Most biographers would shy away from the notoriously dull George V. Not so Ridley, whose biography of the stamp-collecting, bird-shooting king is top-notch -- Robbie Millen * The Times, *Books of the Year* *
Superb -- Iona McLaren * Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year* *
Jane Ridley's George V is so sparklingly incisive about both the king and Queen Mary that it almost counts as a double biography. The pheasant-shooting, stamp-collecting, moderating monarch and his bejewelled, shopaholic consort are beautifully portrayed in all their complexities -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Spectator, *Books of the Year* *
Superb . . . a perfectly candid portrait of our present Queen's grandfather: demythologised, certainly, and with spades called spades, but not trivialised, and not denied full credit for the massive amount he achieved . . . Ridley's convincing thesis [is] that George V was the true begetter of modern constitutional monarchy . . . this book makes it clear we were lucky to have him -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *
There have been few monarchs quite as discreet and inscrutable as George V . . . There's much to enjoy here about George's nerdy, hypochondriacal and rather humourless character. Yet, as Ridley portrays with great fairness, he somehow managed to be a king loved and revered by the people . . . Ridley has a wonderful ability to push the story along, luring us with salient details . . . riveting . . . Never a dull paragraph -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * The Times *
A 21st-century [biography] was overdue . . . and nobody could do it better than the immensely experienced Jane Ridley . . . The Windsors have always been emotionally handicapped, and in this respect George V was their prize exhibit -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *
A magnificent new life -- wonderfully funny, from its winning subtitle onwards, and full of human sympathy and understanding . . . an evocative and touching portrait of a surprisingly impressive man -- Philip Hensher * Spectator *
The best royal biography since James Pope-Hennessy's Queen Mary (1959) . . . rivetingly interesting . . . sheds an entirely new light on both George V and his consort . . . Jane Ridley persuades us that their tactful handling of the many crises of the reign paved the way for the stable constitutional monarchy that persists to this day -- A. N. Wilson * Times Literary Supplement *
Splendid -- Craig Brown * Daily Mail *
Jane Ridley is a consummate storyteller and superb researcher. With a funny, analytical, sympathetic touch she both conveys the immediacy of history and invests those elusive, long-ago events and mysterious, long-dead people with a humanity recognisable to us all -- Juliet Nicolson
A big beautiful beast of a book. Fair, thorough and unexpectedly funny, it won't be surpassed for decades -- Lucy Worsley
Jane Ridley has written the definitive biography of George V. Sharply observed, revealing and very absorbing, 'dull George' and his dutiful wife, Mary, emerge in a new light as the monarchies of Europe crumble around them and the horrors of the early twentieth century unfold. At a pivotal time in the history of our democracy, with world leaders tested to their limits, Jane gives a gripping and authoritative account of what was happening behind palace doors -- Deborah Cadbury
A truly inspirational new biography of George V -- A N Wilson * The Times *
A superb book; arguably it is the best biography of George V... immensely readable, wonderfully researched -- Michael Nash * Eastern Daily Press *
Ridley is good on the telling detail . . . lively and unstuffy -- Kate Hubbard * The Oldie *
[George V] is candid, well written, based on wide research and full of piquant detail, some of it new -- Piers Bredon * Literary Review *
This deeply researched biography casts new light upon the misunderstood monarch and his Queen, Mary of Teck. Illuminating, intensely readable -- Rose Shepard * Saga Magazine, *Christmas Gift Guide 2021* *
Sparkling -- Tony Rennell * Daily Mail Biographies of the Year *
Riveting... Ridley brings new insight to George's personal life... Well-researched and entertaining, this book offers a vluable reassessment of a king who shaped modern Britain -- Heather Jones * BBC History Magazine *
[A] graceful, funny book... Ridley offers fine-grained and astute sketches of members of the king's entourage as they came and went -- Michael Ledger-Lomas * London Review of Books *