5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A thoroughly enjoyable read about the great Nell Gwyn, April 14, 2009
This review is from: The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II (Paperback)
I have had a particular fondness for Nell Gwyn ever since reading a book called Sex With Kings and reading her hilarious antics as the mistress of Charles II, yet until now, have not actually read any fiction on her; and I must say, picking this book up was one of the best things I have ever done. Seriously. This is the first book by Susan Holloway Scott that I have read and after this I intend to read every book that she has written.
Meet Nell, our fiesty and hilarious heroine with a quick wit and a big and honest heart, who at a young age knows that her destiny lies in the arms and heart of England's beloved monarch, Charles II. Starting as the mistress of a gentleman, Nell soon climbs the ladder that ultimately leads to the love of her life- selling oranges at the King's Theatre, and then becoming the star of the stage and the darling of the British people.
We follow Nell's life through her own eyes, which has as many advantages to it as disadvantages; some being the fact that we get to see the events as they happen from Nell herself, but at times it is at the expense of the other equally memorable characters. You do get a sense of good character vs bad character throughout this novel. One of the best parts of this book is the authors attention to historical detail- she has not changed alot of the events or in fact the words of her characters- choosing simply to write them down as they happened, with fluid prose and laugh out loud moments of hysteria. Events fall into place with ease and Nell's narrative is easy to read and hilarious in content.
One of my critiscisms of this book is Nell's "blahzay" attitude to some of the major events of her life- the entire way through she is our lovable, honest and carefree heroine however when certain events happen to her, she doesn't seem to worry about them for too long and only displays the vaguest of emotion about them- for example her treatment compared to other mistresses. The other critiscism I have for this book is the way that nearly every chapter ends on a negative note of "worse to come" circumstances that don't actually occur or aren't as bad as they actually are- think drama queen, melodramatic etc etc.
Some of the sayings the author employed hindered my understanding- I got the general gist but after the third of these didn't really see the point in having them; yes they added to the period and the detail but as a modern reader I would have been just as happy with posh and elegant speeches than with C17 phrasing- although I love her very down to Earth; "Pox on ____" that Nell employs quite frequently- it really added to her characterisation.
Overall, this is the first book that I have read by this author and it most certainly will not be the last. The book was well researched, well written and had three dimensional characters- made all the better by the fact that unlike other authors Susan didn't feel the need to over dramatise/"Hollywoodise" the events and words of her characters, realising that they were hilarious without needing to edit them. I read this book in one sitting, starting in the morning and finishing without taking a breath late in the evening- time literally passed me by.
A brilliant book and a great look at the life of the extraordinary Nell Gwyn.
4 solid stars.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!, June 28, 2009
This review is from: The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II (Paperback)
While not a big fan of the first person narration which narrows down the reader's scope of the story and dampens the suspense (the reason why I rate this book a 4.5 instead of 5 stars), I enjoyed this book tremendously.
The witty-naughty Nell Gwyn was a fun character to root for and to follow her exploits. The research that went into this book is remarkable. The vivid canvas enriches an already humorous and fun to read story.
This is my first read from Susan Holloway Scott. I look forward to reading her other books.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This book will not be your favorite, April 23, 2011
I love historical fiction and I am always on the look out for books that take place during the 12-18th centrury in Europe. I knew very little about Nell Gwyn and after reading this book I realized that might be a good thing. Nell Gwyn was a mistress of King Charles II and is suppose to be "bawdy, blessed with impudend wit and saucy good looks". Her mother and sister were whores and she spent her early years in a whore house.
The book is bawdy but about as witty as getting a filling in your tooth. The dialogue is so incredibly bad and not funny that it was all I could do to finish it. The author also does a poor job of giving a bit details on some of the historical events that happens during Charles II. She glosses over them with minor detail and unless you are familiar with this time period-around 1660's in England-you will find yourself searching for a bit more clarification on historical figures and events.
The author has impressive credentials but she really missed the mark on this book. If you want to more about Nell Gwyn do yourself a favor and read about her on Wikipedia. It is a better read than this book.
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