The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

by Mark Logue, Peter Conradi Narrated by Simon Vance

Overview

The King's Speech was written by London Sunday Times journalist Peter Conradi and Mark Logue-grandson of Lionel Logue, whose recently discovered diaries and correspondence contain fascinating details about these true events.



At the urging of his wife, Elizabeth, the Duke of York (known to the royal family as "Bertie") began to see speech therapist Lionel Logue in a desperate bid to cure his lifelong stammer. Little did the two men know that this unlikely friendship-between a future monarch and a commoner born in Australia-would ultimately save the House of Windsor from collapse. Through intense locution and breathing lessons, the amiable Logue gave the shy young Duke the skills and the confidence to stand and deliver before a crowd. And when his elder brother, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry for love, Bertie was able to assume the reins of power as King George VI-just in time to help steer the nation through the dark waters of the Second World War.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Simon Vance . . . offers such a fluent and silky reading, it's as if he, too, had practiced his speechmaking with Logue. The audiobook's highlight is the recording of the speech delivered on September 3, 1939. Having been so lavishly informed of the struggles that went into the preparation of the speech, its delivery, the listener hears each pause and intonation with the greatest drama." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

MARCH 2011 - AudioFile

This stellar audio production of the book that preceded the Oscar-winning film THE KING’S SPEECH is a must-listen for historians, gossips, royalists, colonialists, and everyone else. The audio begins with something the book can’t offer—a recording of King George VI’s actual wartime speech. It’s an atmospheric introduction to the story of two different men who become essential to each other and to Britain. An extrovert Australian vocal coach who helped create modern speech therapy and a shy, stammering Duke transformed into a fine and fluent monarch—Simon Vance inhabits them subtly, shading character with accent, tone, and pace. He also propels the plot by reading with the verve of fiction while keeping his narration behind the words. A captivating and exemplary performance. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2012 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170692200
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/28/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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