Till Kingdom Come

If you thought the story of George VI and his speech therapist had been told, think again, and again.

- David Hill

It’s probably the most famous screen stammer: His Majesty Colin Firth in The King’s Speech. If you don’t know the rich-boy-makes-good story of George VI fighting his affliction with the aid of Aussie speech therapist Lionel Logue, then you really should patent the rock you’ve been hiding under as a fallout shelter.

Now, Logue’s grandson, Mark, and UK journalist Peter Conradi take king and counsellor through the years from Dunkirk to D-Day and victory in this surprisingly effective memoir stuffed with letters, diaries and scrapbooks.

Surprisingly? You could wonder what there is left to say about that monarch, that conflict, that relationship. You could also wonder if their prodigiously successful first memoir, The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy, had publishers urging, “This means war! Please?”