Synopses & Reviews
An absolute delight of a debut novel by William Kuhn - author of Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books - Mrs Queen Takes the Train wittily imagines the kerfuffle that transpires when a bored Queen Elizabeth strolls out of the palace in search of a little fun, leaving behind a desperate team of courtiers who must find the missing Windsor before a national scandal erupts. Reminiscent of Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader, this lively, wonderfully inventive romp takes readers into the mind of the grand matriarch of Britain's Royal Family, bringing us an endearing runaway Queen Elizabeth on the town - and leading us behind the Buckingham Palace walls and into the upstairs/downstairs spaces of England's monarchy.
Review
"Royal watchers and students of class alike will enjoy this smart, if familiar, tale." - Publishers Weekly
Review
Earphones Award Winner. ""Simon Prebble gives an impeccable performance in this story about Queen Elizabeth's spontaneous and unescorted journey on a train, which throws the staff of the Royal Household into chaos... Prebble's pacing with the Queen's soft-spoken, intentional speech is spot-on, as are his flawless transitions from one character's accent to the next. His intentionally exaggerated American and Indian accents and his rendering of the subtle differences between various English accents make a charming story even more entertaining. A sweet treat for Anglophiles."" - AudioFile Magazine
3 out of 4 stars. ""...light comedy, romance, and royal sensibilities, mixed with subplots touching on aging, political correctness and respect for sexual preferences, make for a delightful escape. We can only hope there are more train rides in Her Majesty's future."" - USA Today
""Royal watchers and students of class alike will enjoy this smart, if familiar, tale."" - Publishers Weekly
""Kuhn does a convincing job of inhabiting the heads of his characters, crowned or not. ... An affectionate, sympathetic but also unstinting look at the woman inside the sovereign."" - Kirkus Reviews
""...a witty, contemporary story of the Downton Abbey-esque tensions between servants and employers, the young and the old, and tradition and modernity."" - Glamour
""...a delightful read, a bit of fiction (the train journey) set into nonfiction (everything else), and a sly look at how the monarchy is changing along with - or maybe two beats behind - the rest of Britain."" - Star Tribune
""...a frivolously delightful fairy tale."" - Maclean's
""...Mrs. Queen Takes the Train is an easy read filled with speculation, information, and possible insight about a woman we think we know, but certainly do not - The Queen."" - The Examiner (UK)
Synopsis
William Kuhn's delightful fictional debut features an endearing runaway Queen Elizabeth on the town.
About the Author
William Kuhn is a biographer, historian, and the author, most recently, of Reading Jackie, an account of the editorial life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He has written three previous books: Democratic Royalism; Henry and Mary Ponsonby; and The Politics of Pleasure. Most recently Kuhn has been professor of history at Carthage College and he has held fellowships from the Social Science Research Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
READER BIO
British-born Simon Prebble has played in everything from soaps to Shakespeare on stage and television, but it is as a veteran narrator of over four hundred audiobooks that he has made his mark since coming to the United States in 1990. Simon is one of AudioFile magazine's Golden Voices, has received over twenty Earphones Awards, five Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards, and he has been a finalist fourteen times for an Audie Award. He was Publishers Weekly's 2006 Narrator of the Year, and Booklist's 2010 Voice of Choice.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by William Kuhn