Society has its privilege. If a society doesn't have its privilege it wouldn't be a society. 
  Royalty on the other hand has a set of rules that been in place going back centuries. One has to adhere to these rules. 
  
 In Alexander Larman's excellent and extremely well research novel; The Crown in Crises: Countdown to Abdication, the reader can see how the forces that kept the rules for Royalty from crashing down from within. There is a breech in the gap that needed to be fixed or else Royalty would just be like any other society. 

 Edward otherwise known as David is the oldest son of King George V. The author shows how Edward sort of floundered around trying to figure out what it means to be a member of Royalty. His parents King George V and Queen Mary began early to show Edward a cold shoulder. Things really came to a head and the wall that separated Royalty from the rest begin to show its weakness like a breech had been opened when Edward brought a woman who was divorced and currently married to dinner. King George V knowing that this woman was a intruder upon Royal society became angry and told his Minister's that in know way would Edward inherit the crown and if he did make sure he doesn't stay long. 

  The rest of the story deals with different people on either  side, those supporting Edward VII decision to eventually marry Wallis Simpson, and the opposition which includes the church and those who want to maintain a certain decorum. 
  An assassination attempt on King Edward VII is told as is the divorce proceedings of Wallis Simpson. The papers were also at the time going either one way or the other. Those intent on keeping the centuries old tradition alive began to push King Edward VII out.

The Crown in Crisis is not a typical book that I would read, but I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it!  I love history and history of royalty is even better!  I found The Crown in Crisis to be an interesting page turner that kept this history buff a happy camper.  

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

This book is well written and researched. The author's writing style makes the book flow well and reads like an engrossing fiction novel instead of a recitation of dry historical facts. The book focuses on the month's leading up to the abdication of Edward VIII and becoming the Duke of Windsor. He reinforces what I have read about him before in that he is a self centered individual with little concern for what the ramifications of his decision will do to his brother or his country. In addition, it points out that Wallis Simpson was unsure about him right up to the end. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in English Royalty and their history.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

An interesting look at the real events that occurred with the abdication by King Edward. The drama is well told and the players are well defined. A great look at what really happened behind the scenes. 

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a highly researched and well-presented book about the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936.  I had only heard of the king abdicating because he couldn’t live without his beloved, Wallis Simpson, who he was not allowed to marry and who had a scandalous reputation.  While I’ve read about Wallis, this book brought a whole new perspective, loaded with information, on events leading up to the abdication and the consequences of it on the royal family, the country and the world.  With this happening during the rise of Hitler, the timing was of utmost importance.  I learned a lot from reading this book.

The book takes place in the 1930's with the romance of Wallis Simpson and Edward until he finally abdicates the throne so they can marry. This book was very well researched and I learned quite a lot about their relationship and the relationship he had with his family. They briefly touched on King George's feelings about being King but mostly it centered on Edward. At times the book felt overly long and there was a huge cast of characters to keep track of. If you are interested in anything relating to the English Monarchy this would be an excellent addition to your library.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this book.

Well researched and lots of footnotes to help with the overly huge case of characters. After reading numerous books on this subject this one was a bit disappointing as it pretty much focused on the abdication, there is so much more to this story. If you are looking for historical facts aside from the story of Wallis and David this is the book for you.

I'm sure that the research that went in to this book was exhausting. In the end, this is a historical, rather academic look at the final days of the abdication. You only get hints as to what Edward and Wallis were feeling/thinking, and a lot of back and forth about the right thing to do. I found the most interesting part, early in the book, that gave a better description of who Edward was based on his lifestyle according to sources. The book stops when Edward leaves England with no 'afterwords' of his life beyond the crown, and Wallis still not divorced. I would have appreciated a little more about King George VI's experiences during that time as well. Only mentioned in passing.

