The King's Speech

How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

By: Mark Logue, Peter Conradi

Narrated by: Simon Vance

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

What an incredible story of an amazing man and his patient.

I found this book to be absolutely fantastic for a number of reasons. Here are just a few.

-It gave me a better understanding of the British Monarchy, Press and Speech Therapy approaches over the last 100-150 years.

-The stories of the doctor whose life is intertwined with the life of King George VI throughout the book was easy to follow, and heartwarming to hear.

-I kept going to Wikipedia and YouTube to watch footage of some of the events that were described, and highly recommend that to others.

For the history behind the movie

I loved this story as much as the movie. I am so pleased that it was written by Lionel Logue's grandson and we got to hear the actual letters they wrote to each other.

Movie rated R glad I could listen to the book

What did you love best about The King's Speech?

History timeline and fitting other events with the book.

What other book might you compare The King's Speech to and why?

N/A

Which scene was your favorite?

When both the Kings wife and his speech tutor gave him the praise

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

It took time and patience.

Any additional comments?

Over all a good modern history book.

King’’s Speech

The story was better than the movie. Thank goodness there was a man smart enough to help the soon to be king of Great Britain to speak. It was certainly in Great Britain’s best interests to have him in charge with WW II coming.

Great Listen!

What did you love best about The King's Speech?

This audiobook has a great narrator who was able to perfectly match the accents of the characters involved. It was also a great look into history, particularly World War II.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The King's Speech?

The most memorable moment was hearing the actual speech recorded by the king to announce that Britain was at war with Germany.

Which scene was your favorite?

The description of the king's coronation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.