Queen Camilla follows the royal family, who find themselves in exile thanks to the policies of the government of the Cromwell Party. Jack Barker, the Prime Minister, is an avowed republican and has sent the royals to the Flowers Exclusion Zone in the Midlands. This is run by local "businessman" ... Read review
stocked 26/10/06 England became an unhappy and fearful place, Prince Charles has been ... more
living quietly on a bleak council estate, with his wife and love of his life, Camilla. But life is about to change. Charles refuses to follow his destiny unless his w...
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England became an unhappy and fearful place, Prince Charles has been living quietly on a ... more
bleak council estate, with his wife and love of his life, Camilla. But life is about to change. Charles refuses to follow his destiny unless his wife can be Queen - and public opinion suggests the people would rather have Jordan than Camilla on the throne.
The Royal Family exiled to an Exclusion Zone with the other villains and spongers. And to ... more
cap it all, the Queen has threatened to abdicate. Yet Prince Charles is more interested in root vegetables than reigning ...unless his wife Camilla can be Queen in a newly restored monarchy. But a scoundrel claims to be the couple's secret lovechild.
Advantages: Witty and satirical Disadvantages: Might offend some
Queen Camilla follows the royal family, who find themselves in exile thanks to the policies of the government of the Cromwell Party. Jack Barker, the Prime Minister, is an avowed republican and has sent the royals to the Flowers Exclusion Zone in the Midlands. This is run by local "businessman" Arthur Grice, who has risen to the top thanks to a life of thuggery and business acumen, and the estate is captive to all his businesses, including ... .../>
'''CONCLUSION'''
Queen Camilla is of the usual standard I've come to expect from the author. My teenage years coincide with the publication of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole age 13 ¾ and so I have read her work for some time. I would recommend this book to anyone with a decent sense of the ridiculous and anti-establishmentarianism. As some aspects of health and safety laws, politics and monarchy are shamelessly sent up, you realise ... more
Queen Camilla follows the royal family, who find themselves in exile thanks to the policies of the government of the Cromwell Party. Jack Barker, the Prime Minister, is an avowed republican and has sent the royals to the Flowers Exclusion Zone in the Midlands. This is run by local "businessman" Arthur Grice, who has risen to the top thanks to a life of thuggery and business acumen, and the estate is captive to all his businesses, including even the school (Arthur Grice Academy) and the privatised police force. Here we meet the only straight copper on the beat, Dwayne Lockhart, who has joined in part to escape his undesirable status from his family in the zone. Exclusion Zones are where people deemed as socially undesirable are sent and trapped thanks to electronic tagging. The inhabitants are under surveillance 24 hours a day with satellite cameras even able to introduce into their houses. ID cards are compulsory and checked often, much to the consternation of all and sundry. Exclusion Zones seem popular with what is left of the free populace, but are getting bigger all the time with even struck off professionals like doctors and solicitors ending up in their own little exclusion zone areas.
The incarceration crimes range from robbery to, in one case for one unfortunate pensioner in Guildford, posting a letter without a stamp. Whole families dubbed as antisocial are sent to such zones. You are introduced to the royals friends and neighbours who are on the whole painted at very common and a touch shady but decent people nonetheless.
The country is effectively a police state and the book acts as a satire about how liberties can be taken without people even noticing thanks to the right kind of propaganda. All sorts of ridiculous laws such as banning stepladders are described. I think that Sue Townsend is a republican herself, and I am sure her caricatures will offend ardent royalists but I find them very amusing, as she uses the book to underline her disdain for the royals.
The story is set several years after exile. The royals have had to adapt to life as commoners, and it's hilarious to read about the Queen's fondness for Emmerdale, Charles being as barmy as ever and Princes William and Harry acting like ASBO hoodies. Poor Prince Phillip is all but senile and is cooped up in the Frank Bruno nursing home; you can almost feel sorry for him (but not quite).
In addition we are given commentaries from a dogs point of view, which renders the whole thing slightly surreal. We are party to conversation between various dogs as the mongrels and pedigrees clash. It's not hard to work out which belongs to whom.
Charles and Camilla also have a secret from the past that comes back to haunt them and this is where the fun really begins ...
Jack Barker is seeking re-election and head of the New Cons, Boy English, has pledged to bring the royals back if elected. Politicians are painted as all self serving, corrupt and opportunistic. I particularly enjoyed passages where the politicians are trying to make election broadcasts by being seen with sick children or animals, who they have to variously threaten, bribe or beg to behave correctly.
CONCLUSION
Queen Camilla is of the usual standard I've come to expect from the author. My teenage years coincide with the publication of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole age 13 ¾ and so I have read her work for some time. I would recommend this book to anyone with a decent sense of the ridiculous and anti-establishmentarianism. As some aspects of health and safety laws, politics and monarchy are shamelessly sent up, you realise that the scenarios aren't that ridiculous, which is the really scary thing. For flag waving royalists though, avoid at all costs!
Advantages: Hilarious, witty, a rollicking good read Disadvantages: Offensive to union jack waving royalists - or is that an advantage??
...local scaffolding company.
The Queen lives alone with her dogs as Philip resides in appalling conditions in Frank Bruno House, a nursing home.
In the outside world the Prime Minister and Leader of the Cromwell party, Jack Barker, has had it with politics and devises an ingenious plan to lose the next General Election. The leader of the Opposition, Boy English, a "toff-lite" has vowed to restore the monarchy if elected. Unfortunately for him, the ... ...the unpopular Camilla is his Queen and then their secret love child emerges from the woodwork and threatens to throw the election strategy of BOTH parties into jeopardy…..Fortunately the nation's dogs have a plan B....