History buffs may love this book, it just left me wanting more.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting take on the abdication of Edward VIII. Most things I've read about it paint the situation in a very negative light -- that Edward was selfish, that Wallis forced him into this, etc. Granted, I still think that Edward was selfish in some ways. But, the take on Wallis was so refreshing. It showed that she didn't really want the abdication to happen and she was willing to give him up so he could do his duty. She was trapped and couldn't get away, but tried to do the best she could. So, this is a good book. I found it a bit boring at times, but it was still good.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author.
This is the true story of the Abdication of a King in order to marry the love of his life, an American divorcée.
This non fiction novel was well written, well researched and it fells like you are reading a school textbook.
If you enjoy history this book is for you.
Recommend to history buff.

The abdication of Edward VIII is one of the most fascinating and talked-about royal moments of the 20th century, featured in numerous biographies and even early episodes of The Crown. Why would a man be willing to walk away from one of the world's most important royal thrones? Was love really the reason behind the abdication, or was there something more political—or even more sinister—behind the decision? Alexander Larman's new book puts the abdication in context, viewing it from the perspective of the institution of the monarchy, the historical moment, and the figures surrounding the brothers at the heart of the decision. Anyone interested in the British royals will love this fresh take on the pivotal crisis.

What a truly well-researched piece of historical nonfiction! Larman's book takes readers step-by-step into the abdication of King George VIII with a sharp focus on the private circle surrounding the King. Rarely do you find a text that so professionally deals with a monumental romantic relationship so straight-forward and factual. The King's private circle of individuals becomes just as alive and interesting as Wallis and the King himself. 

Books that focus on a juicy aspect of a historical story can tend to heavily rely on anonymous sources and gossip-like discussion, but Larman works alongside primary source material and does a masterful job in outlining a linear timeline that could have been a mess. This lends to an unmatched bibliography that will point readers to a comprehensive reading list of excellent primary sources. 

While the description would lead you to believe the detailed assassination attempt is a highlight of the book, it does come across as a roughly lengthy account that tries to cram as much information as it can in order to claim this "never before seen" aspect. The timeline is confusing and the narrative tries to makes sense of the various perspectives where it's hard to connect one person's account to another. It does feel like Larman did the best he could given the conflicting stories of George McMahon. Additionally, I had a hard time with the tone switch from the preface to the first chapter. The preface reads as a legal document and relies on outside historical knowledge while the remainder of the book is a completely different and understated tone. I appreciated the quick, intelligent tone of the text but was totally thrown off by the transition from the introduction. 

While modern readers who may gravitate towards this title from shows like The Crown will be surprised by the nuanced view of the abdication and the monarchy's strong role in it, more learned readers familiar with the history of the abdication will also find something to be surprised by. I can't wait to recommend this to readers!

This book was such an absorbing read even though it is non-fiction and I knew the story by heart. There are enough new details here that it kept me interested throughout. Larman’s wonderful writing and research really comes across and a great strength of this book is its use of a variety of sources. I really enjoyed how he set up each chapter with a different point of view, which I found very refreshing. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, where you are a royal watcher or not you will find this book interesting. My only criticism is that it had no photographs, but it conveyed quite a lot of information.

I thought this was well done and very in depth. I had not know about any of this, just the bits i had seen on the crown. That is why I was eager to dive into this book. I wanted to learn more about the history and why it was such a big deal. I was glad to learn more and enjoyed it very much.

The Crown in Crisis by Alexander Larman

If a serious student and lover of history, this doggedly researched book will thrill you. Names, dates, quotes and more from those involved at the highest level of Edward VIII’s abdication of the throne of England in 1936 are the bedrock of this read. 

I could have done with more of the personal information to make the research less academic and more rounded, but not was not Larman’s intent. It’s a Who’s Who of the Royal British pecking order of mid-1930s. 

We all know that Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry the twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. How it got to this point and the minutiae of the mechanics of the official divorce, abdication speech and act are the entire story here. 

It’s a 3 star read for me, though others have rated it much higher. It’s a lot of information for a king who only ruled 326 days.

This is a VERY well researched and well detailed book about the King's abdication and its impact on the Royal family and their country.  Although it is incredibly well written, in a way it almost too much.  There was a lot of the book that felt very try and more "text book" like.  I can clearly tell this is a subject the author has spent a great deal of time on, but I think it could have been condensed just a tiny bit so it keeps the reader's attention better.  

