Forever Amber [Paperback]

Kathleen Winsor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2002

A book to read and reread, this reissue brings back to print an unforgettable romance and a timeless masterpiece. Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, sixteen-year-old Amber St. Clare uses her wits, beauty and courage to climb to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England - that of favorite mistress of the Merry Monarch himself, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary - and extraordinary - men and women, Amber experiences it all. But throughout her trials and escapades, she remains, in her heart, true to the one man she really loves, the one man she can never have...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A lusty historical novel." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A prototype for the modern blockbuster." -- Los Angeles Times May 31, 2003

"As a feat of storytelling, Forever Amber is irresistible." -- Salon

"Miss Winsor could justifiably claim to be the woman who invented the modern best seller." -- New York Times May 28, 2003

"One of the first of the modern bodice-ripping romance novels." -- The Daily Review May 29, 2003

"The first real historical romance. This is the book that started it all for me!" -- Bertrice Small

"[Winsor is] America’s most notorious novel." -- Washington Post May 29, 2003 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Kathleen Winsor was born in 1919. She became fascinated with Charles II and his immoral court after reading her first husband's thesis on the subject. Five years and much research later, she wrote FOREVER AMBER. It was a sensation, selling over 2 million copies in hardback, and was banned in Boston. It outsold almost every other book of the decade and became a bestseller in 16 countries. Kathleen Winsor lives in New York.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 992 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (July 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141009829
• ISBN-13: 978-0141009827
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (215 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,083,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wildly Addictive, December 20, 2003

By 

M. I. "krushedvelvet" (Old Bridge, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Forever Amber (Rediscovered Classics) (Paperback)

A friend of mine recommended "Forever Amber" to me. I can honestly say that otherwise, I would not have read it. Thank God she did tell me about how amazing it was...this is NOT a story to be missed! I could not believe that this was written back in 1944...it felt so fresh and not at all old fashioned.
I thought that the authors writing style was brilliant. The book is mainly about the life of a girl called Amber St. Clare. The thing about Amber is that she is not easy to like..in fact..I was appalled by her often, but at the same time I found myself admiring her determination, rooting for her, and pitying her as well. The book goes on for 972 pages and at the end of it all I actually wanted MORE. The descriptions were so vivid that I felt like I could see, smell, TASTE London as it was in the 1660s. I am so happy to have experienced this tale. I plan to look for more of Kathleen Winsors work and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any lover of Historical Fiction.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING NOVEL FOR ALL TIMES, August 17, 2006

By 

sherlock holmes "EEG" (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever Amber (Rediscovered Classics) (Paperback)

If you are a reader who loves to be transported inside a novel to one of the most interesting eras in British History; if you love reading books whose words literally cause you to feel, taste and smell as you read; If you love Adventure, Drama, Color, and relationships, Forever Amber is the book for you.

I first read this book when I was 17, over 32 years ago, having received the book from my mom who read it when she was in her early 20's. Since then I have read it again and again every year, sometimes reading it twice within a year, especially during periods when I needed to go into another place and time away from my real life.

I neither condone, agree nor disagree with all that is written by Ms. Winsor in this book. It is what it is, a spider web of interesting places, facts, people, cultures and society during the reign of King Charles II. I am a reader that wants to be entertained; wants to be enveloped inside a story or novel, and I believe any potential readers will experience this by reading it.

Forever Amber was the catalyst to my developing interest in England, in all things British. I love reading about England and have studied it extensively since first reading the book in high school.

I traveled to England in 1997 to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting the places written about in the book. I wanted to see the green countrysides and English village towns, the tower of London, Whitehall palace, the beautiful flowers, the architecture, paintings, Royals, food, and people, so vividly described to me in her book. I am and will probably always be (ask anyone who knows me) a lover of all things British, an Anglophile and serious Royal researcher and London enthusiast because of Forever Amber.

The novel is not trashy, it is not preachy, nor is it like any of the modern day historical romance books you may have read. It is simply an interesting story, well embroidered, well structured, about a young woman's journey, trials, tribulations, love, death and triumphs in life during 1600's Restoration England.

You will at times find yourself loving Amber and her life, then find yourself despising her for her unchanging, immoral, self serving and ignorant characteristics. Either way the book is worth its weight in gold. ***** FIVE STARS

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Current romance writers could learn something from this book, July 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Forever Amber (Library Binding)

Amber St. Clare is my all-time favorite romance character--even moreso than Scarlett O'Hara. Sure, Amber's unscrupulous at times, but she's not afraid to go after what she wants. She is definitely not a wimp, unlike so many modern-day romance heroines. Never, EVER did Amber really cave to a man's will. She might do it for a while, but only for as long as it suited her (or to ultimately gain the upper hand).

The historical detail in this book is astounding. No history book has ever made the period so gloriously alive, warts and all. Few books provide a better understanding of the Restoration, of the way its people thought, lived, dressed, ate--everything.

One other thing that I liked about the book was the sexuality without the gory details. I read this book nearly 20 years ago, and I can STILL remember the veiled reference to a night Amber spent with the Duke of Buckingham. No details were provided, just that even Amber was disgusted with what happened (which means it must have been really perverted). It was left to the imagination what really happened, which is much more effective than spelling it all out. I can't say that I remember ANY sex scene from a modern romance novel, not even the one I finished this morning. After a while, they're all pretty much the same--and they're boring.

For those who clamor for a sequel, one was written, but I can't remember the name of it (I found it in a South Dakota library about 15 years ago). Amber followed Bruce to America, and I believe she finally got him. The main problem with the book, as with Winsor's other subsequent efforts, was that it just didn't live up to Forever Amber. There is something about this book that is simply magical.