The Reign: Life in Elizabeth's Britain, Part I cover art

The Reign: Life in Elizabeth's Britain, Part I

The Way It Was, 1952-79

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The Reign: Life in Elizabeth's Britain, Part I

By: Matthew Engel
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

She came to the throne in 1952 when Britain had a far-flung empire, sweets were rationed, mums stayed home and kids played on bombsites. Seventy years on, everything has changed utterly—except the Queen herself, ageing far more gracefully than the fractious nation over which she so lightly presides.

How did we get from there to here in a single reign? To cancel culture, anti-vaxxers and Twitter feeds? Matthew Engel tells the story—starting with the years from Churchill to Thatcher—with his own light touch and a wealth of fascinating, forgotten, often funny detail.

©2022 Matthew Engel (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd Europe Great Britain Politics & Activism Royalty Winston Churchill Funny Imperialism United Kingdom Socialism Africa
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This was very well written and narrated and it held my attention all the way through. it brought back many memories.

Interesting and enjoyable

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It is a fascinating book that covered the history of the era I grew up with but weren't taught at school. Or not the truth anyway.
Excellent narration. I am looking forward to part two.

Every day is a school day.

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Read with clarity and engagement - a good find which needs to be listened to a few times in order to absorb all the events…

Brilliant - So interesting, and factually informative!

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Erudite, funny and fascinating history of Britain in the early part of the late Queen’s reign. Definitely one to recommend to anyone with an interest in social, economic and political history.

Wonderful review of Britain from 50s to 70s

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