Worst book EVER.

If you're like me and read to imagine something beautiful, something different, something comforting. Want to feel all warm and fuzzy at the end of it.

Then this is not the book for you. Amber starts off as naive and selfish and never ceases being that. Bruce is anything but a gentleman. Spoiler alert! I mean come on. What kind of a man gets a woman with child and leaves. Definitely not the romantic hero I had in mind. Amber goes around whoring herself, clueless about life and what she wants and somehow Bruce keeps coming back into her life only to leave her again. Amber makes you hate her. Seriously, she never stops being crazy about Bruce and Bruce never stops using her. Gets married to someone else breaking ambers heart AGAIN. The. Cheats on his wife with amber. What's going on? It's endless. You wonder where the happy ending is, keep reading expecting things to turn around but they never do.

The author ends the book at a strange place. We see amber heading towards yet another disaster. I haven't read any other books by this author so I would not like to comment on her as an author in general. But I would like to say that if the author doesn't like amber enough to give her character the much needed happy ending, how can she expect us to feel anything for her?

This book left me depressed and troubled. I fought with my boyfriend after reading it for no reason. Bruce scared the shit out of me, I think I was just traumatized.

Amber è un polpettone sentimentale ambientato alla corte di Carlo II d'Inghilterra, in piena restaurazione. È scorrevole, però alla lunga, almeno per me, stancante.
L'autrice segue l'ascesa della protagonista da ragazza di campagna ad attrice a Londra, da moglie di un mercante a contessa e favorita del re. È un'ascesa in cui la protagonista dimostra pochi scrupoli e una ferrea volontà di raggiungere i suoi obiettivi. Accanto a questo, viene raccontata anche la storia del suo amore nei confronti di Bruce, l'affascinante nobil'uomo con cui fugge dal paese nativo e che, a fasi alterne, sta con lei o parte per l'estero. Questo aspetto della storia è quello che mi ha dato più di un mal di pancia: insomma, i due si promettono amore eterno più volte, vivono momenti drammatici insieme, per esempio durante l'epidemia di peste nel 1665, ma poi non esitano a piantarsi reciprocamente delle gran corna, a sposarsi con altri, ad avere più amanti in contemporanea. Lo so che è un modo per aggiungere pepe alla storia, ma, per favore, non chiamatelo amore!!!

4.5 STARS
 
Forever Amber was first published in 1944 and sold 100,000 copies within its first week, making Kathleen Winsor a household name.
 
Fascinated by the books on Charles II that her first husband was reading for his college thesis, Winsor also began to read them. Five years later, she went on to write Forever Amber, and at 972 pages long, the final novel which we have today was apparently one fifth of the original manuscript. The book was banned as pornography in fourteen US States, starting with Massachusetts. But despite this, Forever Amber was the best-selling US novel of the 1940s.
 
The setting of the novel is during the English Reformation (1660-1688), beginning with the return of Charles II from exile in Europe. Sixteen-year old Amber St Clare meets a group of Royalists and immediately falls in love with Lord Bruce Carlton. During a visit to the local fair, Amber lures him into the woods and loses her virginity to him. Unhappy with her life, Amber begs Lord Carlton to take her to London with him. Carlton reluctantly agrees, but tells Amber that he will never marry her and one day, she will come to regret her choice.
 
It's difficult to say much more about the plot without giving anything away, but needless to say, Amber makes her way through the ranks of English society, either by sleeping with and/or marrying a man who is richer than the one before. All the while, Amber is desperately in love with the one man she can’t have.
 
Winsor brings Restoration London and Royal Court to life through her writing and her characters. From poverty and living on the streets, to the pomp and circumstance of Court life in the seventeenth century. The novel also offers an interesting look into the plague, the Great Fire of London and the troubles during the Restoration Period.
 
I actually really liked the main protagonist, Amber. She was likeable at times and intolerable at other times. She was a character who on the one hand had to grow up fast, but on the other, could be extremely childish and enjoyed a temper tantrum or two!  She also never seemed to learn from her mistakes…
 
Whilst the novel was condemned for its blatant sexual references and being brazen, bawdy and often at times, outrageous, the details of the actual intimate sexual scenes were not particularly explicit and were mostly left up to the imagination of the reader.
 
