There were lots of things I liked about this little novella. I liked the way that the peripheral characters were portrayed, especially the Duke (even though he didn't feature a great deal), and I thought that the build-up of the Queen's relationship with Norman was both plausible and touching. What I didn't believe
I don't know anything about life inside a royal palace and yet the staff and the characters in the advisory roles felt real.
I really enjoyed the facts about real authors/books which were dropped into the book. I do wonder whether Alan Bennett and the Queen have met and whether she said something to him in passing which gave him the idea for the book.
I liked the way that the Queen softened her attitude to "real" people throughout the book, for example, when she said "oh do get on with it" to someone in her book and then called the maid to ensure she didn't think it was her to whom the Queen was referring.
It had some sparks of brilliance and some really funny lines, and I loved the ending, but despite all this, it left me feeling ultimately unsatisfied, although I can't really put my finger on why.