The Royal Governess

June 1, 2020
Marion Crawford, a 22-year-old Scottish teacher in training, accepts a job as governess to the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, the daughters of the Duke and Duchess of York. In her nearly two decades in royal service, Crawfie (the nickname bestowed upon her by her charges) will witness some of the biggest events of the twentieth century, including the abdication of Edward VIII, the coronation of George VI, and WWII, all while teaching those privileged and protected young ladies. Such a position may have its perks, but those who bask in the royal glow are often burned should they dare to disagree or try to preserve a personal life. Best-selling British novelist Holden tells an engaging story packed with period detail and enough anecdotes to satisfy the most avid royal watcher. This is a warm and often witty work of biographical historical fiction that deftly weaves fact with imagination into an engaging tale of life behind the palace walls. Fans of the genre and of the British royals will find it absolutely delightful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 7, 2020
Holden (A View to a Kilt) offers a charming story of a real-life teacher who served as governess for the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Margaret. In 1932 Edinburgh, 20-year-old reform-minded Marion Crawford is a teacher in training determined to help improve the lives of the children who live in the city’s slums, where the literacy rate is close to zero. Marion also chafes at the corporal punishment meted out in the classrooms she observes, and at the teachers’ insistence that British colonial subjects are “uncivilized.” When Marion’s teaching college principal recruits her to teach the princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, then six and two, Marion initially declines until she is persuaded that her lessons would impact the country’s future. Marion’s interactions with royalty, whose routine is often scripted and unfolds “like a play,” range from intimidating through enlightening to amusing, such as the princesses’ mother’s impromptu mimicking of a film star. Throughout, Marion remains mindful of the divide between herself and her clients (“A freshly brushed carpet is fit only for royal feet,” says a footman) as she works to liberate their minds from the royal coterie with trips around London. Holden grounds the story of Marion’s attempt to help the princesses understand all classes of English society with rich historical details, and develops Marion’s character as she navigates her true calling amid staggering privilege. This lively historical tale will please fans of the English royal family.