This is a very funny book which actually had me laughing out loud in parts (very annoying for my husband!)
Particularly amusing are the conversations and witty riposte of the numerous dogs in the book, Townsend seems to bring them ...
carcraig 05.03.2008 (09.10.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend
Advantages: Funny , entertaining ,great characters ,good plot , easy read Disadvantages: May offend some , but shouldn't
...there was a copy of Queen Camilla by Sue Townsend . He has been an ardent fan of Ms Townsend since her first Adrian Mole books . Having read all of those books up to and including The Cappuccino Years , he had seen this one and quite fancied it . So here we are middle of February and he still hasn't looked at it , but I have . Having had some time to spare I picked this book up one evening not quite knowing what to expect . I have never read any ... ...door bell . It's the Queen on a mission to see if Charles has any oil of cloves in his Homeopathic medicines , as she has horrible toothache . Further on she eventually has to see the pliers woman , which I think speaks for itself . This is just a tiny part of the first few pages of what I found to be an increasingly humorous book . The picture painted of all the royals , and the rough and ready neighbours , of the FEZ is hilarious . By the end of ...
grafter123 16.02.2007 (22.02.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend
...a follow on from The Queen and I and is written by Sue Townsend.
The Republicans have been in power now for 13 years and all is not well. Jack Barker knows the end is nigh, and Boy English is waiting for his chance to get into power. With the introduction of unpopular and unrealistic laws the present government is on its way out. The New Cons are intending to bring back the Monarchy from the FEZ (Flowers Exclusion Zone). The Queen no longer wants ... ...throughout the book) can be Queen and Prince William who is 2nd in line is pompously accepting the role, however, a love child emerges and threatens this.
More people are living the exclusions zones then are living out of them including the Royal Family. With somewhat believable characters and dogs which are human in their relevance it is a highly amusing book. Prince Charles comes across as peevish and down to earth in a way which only royalty ...
c.hardy34 30.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend
Advantages: Addictive, Laugh out loud funny Disadvantages: Finishing it!
...marvelous pieces I was delighted! Queen Camilla is the sequel to The Queen and I, but my partner found that it could be read on its own and still be a fantastically gripping read. I've recommended this book, and its prequel, to many of my friends and family because of it's ability to make the reader want to continue on into the small hours of the morning. I believe it could be enjoyed by many an age, no matter what gender or background and as a royalist ... ...government (told mostly in The Queen and I). They have been there for a number of years and have had to live on the bear minimum and in some cases off the benefits system. In it we see the arrival of Camilla into the family fold and the many calamities that take place while she is there. There is a random storyline of a love child of Charles and Camilla coming to the foreground, believing that he has the right to the throne over William. Although ...
nutter_but_nice 25.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend
Quick review of Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend
I found this book very entertaining and cleverly observed. Sue manages to capture the feel of a run down council estate, it may be a bit exaggerated but I am not entirely sure if it was. Her portrayal of the Queen is really believeable.
I did feel the storyline about Graham the nerd detracted from the quality of the rest of the book.. I felt there were too many loose ends there, especially what happened to his dog, Gin. I don't want to say more as it might spoil the book for other people. ...
AzureSky 26.09.2007 (25.09.2007)
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend
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Advantages: Easy style to read, great characters, some very funny moments Disadvantages: Way over the top
Hubby has been a fan of SueTownsend's many books for just as many years now, but I only began reading them a while ago. Having thoroughly enjoyed reading Hubby's 'QueenCamilla' last year the thoughtful guy bought me 'The Queen and I' this Christmas. Either that or he thought he would stop me from reading all his books. Looking at the cover it had plenty of good reviews on it and claims of 'Laugh out loud funny' and No.1 Bestseller, so what did I make of it?
The Queen and I actually precedes 'QueenCamilla'. It begins in England one April, not so long ago, in fact 1992, when the Queen is laid in bed watching the General Election results. Falling asleep, before the final results are aired, she awakes to a republican England. Jack Barker is now the country's leader and the Royal family are to be banished to an enclosed Council Estate ...
Advantages: Funny , true to life , human , easy and quick to read , great characters . Disadvantages: None for me
the Adrian Mole books from the start as I want to see Adrian?s beginnings and how he has developed over the years to become this slightly peculiar adult . Possibly this book would be even funnier if you had followed Adrian through the whole series .
SueTownsend , the author , has written quite a few books , many in this series . I have read and reviewed QueenCamilla , which I also thoroughly enjoyed . I guess I have ignored this author too long and I am going to set that right .Sue was born on April 2nd 1946 .I was surprised to discover that Sue ,having suffered from diabetes for a long time ,has been registered blind since 2001 .
From the source of Wikipedia I discovered that her work to date includes :
Novels: The Adrian Mole Series
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ (1982), her best selling book, and the best-selling new ...
Product Information for "Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend" »
Product details
Author
Sue Townsend
Title
Queen Camilla
Genre
Humour
Type
Fiction
ISBN
0141024453; 0141032634; 0718148568; 0718149173
Manufacturer's product description
What if being Royal was a crime? The UK has come over all republican. The Royal Family exiled to an Exclusion Zone with the other villains and spongers. And to cap it all, the Queen has threatened to abdicate. Yet Prince Charles is more interested in root vegetables than reigning ...unless his wife Camilla can be Queen in a newly restored monarchy. But when a scoundrel who claims to be the couple's secret lovechild offers to take the crown off their hands, the stage is set for a right Royal show down. And the question for Camilla (and rest of the country) will be: Queen of the vegetable patch or Queen of England?
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