Abdication

Anyone wanting to read further about Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson might consider Abdication by Juliet Nicolson which I heard discussed on Woman's Hour this morning. It is a first novel by an established and published historian which is set in 1936 (the year of the 3 Kings). Nicolson's fictional characters become entwined in real events, notably the affair between the King and Mrs S at a time when there was a news blackout on the subject in the UK. During today's radio interview she said that she wanted her protagonist (19 year old May, a recent arrival from Barbados who has a position as chauffeur to the government Chief Whip) to be "in the room" with Mrs S and the King; having read the Mrs S biography, I am happy to get a view, albeit fictional, on the nature of their relationship. Abdication has received a warm reviews in the press, the Times labelling it as "ideal for the intelligent deckchair".