - through her love for books.

Sounds familiar.  Recommended!