The King's Speech

How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

By: Mark Logue, Peter Conradi

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Solo Narration, Male, 2012

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.

Bonus Audio: This special edition includes a recording of George VI's historic speech announcing to the British people the United Kingdom's 1939 declaration of war with Germany.

©2010 Mark Logue and Peter Conradi (P)2011 Tantor

Great backstory. Just what I was looking for.

If you could sum up The King's Speech in three words, what would they be?

"Commitment", "Friendship", "History".

Who was your favorite character and why?

The King and what he went through to correct his speech issues. He continued learning and practiced for decades.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed Simon Vance's performance. It was an easy listen.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me sad in many parts because of the issues the King went through. The public wasn't nice or easy on him in the beginning. Neither was his father or family. It made me happy to know that his friend/teacher stuck by him after all those years especially during the war when they were living on practically nothing to stay in England. Great sacrifices were made.

Any additional comments?

I saw the movie and hoped that I could learn more of the backstory. I was so happy to see that their was a book on it. I really enjoyed it.

A must read!!

A "read" for everyone!!!
Enjoyed the beautiful relationship between the King and his speech therapist!
Would make a lovely gift for anyone!

Liked the movie? Love the book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I enjoyed the movie a great deal, and the book sets certain Hollywood things right, and adds several facts left out of the film.

What did you like best about this story?

The close friendship developed between Logue and Bertie.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Something about his voice just sets the tone for the book in a way that cannot be replicated.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It's funny that you should ask this question, since this was a film. I wouldn't add anything to what has already been done.

Any additional comments?

Like the title says, if you liked the movie, you will love this book!

Excellent complement to the award winning movie

Having watched the movie several times, I looked forward to learning more about this speech pathology pioneer and the King he helped. I was not disappointed. This book provides many interesting details and, thus, a much more complete picture than one can get in a two hour film. Like many instances in media, the listener to this book will find differences, sometimes substantial, between the book and the movie. I was glad that I had seen the movie first, as it allowed me to have a picture of the various characters in my mind as I heard about them in the book.

A worthwhile read

I have yet to see this movie, but wanted to read the book before I saw it. I cannot speak as to the differences between movie and book, but I DO believe that this book goes into far more details about the main characters lives than the movie ever could. Working with speech therapists in my chosen career, perhaps I found the topic more interesting than your average person would. But that said, I believe that people can get a lot from this book. Its a good history lesson as well as a life lesson about determination, friendship and respect. I found it a very enjoyable read.

Not what I thought

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I thought that this was a audio version of the movie, but it was not. Rather it was a biography of Lyle Logue the Kings speech pathologist - not bad - but not what I was looking for.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Simon Vance was able to bring some life into the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

For the most part this was a time filler - don't think I will bother with it again.

All aces!

The story and Simon Vance's performance: just the best. If somehow you haven't seen the movie yet, I strongly recommend seeing it first. When you read (listen to) the book I think you'll know why I've said this. Engrossing, well-paced, inspiring, and charming, perhaps especially if you're an Anglophile.

so much better than the written word

What made the experience of listening to The King's Speech the most enjoyable?

his actual speech was included..did not see the movie, don't need to

Who was your favorite character and why?

king albert...so human

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

the ability to change characters, accents

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the kings struggle

Pretty good

Would you listen to The King's Speech again? Why?

No, once was enjoyable but twice would get boring.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The King. I thought he must have been a very decent man.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

The King

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The written correspondences of the king and the speech therapist.

A book that was inspired by the movie

This is not the book that inspired the movie; rather it is a book that was inspired by the movie.

The Mark Logue is the grandson of Lionel Logue who became the speech therapist for the future King George VI when he was still a young man and was not directly in line for the throne. As Logue’s grandson, he had access to his grandfather’s letters, his grandmother’s diaries, and voluminous scrapbooks of newspaper clippings about himself, his work, and his friend the Duke, later to become King, which he used along with public records to write this joint biography of the two men.

At the time the field of speech therapy was still pretty much non-existent. Logue, a native of Australia, began his career as an elocutionist. He also did a bit of acting. He got into the field of speech therapy by working with World War I veterans who had difficulty speaking as a result of injuries or other traumas experience during the war. Although not a medical man, he was able to help some of them through the use of the kinds of breathing techniques and vocal exercises he used as a performer.

In the course of helping his patient prepare for various speeches and other speaking events, Logue became involved, directly or indirectly in many historical events of his time, including the abdication of King Edward VIII in favor of his brother George VI, and the events of World War II.

As a book of history and biography, this was a little drier than a fictional work, but very well done for a book of its type. It threw some light on some of the events of the early years of the last century that one normally hears only as single lines of bare facts in history books and the like.