The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi

This was a nice read.  It is about King George VI, who was monarch of England from 1936 to 1952.  He is the father of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.  His story is compelling because he suffered from the speech impediment of stammering.  As King, it is obvious that such a defect would be problematic, especially during a time when British royalty was more revered than it is today.  However, he received years of speech therapy from Lionel Logue, an Australian.  Their relationship blossomed into a true friendship, although Logue was a commoner and a colonial.

King George VI was never fully cured of his stammer, but Logue helped him with his speeches so successfully that the king could speak publicly with hardly a trace of difficulty.  The king was roundly praised for his oratory and his triumph over his stammer.  Logue helped him by infusing the king with confidence, teaching him to breath properly, showing him how to pause and pace himself, and helping him practice his speeches and change words or phrases that could be difficult.

King George VI never wanted to be king.  When his father King George V died, his elder brother became King Edward VIII.  His brother later abdicated the throne to marry his mistress, Wallis Simpson.  That thrusted Bertie, as his family called him, from Duke of York to King.

King George VI was monarch during World War II.  The part of the book about how that affected the country, the royal family, and the Logue family was as interesting as anything.

My criticisms of this book are that King George VI is able to successfuly give speeches from early on in his training with Logue and that success never wavers.  So, it became boring to read about speech after speech that the King gave without a problem,  There is a lack of drama, and consequently interest, in that.  Also, the book does not discuss with any detail how Logue helps the King or the importance of someone with Logue's social status becoming so close to the monarch.  Class hierarchy was important in British society then, perhaps more than today.

Mark Logue is the grandson of Lionel Logue.