I am not sure if this fault of the author, but I wanted to give a heads up that while reading much of the formatting is off.  The footnotes would sometimes appear in the middle of the page and it was very distracting.  I did NOT take this into account when coming up with my star rating.  Just wanted to pass it along though. :)

I received a free advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley in return for a fair review. I looked forward to reading this book because it promised to tell the story of King Edward VIII who gave up the throne of England in 1936 for American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. A monarch who refused to rule was an unheard of situation during modern times and the story behind the abdication was more complicated than most of us realize. While the author, Alexander Larman, did reveal the background story, he wrote in such a scholarly fashion that it became more textbook than a non-fiction read and therefore, a bit tedious. It was also very obvious that he did not like the king or his mistress and I found many of his snarky remarks unnecessary. When writing a work of nonfiction, I always feel it should be up to the reader to judge--the author should just present the facts as they are. King Edward VIII wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, but in his position she was considered 'beneath' him. He thought perhaps a morganatic marriage might be feasible (Wallis would never be crowned Queen and none of their children would ever be heirs to the throne). When this idea did not pan out, he considered abdication, which would result in his reluctant brother (Queen Elizabeth's father) being crowned king. The government was thrown into an uproar, the courts forced to rush Simpson's divorce through and the Royal Family devastated--especially Edward's mother, Queen Mary. It was truly a case of putting his personal feelings before duty--something unheard of for a king. The best thing about this book is that it has encouraged me to read more on this infamous couple. Like them or not, they made history and went on to marry remaining together until Edward's death in 1972.

I am a huge fan of well researched nonfiction and this book fits the bill.   It tackles not just Edward and Wallis’ relationship, but the consequences for the country, especially in light of the issues leading up to WWII.  The book is well titled.  Unknown to me, abdication was not merely the king’s decision.  “He did not appear to understand that the abdication was not simply his unilateral decision...legislation would be needed to give full effect to his desire.”
The best nonfiction reads like fiction and this one does.  I felt I truly got to know the characters.  Edward was never cut out for the crown. He lacked the sense of duty necessary.  He was self centered, unwilling to put his country ahead of his own pleasure.  But he did truly love Wallis.  Wallis was much more a pragmatist.  She’s never shown to be as “in love” as Edward, felt trapped in a “gilded cage” and at one time even tried to end it.  We also get a great sense of the secondary characters, especially Baldwin, the PM.  
The book does a great job of expressing the time and place, especially as it pertains to the English society’s mindset concerning Wallis.  Altman states the upper classes hated Wallis because she was American but didn’t care about her divorces, the lower and middle classes hated her because of her divorces but didn’t care that she was American.  I loved that the English papers were initially discreet and banned showing pictures of WE together; while the American papers showed picture after picture with the headlines to match.   “King’s Playmate Big Problem to British”. We also see the political intrigue, as Edward at times became more pawn than king.  
Altman has done an amazing amount of research. A lot of the documents have just recently been made available.  He augmented this with numerous interviews. The book provides the complete picture - the behind the scenes negotiations , the popular opinion and the royal family’s despair.  
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Constitutional Crisis and international drama, 1936 style! Thanks to the show The Crown, I and many others know about the abdication of the King of England, Edward VIII, for the “woman he loved.” “The Crown in Crisis” presents new archival material to give us the day-by day happenings at the highest level as varying aristocratic, Church, and political leaders tried to sort out the King’s tangled web.

The blurb for this book states that readers will be “treated to a new, thrilling view of this legendary story.” There are many facts, but for me, not too many thrills. This may be because I am American and I am not familiar with many of the people, Winston Churchill aside. But I do know Wallis Simpson!

Who was the man, the first in English history, to give up his crown? Edward himself was known to be “personally decent, and kind and compassionate towards others.” He was perceived as being modern and fresh, more inclined to free will and self-fulfillment, than honor and duty. Interesting then, that his brother who became King after him, and his niece, Elizabeth II, are known for their honor and duty.

The Crown in Crisis will fascinate history buffs and I recommend it to them. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
This is a well researched, detailed account of the abdication of King Edward VIII.
I learned much I did not know from its well written book. The author took what could have been a dry account and made it readable.