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Victoria & Abdul (Movie Tie-in)

The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant

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About this listen

 Now a Major Motion Picture starring Dame Judi Dench from director Stephen Frears.

History’s most unlikely friendship—this is the astonishing story of Queen Victoria and her dearest companion, the young Indian Munshi Abdul Karim.

In the twilight years of her reign, after the devastating deaths of her two great loves—Prince Albert and John Brown—Queen Victoria meets tall and handsome Abdul Karim, a humble servant from Agra waiting tables at her Golden Jubilee. The two form an unlikely bond and within a year Abdul becomes a powerful figure at court, the Queen’s teacher, her counsel on Urdu and Indian affairs, and a friend close to her heart. This marked the beginning of the most scandalous decade in Queen Victoria’s long reign. As the royal household roiled with resentment, Victoria and Abdul’s devotion grew in defiance. Drawn from secrets closely guarded for more than a century, Victoria & Abdul is an extraordinary and intimate history of the last years of the nineteenth-century English court and an unforgettable view onto the passions of an aging Queen. Colonialism & Post-Colonialism Europe Great Britain Historical Politics & Government Royalty England

Critic reviews

"A tale of Empire and intrigue, brought vividly back to life." --Vikas Swarup, author of Slumdog Millionaire

"If this had been the plot of a novel, it would have been dismissed as foolishly far-fetched. But Victoria & Abdul is fact rather than fiction, and therein lies its power."--The Times of India

"A charming tale which should have been told before."--Stephen Halliday, BBC History Magazine

"A book so startling that it changes your view of the world. One of the great love stories of all time."--Phillip Knightley, Khaleej Times
All stars
Most relevant
I loved listening to this book. I couldn't help but think back to those times and wonder what they were like!!
It made me look back at our nation's history

Wonderfull

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Absolutely loved it and really enjoyed it. Absolutely Brilliant. Absolutely fantastic. Very good. I hope the next one is just as good as this one.

Brilliant!

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A wonderful, sad and moving story, well written and narrated. Very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend. I'm sure I'll read it again. It has given me a taste for historical stories of the royals.

Very interesting, beautifully narrated.

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Having watched the film it was good to hear the true story behind it all.

Fascinating

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I tried and tried to get into this audiobook. I found the narrator didn't put much feeling into the reading, not enough emotion. As she introduced the travelling of the characters to different countries and areas It kept going back to what places used to be called and the wars that had taken place, which I thought had no relevance to the story. It didn't grab my attention and I wanted to get into the dialogue between Queen Victoria and Abdul and what they did together. I do believe the true story is a very interesting one but I couldn't get over all the history being told. Not for me.

Is This a History Lesson?

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