I absolutely loved this book. Due to its size, I’d planned on reading a couple of chapters per day (roughly 40 pages), but once I’d started it, I didn’t want to put it down. I found myself particularly drawn to the relationship between Amber and Lord Carlton. I don’t know why, but despite their flaws, I always found myself routing for them as a couple.
 
Is everyone going to love this novel? The short answer is no. You definitely need to read the novel in the context and period of when it was written and when the story is set. London life in the seventeenth century was VERY different to London life of today, so please bear this in mind if you want to read Forever Amber.

Favourite quote: ‘If I’ve got to marry someone to get a title I’d rather marry an old man I hate than a young one I hate. At least there’s a sooner prospect of freedom that way’.

Like Amber’s frilly drawers, my thoughts on this book regularly went up and down.

It’s a lusty romp through Restoration England taking in Newgate prison, bawdy taverns and theatres, the plague, the great fire of London, royal courts, various bedrooms and general day to day life of the 1660s.

Amber was one hell of a character, an anti-heroine in the mould of Scarlett O’Hara. She fought hard for what she wanted at the expense of anyone who got in her way, and as with Scarlett, sometimes I was cheering her on and other times I wanted to slap her.

I loved her long and complex relationship with Bruce Carlton; whenever he turned up you knew there would be fireworks. I also really enjoyed her escapades with Luke, Black Jack, Rex and the Dangerfields, although my favourite parts were the plague which was gruesome, heroic and moving, and the ending which was classic!

There were two areas that didn’t quite work for me though. I tired of Amber’s constant cycle of crisis, rescue, crisis, rescue which gave the book a stop and start feel. I realise this was a plot device to move from one historical event to the next, but would have preferred smoother transitions to give a more continuous flow to the story.

I also tired of the increasingly lengthy visits to the court of Charles II as he (along with the other Stuarts) is a monarch I’ve never been able to get into, and I just couldn’t muster up much enthusiasm for the intrigues of his ministers and mistresses.

But as an overall book it was great fun, and I’ll never forget that ending, priceless!

Thanks for the buddy read, Jemidar :-)

Putting this aside for now, because I’m just not feeling it. :/ I’ll try again later.

NTS: paused @ chapter 5.

Restoration England and the reign of King Charles II was certainly the time of pleasure, gluttony, and sin. Perhaps this was recompense for the harsh Civil Wars. The life of women during this period was also oftentimes filled with this lust for life. Kathleen Winsor highlights this real-life soap opera in, “Forever Amber”.

“Forever Amber” is a raunchy novel (but not really a bodice ripper and not that raunchy in terms of today’s standards) following the life of fictional Amber St. Clare during Restoration England. “Forever Amber” can be described as having a slow beginning as it feels somewhat like Winsor doesn’t have a firm grasp on her footing but this certainly strengthens as the novel progresses. The prose and language follows suit being somewhat disconnected and overly literary and descriptive at one point, bland the next, and back to flowery; but this too settles into its own.

Elaborating on this, “Forever Amber” is a highly visual novel. The extent of Winsor’s research is stupendous and England truly comes to life feeling very ‘real’ to the reader. The only issue is that sometimes Winsor is too descriptive which slows the pace and leads the reader to think, “Just move on, already!”.

“Forever Amber” incorporates a heady amount of characters which come in-and-out and also varies the storytelling points of view (it isn’t always told by Amber’s point of view). Winsor successfully uses this device to create a rounded view of the time period and the large number of characters are not overwhelming, at all. In fact, “Forever Amber” is very easy-to-read, accessible, and move quickly despite its length.

Amber herself seems like a composite character encompassing bits and pieces of real figures rolled into one which creatively educates on the history of the period. However, Amber’s characterization is flat, shallow, and superficial. She carelessly views life and acts such as pregnancy with an indifferent air as through they are as simple as choosing what clothes to wear for the day. The parts of “Forever Amber” told from the view points of other characters are far better than Amber’s which are very ‘prissy’. If this was Winsor’s intent, though, then she was heartily successful.

