Counting Ones Blessings: The Collected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Apr 12, Dianna rated it really liked it Shelves: I feel that, instead of a review, I should write "How to Read This Book," because I wasn't sure just how to approach it in the beginning. The Official Biography , which came out a few years prior to this.

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Do I have to read the biography first? It's up to you. While I'm sure you would get more from the letters knowing more of the background from the biography, I found that the letters thems I feel that, instead of a review, I should write "How to Read This Book," because I wasn't sure just how to approach it in the beginning.

While I'm sure you would get more from the letters knowing more of the background from the biography, I found that the letters themselves were interesting and informative enough to keep me going. What's more, they are accompanied by helpful footnotes, and each section of her life is prefaced by background information, so you'll know what's going on.

I don't know exactly who this woman is, and how she relates to who's ruling today. If you're not up for reading the official page biography see above , I found the Wikipedia article on Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother gave me all the information I needed. All in all, I found that this book was a painless, interesting way to learn a bit of history from a primary source.

Even better, I really enjoyed getting to know Queen Elizabeth, and now I find myself wishing I had such a witty, caring, fun-loving pen pal. I received a review copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. May 07, Wendy rated it it was amazing Shelves: This collection of letters gives a more intimate view of one person than you could find anywhere.

The Queen Mother's letters reveal exactly who she was in her dealings with others--kind and generous and thankful, yet also firm and opinionated. She was a very strong person, and in every way a lady. I think she's the kind of person most women look up to and wish to be--classy and gracious, but also not someone to be pushed around or meddled with. She was in no way a saint, but definitely a good, g This collection of letters gives a more intimate view of one person than you could find anywhere. She was in no way a saint, but definitely a good, genuine, decent person, and an excellent role model.

Reading her letters was like meeting a new friend, and I very much enjoyed the experience, which surprised me because I usually hate reading collections of letters and epistolary fiction alike. I think this was different because she was different--you don't meet people like this anymore, which is rather tragic. It's not perfect; you don't get a view of anyone else's side of the story, and sometimes you don't have a clear understanding of the events she's referring to although the footnotes help.

But then again, you're not really supposed to know what anyone else was thinking--this is the Queen Mother's life, in her own words. It's almost like reading a diary, almost. Her point of view is often interesting, usually humorous, and always delicious. Recommended for history buffs and people who are interested in Britain's Royal Family. View all 3 comments. Jan 26, Mom rated it it was amazing. How could I not rate this book as amazing when it was basically written by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother herself.

What a wonderfully "delicious" read! The word "delicious" has a whole new meaning for me now after reading this book about her. She uses this word quite often to express things that were so precious and happy to her. Besides discovering what a wonderful, thoughtful, loving, brave, strong person that she was, it was also very enlightening to the events in history that occurred duri How could I not rate this book as amazing when it was basically written by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother herself. Besides discovering what a wonderful, thoughtful, loving, brave, strong person that she was, it was also very enlightening to the events in history that occurred during her lifetime.

COUNTING ONE'S BLESSINGS by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother , William Shawcross | Kirkus Reviews

The author kindly filled in some missing information when needed, but on the whole it was written by the Queen herself in letters to others. I feel the author did a very good job selecting the letters to use. One small disappointment was that some personal family information was not included, such as: Not deterred, I will continue to search for more books to read about the royal family. How interesting, they are not the stiff-shirt, unfeeling people we think they are.

Apr 12, Conrad Wesselhoeft rated it really liked it. A member of the royal household captured Carter's impression of the princess: He left treading on air. Her letters convey curiosity, kindness, sincerity, and graciousness--all while maintaining her royal dignity. Her prose style falls short of eloquence, but it is nonetheless engaging and heartfelt. Anyone trolling here for gloom, gossip, or acid musings will have to look elsewhere. Her range of epistolary friends covers a swath of artists, royalty, political leaders, and family members across ten decades of life. Letters to her daughter the Queen open: It's worth repeating for its life-affirming philosophy: Apr 11, ladywallingford rated it really liked it Shelves: I read the official biography of the Queen Mother written by the editor of this book and really, really enjoyed it for the most part.

As soon as I saw a book of her letters, I immediately grabbed it at the library and voraciously began reading it. The Queen Mother's letters really bring her to life and help to understand the type of person she was, something which I don't think you can fully get from a biography. She really seemed as if she loved living life to the fullest and enjoyed every minu I read the official biography of the Queen Mother written by the editor of this book and really, really enjoyed it for the most part.

She really seemed as if she loved living life to the fullest and enjoyed every minute of it. Also, this was a woman who deeply loved her family I think and was there for them as a support when needed. Anyone interested in the Queen Mother should read this book of her letters. They were a delight to read! This is quite entertaining: She is fairly careful to be discreet about the royal family one or two comments slip through. Good for background, e. What a lot of houses seem to be around on the various estates, apart from the main ones we have all heard of!

Despite her rather limited education she comes across as well-read and writes wittily and well, although of course there are in-jokes which don't quite work at a distance of time and circumstance. If you're not really into horse racing, especially steeplechasing, you might want to skip some of the later letters which are pretty much full of it; and, obviously, she was who she was, so there's quite a bit of the glorious British Empire, quite a lot of hunting and fishing the late King apparently attempted to shoot a lioness which had cubs - was this OK, even then?

Apr 02, Chaplain2 rated it it was amazing Shelves: I received this book as a giveaway first-read. I took my time reading it, to savor each letter. I loved this book and am sharing it with family and friends. Counting One's Blessings is a wonderful look at the 20th century through the Queen Mother's eyes, full of warmth and humor, faith and insight, compassion and optimism. It was especially fascinating to read her letters about WWI and WWII, as well as her comments about cultural and international changes in the latter half of the century.

