TCJ Book Club Pick: Craig Brown’s Ma’am Darling

Drumroll, please — our next selection for The Court Jeweller Book Club is…

Craig Brown’s Ma’am Darling: Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret! This new biography of the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon has gotten rave reviews, and I can confirm that it’s excellent. It’s an unconventional biography, organized as a series of anecdotes (the “glimpses” described in the title) rather than as a strictly chronological narrative. The result is pleasantly chaotic, a bit like the woman profiled in the book. It’s funny, poignant, and really insightful about the princess, the times she lived in, and the institution of monarchy itself.

As I mentioned briefly in the discussion post earlier today, we’re adjusting the time for this book (and others going forward). Rather than giving you a month to read this book, I’m offering you two: our discussion of Ma’am Darling (or simply Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret, if you have an American edition) will take place on October 30. 

Here’s hoping the extra four weeks will provide everyone more time to get the book (which is currently available in both a hardcover version and an electronic edition) and read it before discussing it here. The book is available via Amazon (and many other retailers). Get your copy, get reading, and we’ll meet back here to discuss it on October 30!

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