A highlight of “Forever Amber” are the ‘Easter Eggs’ hidden by Winsor. For example, a young girl singing in a tavern early in the story happens to be Nell Gwynne and wouldn’t even be of notice for those readers unfamiliar with her story but certainly induces a chuckle from those who are.

Winsor’s portrayal of the plague definitely turns “Forever Amber” around. Her descriptions are raw and vivid; exciting reader emotion. Amber finally shows genuine depth and the entire story becomes henceforth better including the telling of the Great Fire. Winsor truly allows the reader to grasp how catastrophic these events were and the strength of the English people to persevere. If only all of “Forever Amber” would be so strong…

After this heightened climax, “Forever Amber” returns to a shallower state. Amber is as annoyingly frivolous as ever and the story feels pointless and extremely dragged out. Saying that the pace is weakened once again is an understatement. The final conclusion, however, is surprising, creative, and although somewhat contrived; it results in a smile.

Winsor’s “Forever Amber” is a famous sensation portraying life in Restoration England. Unfortunately, I can’t fully agree with the masterpiece claims and thus I have to be the oddball with my level of satisfaction. Although “Forever Amber” is vivid, helps bring history to life, and is certainly better than most of the HF of current day; it is also repetitive, dragged out, and features a one-dimensional (and unlikable) characterization of Amber. Despite this, “Forever Amber” is suggested for those readers interested in Stuart England but it isn’t necessarily the best piece ever written regardless of the hype.

Forever Amber is the best book i have ever read. It is my most favourite book, it is the first time a book has ever provoked my emotions whether this was a smile or utter annoyance.

I am really struggling to understand why a lot of people have said how awful the book is? I found it absolutely enchanting. I loved Ambers Character, yes she may have been a heartless bitch to the men she didn't love but i adopted a sheer admiration for the way she is violently in love with Bruce. If you read the whole 989 or so pages Amber will take you on a journey, you become attached to her. She became real to me, the imagery from Windsors descriptions made it seem all the more real, and you begin to feel the desire for Bruce's love-you want him to love her back. When Bruce returns to London each time i couldn't help but smile when they were reunited together and felt pure joy it is very rare that a book can do that.

This is a beautiful romance novel although the ending was disappointing not because it was written badly or a crap ending but because you are so disappointed for Amber. I genuinely felt angry and to this day i am still annoyed about the way it ended for her. Some people may say she got what she deserved but when you have followed Ambers character for the duration of the novel, and experience Bruce and Ambers 10 year relationship, you begin to feel what she feels, and it is not her you end up being annoyed at. I love Ambers character she is witty and beautiful. She does not let a man control her, and so what if she uses sex as a weapon! She becomes successful in at least one of her hopes and she is not the first women to use this method.

I would strongly recommend this novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it and did not want to put the book down there was not a dull moment, in each chapter you just hope that Bruce returns to Amber and it keeps you going throughout the book. I did not feel the length of the 900 pages because it was such a great book. My nan read this book when she was a little girl and recommended it to me as it was one of her favourite books. I wish there was a sequel I would have loved to know what happened to Amber.

I'm really surprised that this book has been described by so many as a "romance novel" -- to me, it seems the antithesis of one. There's no great passionate love that can overcome all, no soulmates, and most of the people who are married or shacking up can barely stand each other.

Frankly, that's right up my alley. I was totally terrified of this being a romance novel. If you want a sappy 1980s bodice ripper, don't be fooled by the quotes you see on a lot of these new covers. This is NOT a romance novel in the modern sense of the term.

This book, originally written in 1944, follows Amber St. Clare from 16 to 26, and her multitude of lives and loves that follow within those ten years. It is a daunting 900 or so pages, and if you get stuck in a part of Amber's life you don't enjoy, settle in, because you could be there for a while. However, I can certainly see why this is a classic: the detail and historical research is amazing. You feel you learn more about Charles II's era from this book than you ever could through a text book.

