Another of those books that I devored as a teenager. Maybe not great literature, but what a wonderful read! A pure guilty pleasure. Winsor was a natural story-teller, and she had a fantastic imagination: written after Gone With The Wind, this novel features a heroine which doesn't pale in comparison to Scarlett and whose adventures truly are as colorful and enjoyable as Mitchell's southern belle. It's a bit baffling to think that this sexy (but certainly not pornographic) story created havoc when it was published and became a gigantic scandal - but knowing that gives an interesting social angle to what is really just a big, juicy, historical, picaresque book: it reveals the fantasies and frustrations of American society in the forties by giving to Amber, Winsor's ambitious heroine, an erotic and amorous life that few people probably enjoyed in reality and that obviously titillated them and offended them at the same time. Winsor very cleverly knew what she was doing, and the result was a worldwide bestseller.

This is the first grownup romantic novel I ever read - found it my freshman year in high school. I re-read it almost every year until I was nearly 30.

What an interesting and informative book. Who knew how naughty people were in England in the 1600's? Women just slept with whoever could further their position in life. Love rarely entered the picture, but when it did, it was explosive. Amber is a force to be reckoned with.

I loved this book, even though much of it felt like waiting for a storm that’s about to happen. I felt sorry for Amber who loved a man far more than he loved her. She made one bad decision after another, leading to mayhem and self-destructiveness. Although Amber is not the most likeable of characters, I found myself caring for her, and even rooting for her at times.

I gave this four stars, because I thought that the ending was abrupt, but overall it was a fabulous story. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will probably like this. The book is set in 1600s England and is well-researched. Major events such as the Black Death/Great Plague and the Great Fire of London take place.



Finally, a bit of trivia about this book. I would not have known all this if it wasn’t for a review that I saw on Good Reads. When the musician/actor/writer Artie Shaw was married to a young and beautiful Ava Gardner, he was disappointed that instead of reading an intellectual book, she was reading “Forever Amber” which he considered to be trashy and romance. Lo and behold, just one year later, he left Ava Gardner and married the author of this book, Kathleen Winsor! Actually, he ended up being married eight times. His wives included Lana Turner. Both Lana Turner and Ava Gardner described him as being controlling and emotionally abusive. Sounds like it.

My favorite quote:

“’Oh,’ she breathed unhappily. ‘They look like gods!’ ‘Even gods, my dear, use a chamber-pot,’ said Charles Hart.’”

Incredible historical detail, Kathleen Winsor recreates bawdy Restoration London. Amber St Clare is a scheming adventuress. Aware of her beauty and sensuality she stops at nothing to obtain the one man she loves. Bruce Lord Carlton is a nobleman passing through the village where Amber was born.
Sensing her restlessness and seeing a quick pleasurable interlude,Bruce takes Amber to London with him. Amber is convinced she can get him to marry her but Bruce abandons Amber despite her pregnancy.
Amber is intelligent, irresistable and a born survivor.
From escaping a con man and Newgate and assisting a highway man, Amber is determined to build a life of wealth and power through marriage and love affairs with a succession of men.
From the stage through to the court of King Charles II, Amber triumphs, overcoming adversity and outwitting attempts on her life.
Scandalous historical characters feature. Barbara Villiers, Nell Gwyn, Lord Rochester speaking the patois of the 1660's are brought vividly to life by the author.
Amber and Bruce enjoy reunions, watched by a mutual friend. Long suffering Lord Almsbury, genuinely in love with Amber.
From country wench to king's mistress.Amber survives the plague but still cannot get the man she is passionately in love with.

I was referred to this book by a friend who called it "a great historical romance." That's a lure to me if ever there was one but now that I've read it, I can't say I'd classify it as a "romance." It's an epic novel, 1000 pages of tumultuous reading, but I'd say it's more of a classic or historical fiction novel rather than a romance. A well researched historical portrayal of the period when King Charles II returned to England and to power.

