Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Once a King:
Lots of drama with little accountability.
Quick synopsis:
A look at the unpublished memoir of Edward VIII of England. You know, the one who quit.
Fact for Non-History People:
Edward was paid $75,000 in 1947 to write 3 articles on his childhood. In today’s dollars, that’s… a lot.
Fact for History Nerds:
Edward didn’t tell Wallis Simpson of his intent to abdicate.
My Take on Once a King:
There are very few historical characters who I find more frustrating than Edward VIII. Throughout Jane Marguerite Tippet’s excellent Once A King, I thought, “Come on dude. Be serious.”
Tippett created this book by using previously unavailable sources to bring Edward’s voice to the fore. As you may have guess from my opening, I was not keen to give Edward any slack. Additionally, Tippett extensively uses Edward’s own words in the narrative and fills in the blanks when necessary. I often dislike books which do this because the main character always feels distant from the reader. However, Tippett strikes a perfect balance of explaining Edward but also letting him talk. By the end, I still found Edward off-putting, but I had a better idea of how he perceived the twists and turns of this life.
I will also point out that this book assumes you know at least the basics of Edward, his wife Wallis Simpson, and the abdication. You don’t need to have read multiple books but you may want to take a glance at Wikipedia before you dive in.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the author.)
Verdict:
A great read. Buy it here!
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