4 stars and not 5 for two reasons:
1: I enjoyed the story, but never could warm to Amber. I've heard this described as Winsor's response to "Gone with the Wind" but Scarlett has at least a couple charms that endear her to most readers. Amber it was hard to care for.

2: This was a good book, but not un-put-downable. Part of that is the bulk, but I read 2 or 3 other books while reading this one as well, and kept getting distracted by them. I never felt the pull of this book to keep going, I never found myself literally running to pick up the book after work to find out what happened next, as I do with some books.

As a random side note, when I went to my parents' house for a visit, my mother caught me with this book and instantly struck up a conversation about how she had read it at 16, and then found an old 1944 she had copy with my grandfather's name written on the inside. So that definitely made reading the book a lot more meaningful.

I took my time with this read, but it still has left me feeling emotionally wrung out. What an epic experience, filled with violent shifts from loving to hating this book. Amber is utterly vile, yet I would love to know what happens after the ending. She and Scarlett O'Hara are in a tight race for the most despicable heroine I have ever encountered in a novel. The Audible version with Elizabeth Jasicki's narration was excellent. She brought Amber to life, which contributed to my mixed feelings towards the character and the story.

Okay, Okay, I've read all the bad reviews on here, and I have to admit that this was NOT the book I would choose if I wanted a pick-me-up, light-hearted, fun read. But I would always reach for this book before picking up Gone with the Wind, and that's saying something since most of the reviewers on this site have commented about how much they like that book!
It really is along the same lines, and I don't know how you can like Scarlet O'hara without falling in love with Amber St Claire. Now, I have to admit, if I met her or someone like her in real life, I would hate her. The wonderful thing about this book, though, is you get an insider view on what's going on in her mind, the struggles she went thru, and the difficulty of being Amber St Claire. It shows you a side of her personality that I would never care to see in a real person I knew. I would automatically be obligated to hate someone like this, yet I sympathize with her, feel her pain, and understand that the one thing she really wanted, the one thing she dreamed of more than anything else in the world (Bruce), is the ONLY thing in life permanently denied to her.
I think people are being way too harsh on Amber though. No, she wasn't a MORAL character. There is NO redeeming moral to this story; but I challenge a reviewer to write a story about THEIR OWN life that is any better than this book--I doubt they will come up with any dribble worth reading, and the point of this story is not a divine moral or some reason for living that's universal--it's the personal life and struggle of a young girl thrust into society and forced to make something of her life or die trying. Amber is an entity that will live on long after her author is dead. She's like a force of nature--really--you can't stop her, and she dares you to try! Her life wasn't easy, and in a time when life for women in general wasn't easy, her courage and force of life is admirable! If anyone had a reason to just sit down and cry about how life was treating them, it would be Amber--but she's much too strong a person to do that. I doubt you could say the same if you were in her place, and I know that not many would go anywhere near as far as she did, even if she was a fictional character.
It amazes me that in a modern-day culture where women are supposed to be equal with men, and understand how far we've come from the primitive days where men could kill their wives and move on to the next pretty unsuspecting farm girl, wear her out, then kill her too,(which is not the plot of this story, but they do discuss just how bad things were for women back then and not one of these reviewers can honestly say they understand what life for them would have been like back then) a girl like Amber, who refuses to be used, and uses the only resources left to her to climb to a social and power status far beyond that which any mere man could have done in that day is worthy of respect.

This is a skim read for a second or a third perusal of this oldie. Another poster's review brought it to mind and I had to revisit a section or two for memory's sake. Low places, high adventure and a protagonist with ultimate snark remains a vivid read.

I read this book because of my grandfather. That sounds funny, but my grandpa Duke was in WWII and he was stationed mostly on ships. When this book came out, he the whole crew were given one copy to share. So they tore the book apart and passed the chapters around. You might get the third chapter one night and the tenth another. He read the whole book, but completely out of order. After he told me this story I went to the library and checked out the book. It was a good book especially if you like historical novels. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much was the background my grandpa gave me for it.