The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight.

What is your favorite book featuring dogs?  I have so many favorites.  One favorite is The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.

The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight is the story of the extraordinary relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and her faithful corgi, Susan.  Susan was a gift from her father, King George VI, on her 18^th birthday.  Susan is with her through her service in WWII, courtship and marriage to Philip, the birth of her first child Charles, and her accension to the throne.  She couldn’t care for her dogs and be Queen without her loyal helpers.  Hanna Penwyck helps to care for Susan when she isn’t with the Queen and has her own ups and downs in life. 

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I really enjoyed the three different viewpoints of this novel – Queen Elizbeth, Susan, and Hanna Penwyck.  It was interesting to contrast and compare Elizabeth and Hanna’s lives.  They were in the same girl guide troop at Windsor as children, but now lead different, but interconnected lives.

·       I thought this was an interesting and unique way to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth’s younger years and Great Britain during that time period.

·       I love dogs and this made me think about whether a corgi would be right for me in the future.  Daisy Beagle says no.  I enjoyed that Susan the corgi had her own viewpoint.  It was also interesting thinking through what life would be like for a royal dog.

·       I was very stressed out with work and getting ready for my oldest son’s graduation party when I was reading this book.  I found this book to be stress-relieving and a pleasant diversion.  It is a great cozy read.

·       I enjoyed the romance between Philip and Elizabeth.

·       I always enjoy a good author’s note.  In this novel, it discusses the writing process in creating this work of historical fiction as well the real person that Hanna was based upon. 

·       It’s interesting to think that Susan was the matriarch of such a long line of royal corgis – 14 generations.

·       Favorite Quote, “Dogs truly are our soulmates, our protectors in things that might harm us from the outside as much as things that harmed us from within.”

Overall, The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Elizia Knight is a wonderful cozy historical fiction read perfect for dog lovers.

Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight.

Do you have a favorite Fred Astaire movie?  Did you know he had a famous sister named Adele?  I did not and I enjoyed learning about her in this wonderful novel.

In the 1920s, brother and sister duo Fred and Adele Astaire had taken New York by storm.  After starring on Broadway for six years, they take their latest show to London to try out the British public.  While Freddie is a taskmaster, Adele is a “good time Charlie.”  She loves to dance and to socialize, but she also dreams of marriage and children.  Will Adele be able to realize her dreams?

Starring Adele Astaire is a dual narrative novel.  The other story is of the fictional character of Violet Wood.  Violet is a very poor girl in London who dreams of dancing.  After being noticed and befriended by Adele Astaire, she gets her chance to finally dance in a production and to become a star.  The path towards stardom does not run smoothly for Violet and she has her ups and downs in life.

I really liked the juxtaposition of these two stories.  While Adele was up, Violet was down and vice versa.  It really showed the hard work it took to be a successful dancer.  I loved the setting in the 1920s and the appearance of so many famous people that intersected with Adele.  I sure wish I could have seen her dance.  The story continues into the 1940’s. 

I always love a good author’s note and enjoyed learning what was real history and what was fictionalized in this novel.  I loved learning Adele’s story. 

One of my favorite Fred Astaire movies is Royal Wedding as it has the famous dance scene where he dances on the ceiling.  I enjoyed learning in this novel that Adele dated Prince David and was friends with Queen Elizabeth’s parents. 

I enjoyed the fictional gossip news clip that the author wrote to start each chapter.  They were a fun start to each chapter and gave a preview of what was to come.

This novel was published on June 6, 2023.