I enj I received this book as a giveaway first-read. I enjoyed reading her closings and signatures, which varied according to the recipient and were often very humorous. Her letters of sympathy or encouragement were heartfelt, simple, and moving. It's no wonder Queen Elizabeth was so well loved by so many, not only in Great Britain but throughout the British Empire and later the Commonwealth. The editor did an excellent job of sifting through the Queen Mother's letters, and his footnotes about various people mentioned in the letters were very helpful.

Also helpful were the occasional historical inserts explaining what had happened between letters.

I look forward to reading his biography of this inspiring lady. Again many thanks to the author, publisher, and Goodreads for this wonderful book. It will occupy a special place among my favorite books -- after I have shared it with friends and loved ones. Oct 25, Rachel Rogers rated it really liked it. She was quite a Lady, in every sense. It got a little old after the King died and especially after she became interested in horse-racing, not something that interests me. The discussions of races, horses, trainers, etc. Apr 28, Bookworm rated it liked it.

It's what it says on the tin. There's stuff about his stutter, how she refused to leave the king during WWII since he wasn't going to leave and that meant their daughters were staying too , and what not. And so I was pleased to find this book available at my local library.

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It's a bunch of letter It's what it says on the tin. It's a bunch of letters with no context except for explanatory footnotes. As others say there's not much for gossip here, and while I wasn't looking for that necessarily I also wasn't all that excited by it. With my knowledge mostly limited to what I've seen onscreen plus the particular narratives for those specific productions I will say I was probably at a loss for the greater context.

People I didn't care about, history I'm not extremely familiar with, etc. This is not to say that it is bad. For someone who has more knowledge or needs this for reference it's probably a really good resource. It's just for me with a relatively casual interest this might have been better suited as a "later" read after I've read a biography or two or was looking for something specific. So I'm glad this was available at my library for a borrow. Probably good if you have the interest and the knowledge, not so great for someone who is not as well-versed. Try to find a copy for browsing if you're not sure you want such a large tome in your personal library.

Nov 24, Emma Dargue rated it really liked it. Interesting collection of letters that cover the whole of the Queen Mother's life until her death in You really get a behind the scenes look at what life was like for her and her feelings on particular subjects ranging from the abdication crisis, to the king and everything in between. The way the letters are ordered makes sense in four clear time frames and come with an introduction in all four time frames as well as a conclusion in the fourth section.

These are all really well researched Interesting collection of letters that cover the whole of the Queen Mother's life until her death in These are all really well researched and informative. All in all not a interesting book that gives you real insight to what it is to be a member of the royal family but is probably best dipped into and out of over a series of months.

Sep 19, Carl Sagstad rated it it was amazing. Jul 18, Mark Hollingsworth rated it it was amazing. I read William Shawcross' biography of the Queen Mother in early , and thoroughly enjoyed it. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Buy the selected items together This item: Ships from and sold by Amazon. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1.

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Start reading Counting One's Blessings on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention queen mother royal family queen elizabeth enjoyed this book biography of the queen correspondence events letter selected century feelings important insight lady notes sense. Showing of 28 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. This book contains many letters to Elizabeth's family and friends, written over almost all of the twentieth century. Elizabeth, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, lived through the two world wars, and she played a major role in England's courageous response to Hitler's declaration of war as the consort of King George VI.

Many of these letters are thank-you notes, and the reader could not find better models for such letters. Perhaps Elizabeth overused the words heavenly and angelic, but her warmth and enthusiasm for gifts and entertainments come through. The royal family's joys and sorrows are shared in the letters to family members. Political events are a frequent theme, too, with discussions of growing relationships with Churchill and others. She also describes the exhausting days on tour in faraway places as the royals endure heat and humidity to see their subjects.

Even if you stop reading after the death of George VI in , this book is a fascinating look at the activities of the royal family and the life of a very popular English queen. The pages of photographs are not repeats of those in her biography, making this volume a worthy addition to the biography. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was far too polite or politic to express herself this way in her correspondence; or, perhaps, Mr.

Shawcross wishes us to think so. Either way, I enjoyed this book. One person found this helpful. I gave this book as a gift to my mother-in-law and started to read it when I visited her some time later. I ran out of time, and couldn't finish the book during my visit and she wouldn't let me take it, she had loved it so much. One day I'll either buy another copy for myself or finish the book on another visit. It was, up to the point I read, as charming and gentle as the lady herself, but shows the depths of strength and courage it took for her to adapt to a life she had not chosen.

This woman had backbone and a strong sense of duty. It was interesting to read her point of view on so many subjects and it also gave a strong image into the times in which she lived. I enjoyed the book very much. The problem I had with the Kindle edition was that the footnotes at the bottom of the pages were not there.

Those footnotes explained references in the letters, explained who people were that the Queen was referencing in her correspondence, etc. I had to get the book from my public library and reference it as I read along on my kindle, which sort of defeats the purpose of buying the Kindle edition. I would not have purchased the Kindle edition had I known of this omission. I sent a message to Amazon, and what they sent me back was information on how to do Bookmarks???? Her sense of humor comes across but once she marries into the Royal Family she is very discreet as far as what she says and writes.

I think she mellowed a bit with age but no one was going to stop her dancing a foursome at Well researched biography of a dear friend. For followers of the Queen Mother -- This is an excellent compilation of her letters.

Counting One's Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Provides great insight into one of the most important members ever to grace the Royal Family. An endearing memory of Elizabeth II's mother, and her contributions to the empire. See all 28 reviews.