Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Uncommon Reader

The group had an enjoyable discussion of The Uncommon Reader, the book about the Queen of England discovering the pleasures of reading. Everyone loved the book. The first person wished she wrote down all the books the Queen was reading. Another person commented how people assume things about you when you change something about yourself. The staff at Buckingham Palace thought the Queen was showing signs of Alzheimer's disease because of her lack of interest in things before such as meticulous appearance and dress. They had been replaced by her interest in reading. One person laughed that even the dogs were jealous of the Queen's reading. After all, she said, reading is a selfish pleasure. Another person commented that she thought the title should have been the Queen's metamorphosis. One person observed that this book explains why people read, and the benefits of reading. Another person commented that the Queen the more the Queen read the more human she became, more common. Someone observed what the real Queen thinks about this fictionalized account of the Queen's life. One person said that writing makes you aware of how words should go together. Another person stated that the Queen slowly changed with books. One person it took her a while to realize the book was humorous and that the author created a caricature of the Queen. Everyone felt the Queen was insular and mechanical before she started reading books. There was a long, controversial discussion about a scene on eavesdropping on the Queen and whether this is ever appropriate or not. There was no resolution to this discussion. On another note, people commented on the real Queen and indicated that they felt sorry for her in her isolation. Going back to discussing the book, no one in the group predicated the surprise ending (which shall remain a surprise for those who want to read the book)! It was a very lively, interesting discussion.