The protagonist, Amber, had me on a roller coaster of emotions. She wasn't particularly likeable from the first introduction. A girl (16 when the novel commences) with a focused, narcissistic, mercenary attitude about her life. Let's not omit the driving factor of the book ~ her stalker like/obsessive/unhealthy feelings toward Lord Carlton. When I wasn't angry with her, I would alternately feel a bit sorry for her. The sick kind of game Lord "Bruce" Carlton played with her ~ on the one hand saying he would never marry her and repeating over and over again that he'd always been honest with her in that regard. But then, his undeniable and equal fascination (where he couldn't stay away from her no matter what he told her or himself) was a major head game.
Of all the victims of their dysfunctional relationship I felt the sorriest for Rex Morgan. So weird too that the author had Amber marry the Earl of Radclyffe ~ her biological Mother's unwelcomed arranged fiance. A weird full circle moment. I kept waiting for Amber to learn who her biological parents were or to "date" someone of her own lineage but neither occurred. It didn’t seem inconceivable the latter could happen.

Reading this reinforced how repelling the plotting and intrigues of court life were and how rampant the promiscuity & hedonistic lifestyles were within the ranks of the nobility and Kings orbit. It totally dispelled any romantic notions of Court life.

I can't help believing Kathleen Winsor must have intended to write a sequel. The way the book left off, there would have been plenty of material upon Ambers arrival in America. I wonder why there wasn't a clamor for it after publication??

I don't know how you could give this book anything but 5 stars.

First off, it's about 1,000 pages of almost pure adventures.

Secondly, Winsor has a writing style that is forward, direct and yet has an odd charm about it. She knows how to use just the perfect amount of words to describe something without making it boring, but enough to have details.

Thirdly, the plot flows forward from point to point, with only a rare few of those "super embarrassing" scenes we know so well from Ben Stiller. (They make me cringe and I can't bear to read a story as such). There is so much going on, just following Amber's life alone makes a 1 page report. The king and the court and a few other key characters would altogether make up a huge book of notes.

Fourth of all, Winsor's characters are plenty, seeped in historical fact and yet multi-faceted. Amber is, of course, the heroine of the story. But she is a very human-like heroine, full of flaws of character and such. She is selfish and stubborn and follows her hearts desire no matter what. She's the type of hero that is part villain and it made me love her and also hate her at the same time.

The king, Charles II of England, is the other key focus. We often read interjections of what goes on with him and his love life. It makes for very visual insight into what court life was like (although written at the turn of the 19th-20th century, the book focus on 200 years earlier.)

In each section of adventures we meet certain key characters and precise settings ranging from Newgate prison, to country homes, to the burning streets of London during the Great Fire, as well as the moaning streets of London during the great Plague. We meet highwaymen, kings, queens, ladies of great renown, humble servants, Ladies In Waiting, people from all professions, walks of life, personalities. There are so many fascinating characters that they alone will have you riveted, if the plot doesn't do it for you.

I think my most favorite part was following Amber from place to place, husband to husband and watching her climb the social ladder. I never for a moment doubted that Amber would achieve that which she set her heart on. The only question was HOW she would do it. And she usually manages to find the most improbable solutions!

Amber St Claire (also known by many other names throughout the book) is a fictional character, but seeing her set in this time period was one of the best things. My fifth reason is the time period: Winsor really researched things. We learn about fashions (dresses, accessories, parties, people), historical events (in England and France and with the Dutch) and the basic living conditions (especially during the plague period, but everything from lowly servant and farm girl to upper echelons of society and everything in between!)

I love this book, and I will most likely read it again. I had to make myself slow down reading it, because I was devouring it much too quickly for my own satisfaction. (It also helped that I went back and wrote trivia questions for all the key events while reading along. Over 100 on just obvious points.)

Notes on the ending: I feel it could have wrapped up in more of a HEA fashion, but that wouldn't have fit with Amber's personality. Perhaps her being so deceived right at the end is cruel, but if you see her character objectively, and not clouded with her own personal reasonings, it is an ideal ending! I am just glad that she wasn't killed out of hand!

I love this book and I am angry at it. I can't recall any other book that gave me so extreme feelings.

First of all, a big respect for an author because it is a marvelous historical fiction. She must have done a deep and wide research. She painted with words the world of London of those times - from Newgate prison and poor streets to Charles II court. Simply brilliant work. Many times I thought that I were watching a movie in my head. There was so much details that I lived in this world but not too much to overwhelm me.

