Is reading considered an eccentric activity?  What effect does taking up the habit of reading have?  The Queen is the uncommon reader in this mild and witty satire; she starts reading first out of politeness, and then because she enjoys it.  It opens up her world, making her more sensitive to others and less absorbed in the daily trivialities which used to seem important. 

The genius of this book is you find yourself not only identifying with but feeling compassion for the Queen.  You like her and wish she was free, and more than anything else, heard.  A love of reading leads naturally to a desire to write.  I liked empathizing with her, and the book made me want to read and write more. 

I was not prepared for how the book ended; it took me so by surprise I had to read it twice to make sure I got it. All in all, I recommend it as a good time, worthwhile in it’s content and undemanding in its style and brevity. Aptly, one Amazon reviewer called it “a light soufflé with a … mischievous bite.”  The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett will lead me to be on the lookout for other titles by him.  I give it 4.5 stars since though it is not great literature, I thoroughly enjoyed it for exactly what it was.