Better Books

[ A round-up of the best novels and non-fiction ]

- Joseph Kenworthy

The Governess

Wendy Holden, $29.99 As the royal governess, Marion Crawford played a major role in shaping the childhood of Queen Elizabeth II, however her own story is largely unknown. Marion ‘Crawfie’ Crawford was a progressive young workingclass woman who, as royal governess for 17 years, lived on the most intimate terms with Princess Margaret and the future Queen Elizabeth II. She had a ringside seat to some of the most seismic events of the 20th century. This is a look into the childhood of the world’s longest-reigning monarch – a story of conflict and contradiction, of state dinners and hunger marches, and of a left-winger amongst the ultimate conservatives.

Death in Daylesford