Next, there are genial characters, both: fictional and real. They are described well and convincingly. I could easily believed that those people lived then.

That brings me to the second point. Through the whole book I disliked Amber. I couldn't force myself to like her. Her personality, character, morals, principles, dreams. She had so many trials I should feel sorry for her at least. But it lasted a few seconds until the next paragraph and her next move or words. Moreover, I should admire her for her strength and determination, but again, I couldn't do it for a long time. I really was angry at her many times, I wanted to slap or shake her. In spite of this, I wanted to now what happed to her next. I wanted to read the book to the end. Although, I made breaks for other books.

Also, I would prefer a different ending. It is a good idea for the ending, but still I can't stop feeling that it isn't the end at all. Hmm... Perhaps it is 'forever Amber'...

I would love to read a book about Bruce and Almsbury, preferable without Amber at all ;-). They are my favorite characters in the novel. Ok, let's be honest, I love them ;-) By the by, it was really hard to like female characters in this book, but I had less difficulties with male characters. And it is a little strange because they (men) weren't noble, moral and so on. So, I don't know why but I liked more men than women in this novel.

In my opinion, quotes below show the crux of the story, its spirit:

n  "You'd be happy, mam, I know you would."
"Yes," she agreed. "I suppose I would be happy. But—"
"But what?"
"But that's all I'd be." Nan stared at her, shocked and uncomprehending.
"Good God, mam! What else d'ye want"n

n  But Nelly was just seventeen and thirty was a thousand years awayn

This book was something I just have to read to the end.

PS You want more, read Misfit's review

Meet Amber, the Scarlett O'Hara of the English Civil War and Restoration era.

Nothing could stop this teenage country girl from a small English village as she rises to the top in the court of King Charles II while becoming one of his MANY mistresses.

Amber's tale borders on the trashy but my goodness she was so much fun.

Like Scarlett, Amber wants the man she can not have whilst moving heaven and earth to obtain his love.

Poor Scarlett was so besotted with Ashley that she barely noticed the South being invaded and the town of Atlanta set on fire - while the feckless Amber in much the same manner successfully conquers the bubonic plague - with both considering their travails a minor inconvenience.

As long as Amber shares the sick-bed with her lover Bruce she barely has time to notice her no doubt painful experience. BRUCE MUST LIVE! or Amber will die.

This is one of those rare romantic stories that's impossible to forget. The author's description of the Plague is absolutely brilliant with no gory detail omitted as she conveys the hellish experience of life during the plague.

Does Amber's machinations finally win the love of Bruce? You'll have a lot of fun reading this book if you want to find the answer to this question.

If Amber lived in our modern time she would probably be the successful CEO of a major conglomerate instead of vainly chasing her romantic interest.

I've recently started going back over my "started-not-finished" shelf, and entering short explanations of why I didn't finish some books, if that information could be helpful to other readers, or provide a clearer picture of my reading tastes and experience for anybody who's interested.

In this case, given that I have the impression (now) that this novel was probably the one that started the whole "bodice-ripper" school of historical fiction, the question this explanation will most likely answer is the opposite one: why did I start reading it in the first place? The answer is that I picked it up as a tween kid who'd read most anything; I didn't know what a "bodice-ripper" was at that point, and had very little knowledge about sex, period. (Obviously, I hadn't run into much of this kind of thing in my reading!) I read up to the first casual sexual encounter (in, I think, the second chapter), understood enough of it to be quite scandalized and disgusted, and didn't read any further.

In the ensuing decades, my sensibilities have toughened up a bit, and I'm not as easily shocked. :-) But it's not a book I'd be interested in picking up now, with my current more selective approach to what I read; and it's not one I ever felt that I owed giving a second chance to.

This is a very long book, but it never loses your interest. Like reading a bawdy drugstore romance novel, but with a little more meat to sink your teeth into. A deliciously guilty read.

I read this in my late teens and absolutely loved it so I've never forgotten it. A few years later, I was lucky enough to pick up a copy at a Book Fair in New York which contains a letter from the author to a fan in which she discusses the forthcoming movie. There is a signed photograph and several press cuttings as well. That was 30 years ago and it's still a prized possssion.