A lovely read. The Queen discovers what most of us realized years ago ; that we are really happiest when left to our own devices with a well-written book. An example of one of those books that you try to read slowly to savour its pleasures.

A simple tale of what happens when the Queen of England discovers the joys of reading. Bennett's novella is a delight. The discovery of the wonder that comes from reading books and the attendant worries of never getting to them all is beautifully described. Full of sentences that will resound with any avid reader, Bennett easily brings the behaviours with which many of us are familiar into a royal context. Brief shafts of humour shine through as we follow the Queen through her forays into literature. A short read that will charm anyone that considers themselves a reader.

Totally delightful, yet clever, surprising, and brainy. A small gem!

Convergence: Emilie and I read the Uncommon Reader at the same time without consulting each other. The power of reading, how it affects the queen of England, her entourage, her family and her subjects. Beware! This is what Yann Martel wanted to achieve when he sent books to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Unfortunately Harper was impervious to literature and is still solely concentrating on Canada's economy. We shall regret that shortcoming and shall recommend that novella to whomever needs a little pick me up.

Just re-read this lovely little book. Qn Elizabeth II discovers reading for pleasure and a whole new world opens up for her and for those around her who are somewhat befuddled as to how to handle this new queen. I loved the idea of her discovery of literature after a lifetime of reading official documents. Her reading adventure at age 80 is exciting and inspirational. I loved Bennett's humourous telling of the tale. I can just imagine the behind-closed-doors whispering about the queen and her new obsession and what it might signal.

Just shy of 80, Her Majesty by chance stumbles into the travelling library that visits the palace each week. By obligation rather than interest she checks out a book, and is thrown into a whirlwind love affair with reading. The more she reads, the more the state of the monarchy is literally turned upside down, but she cannot help herself. While on duty with dedications, tours, and ribbon cuttings, she tucks a book away in her hand bag to read in the coach. Her Royal advisors grow worried some as Monarchs are not to be seen as partial for anything, including literacy! However, the Queen finds that reading is like a muscle she wasn’t aware that she had, but now that she exercises it daily she can sift through even Henry James with ease. This is a great story for any book-lover (and royalist) as the Queen grows to realize why reading is so important, not just to her but to anyone – especially world leaders! It is a way to see the world through fresh eyes, and indeed it is addicting. After much consideration, Her Majesty finally came to the realization that reading was her form of soul searching: “You don’t put your life into books. You find it there.”

Excellent! A refreshing read, novel story line and sentence structure where every word counts. I'm surprised this little book is not more widely read.

A charming novella about how reading changes us and allows us to imagine other ways to be alive in the world.

What a lovely piece of fiction. The examination of the addiction to reading and how books change a person was so worth the time. The fact that the person happens to be the Queen is an added bonus. Go get this.

As a book club ,we all enjoyed this book.The writing is so sharp and amusing as well as making us aware of the author's sentiments about some people and situations.It was so appropriate to have read it in the month of the Royal Wedding.Our discussion ranged from the monarchy to the joys of reading and covered much in between