Bookclub for Spare

[BornBlonde]

I know there are loads of threads, but thought it may be useful to set up a bookclub thread ahead of the release date fir those interested. I've ordered the audiobook as struggling to find time to read at the moment but love I can listen to an Audiobook while cooking etc

To add to what I said before- if you read the chapters on the 'Sandringham Summit' it's clear he was put in a pretty impossible position at that point. I remain sympathetic on that and I feel a lot of this now is because he's been sent out into the world grossly unequipped and is raging about that because he never chose to grow up in a gilded cage with the security fears and press attention, and he recognises it has hamstrung him. He now has to find a way to navigate everything without support, which must be pretty scary.

The first 7 pages - Harry waiting to meet Charles and William in Frogmore gardens. I felt for Harry - Charles and Williams stone walling and repeating that they didn't know why he left. Stern and arrogant and wouldn't hear Harry. If being an heir makes you so arrogant and entitled it's not good character development. In my opinion the system has made William adopt these character traits.

Of course that’s one side of the story. It would be interesting to hear the perspectives of the other two participants in that conversation. Obviously we never will though.

Blossomtoes are you reading the book?

Unfortunately I’m that sad and yes. I wouldn’t do it in public though. Although what that’s got to do with it only being one side of the story I really don’t know.

Blossomtoes I dont think its sad really. I see the book as an important historical document of Harry's side of things. I get the impression you are a royalist and very protective of the institution - and you seem to cover a lot of threads. I used to be a royalist but so much anymore. I'm also rooting for Harry to speak out and stand up for himself.

I didn’t know we’d reverted back to the civil war and we were supposed to take sides. Thank you for telling me, as I live smack in the middle of Cromwell country, I’d better watch my back in case the Roundheads come after me.

What did everyone think of this passage? I know the upper classes are supposedly more laissez-faire but I think if this was someone from a different background it would have probably been picked up as neglect.

One day all six of us were walking in the woods near their house, looking for squirrels and pigeons to cull. There was an old army Land Rover. Willy and the boys smiled.
- Harold, jump in, drive away, and we’ll shoot you.
- With what?
- Shotgun.
- No, thanks.
- We’re loading. Either get in and drive or we shoot you right here.
I jumped in, drove away. Moments later, bang. Buckshot rattling off the back. I cackled and hit the accelerator.

Now into the third chapter. Extremely well written, highly literary, but very much still in Harry's voice, alternating between clipped, copy sentences, and more descriptive text. The audio book must be a treat to listen to.

Pretty much everything reported had been taken out of context.

The Balmoral bedroom description comes in a passage where he's describing Balmoral, taking us through the doors, past Queen Victoria's statue, up to the bedrooms then into his own bedroom, the same bedroom he shares with William, only, he says, his end is smaller but "I didn't care, I didn't ask, but I didn't need to ask.."

This then leads to his understanding of the heir spare thing.

I'm really enjoying it.

The Balmoral bedroom description comes in a passage where he's describing Balmoral, taking us through the doors, past Queen Victoria's statue, up to the bedrooms then into his own bedroom, the same bedroom he shares with William, only, he says, his end is smaller but "I didn't care, I didn't ask, but I didn't need to ask

Yes beautifully written and compelling descriptions setting the scene. I took it all in - Harry's bedroom end being smaller than Wills but Harry was fine with it and an old vintage bathroom next door ... and remembering he was very happy and carefree on 30th Aug 1997. Then a very sad shift. He was only 12.

Just another episode of silly careless ignorant arrogant youth. Willy was just the same as Harry in those days but was never portrayed so by the press. A recurring theme throughout the first part of the book.

Harry also seems to suggest that he and other youngsters like him, has escaped death many times.

Am reading slowly ... love this line:

"The castle was a playground, a hunting lodge, but also a stage"

Puts the Balmoral Test in the Crown into nice context, the idea of Balmoral being a stage on which visitors were judged for their performance by those with inside knowledge of how it should be done. Love that he acknowledges here, and in the prologue, the theatricality of the whole thing.

Got drawn in by all these threads and bought the book today. Waterstones had well laid out displays of 'Spare' on every floor and even in the cafe. They must have had scores in that branch alone. Still felt a bit embarrassed buying it though !

Does anyone think that having the smaller end of the room etc etc is just part of being the younger child? I think many younger siblings get this, but there are advantages in having more relaxed parents / getting things earlier than your sibling did etc. I guess I just wonder whether Harry realises that most average people find it impossible to treat their kids with absolute parity at all times. I am getting the sense that there is justification to the spare narrative, but some of it does feel overblown

Loads in Sainsbo but didn't see anyone buying.

Yep. I'm the older sibling of two, I have two children myself. I try to treat them both equally. I love them exactly the same. But someone has to have the bigger bedroom. Younger one ends up getting stuff at a younger age than the older one did. PlayStation, kindle, what they're allowed to watch on tv etc., things like that.

It's just life, isn't it. Most people aren't that petty over it.

Oh God yes, I'm the younger one and had the boxroom. Couldn't wait to get the bigger room and rip off my sibling's dodgy wallpaper when they left home.

It's just life, isn't it. Most people aren't that petty over it.

But he's not being petty about it at all. It's just descriptive setting up of the scene in which he received the worst news of his life, and it is also visual scene-setting for where William was, and then he segues into William being the older brother and heir, and him being the younger brother, the spare.

I'm listening to it on audible, not listened to much yet but I am really surprised at how likeable he comes across after all that's in the media. But yes, there is definitely something vulnerable and lost boy about him. As the scapegoat of my own family, I find myself drawn to him. I didn't expect to after all the media circus

I have the audiobook and am on Chapter 13 - which sounds a lot further in than it is in reality. The chapters are short (which is a style I enjoy actually).

I'm enjoying the book. I am not a royalist and I'm not a not-royalist either. I'm a bit meh about the whole thing. However, I am kind of happy that someone from the inside has finally come out and publicly said how odd and (seemingly) emotionally constipated the family are (regardless of feeling exposure has gone a bit far at times) - I get a bit annoyed that the public seem to applaud the RF for 'keeping silent' or showing 'strength in silence' instead of openly displaying their feelings. Whereas over here in the real world, we tend to encourage people to open up and talk about their problems?

On the whole, I'm keen to read more. I am particularly liking descriptions of the inside of Balmoral and painting a picture of the environments that the RF live in.

It does sound like he suppressed his emotions for so long, that now they have overflown and he's lost a bit control of what is and isn't ok to share, but it must be liberating to let it all out after keeping it in for so long. I like the short chapters to! And that it is him narrating it, there's moments where he laughs or you can hear irony in his voice, that would be hard to translate across languages and narration styles

Agree! So pleased I got the audiobook as its nice to hear the different tones of his voice and his laughs etc. I think it really helps put some of his words into context of how he actually intends them to be read (e.g., the ironic tones or sarcasm).

I disagree @MrsMaxDeWinter but then I also think a book that includes lines such as

'Time, as the doctor predicted, would fix my todger. When would it work it's magic on my heart?'

is not 'extremely well written' or 'highly literary'.

It feels laid back and conversational. I have read/ listened to a lot of autobiographies and biographies and the writing style here seems pretty standard for that style of writing, not the best or the worst. It's a bit flowery at points, but thankfully the short chapters stop the story getting lost. It reminds me of journalism more than prose IYSWIM

Yeah that's more what I'd expect from Harry anyway. Certainly not literary.