Customer Reviews

The King's Touch

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A character-driven reconstruction of the Restoration period, from the point of view of the ill-fated Duke of Monmouth.

I don't understand why so little historical fiction takes the English Civil War and its lengthy and dramatic aftermath as a setting. Whatever the reason, its rarity makes The King's Touch a particularly welcome book. While a bit more grasp of the period's ideologies and material culture would have been an improvement, in general I thought the Restoration was effectively evoked.

Told primarily in first person from the point of view of Jemmy, Charles II's illegitimate son who becomes Duke of Monmouth, the narrative focuses heavily on Jemmy's childhood, his upbringing and his relationships with others, particularly his elusive father. Morgan effectively portrays human, flawed yet deeply sympathetic characters who have been damaged by disinheritance, exile and uncertainty, without sliding (much) into anachronism. Solely a book about human relationships, King's Touch contains little physical action; a different author might have chosen to portray Jemmy in battle rather than skimming over military events. However, the plot held my interest.

I think this would have a broad appeal to readers of romantic historical fiction (as opposed to 'historical' romance novels).

"The Kings Touch" is a marvelous story of Charles II and Restoration England told through the eyes of the boy who was the first born son of Charles II, eventually known as the Duke of Monmouth. Through Jemmy, the boy, we meet Charles while he is still a man in exile holding out for hope. We see how Charles' life, sense of self, and inability to trust in others and to say "no" is shaped by his domineering and jealous mother, Queen Henrietta Maria, his favorite sister, Minette, and his jealous brother James. It seems that Charles is always searching for love and acceptance - yet politics, power and jealousy interfere repeatedly. Through Jem's eyes we see this man grow into an indulgent and excessive King who rules largely ineffectively. He is a difficult father as well - displaying love one minute, distrust another, and with holding the same sense of security from his son that he seemed to long for himself.

Author Jude Morgan has the Midas Touch when it comes to bringing Restoration England alive on the pages. This book is full of vivid descriptions, larger than life characters (as they were in life), and is a story you smell in full and see in color. The King's Touch is full of intrigue, jealousy, sex, drunkeness, lust and drips with the excessive displays of the period.

Despite the many lovers Charles II is known to have had, and the numerous children he produced outside of his marriage which he acknowledged and raised, few know of The Duke of Monmouth though he is said to have been the one most loved and favored by the King. This is particularly odd since Monmouth himself lead such a tumultuous and interesting life, and eventually was arrested and executed for waging a rebellion after the death of this father. These facts alone make this story well worth reading.

The King's Touch is told in the first person by Jemmy (James, Duke of Monmouth), the best-known out-of-wedlock son of Charles II. It covers his life from his childhood with his beautiful, unstable mother to his decision to lead his rebellion against James II. Though Jemmy's military adventures play a part in this novel, this is by no means an action-packed tale. Nor is it concerned chiefly with the politics of the age, though they of course play an important background role. Rather, the focus is on Jemmy's relationships, most especially with his enigmatic father

Having been reading some others' thoughts about reviewing, it's struck me that my favorable reviews tend to be similar to each other: I praise the author's characterizations and writing style. That's no accident, because character to me is what the essence of novel writing is about; if I can't connect with the people in a novel on some level, the novel doesn't work for me. So having said that, you'll not be surprised to hear that I enjoyed The King's Touch chiefly for its characters. They're vivid and memorable, particularly Charles II and Jemmy himself.

Morgan's writing style is also a treat: elegant yet unfussy, and full of little gems like this comment about Jemmy's grandmother, Queen Henrietta Maria, who's just been told by Charles that he wants Jemmy raised as a Protestant: "My grandmother sat down tragically. (I cannot give a clear idea of tragical sitting-down, but my grandmother could manage it.)"

The dialogue here sparkles, and is appropriate to the characters, some of the best lines being too bawdy to quote here. Here's a random sample from Jemmy's cousin Mary, who's not looking forward to her wedding day: "'Then I am very well. But I am not, of course. It is not true, by the by, that I wept two days together after Father told me I was to marry Prince William. It was only a day and a half.'"

This was a great read. Pick it up.

This book is written from the point of view of the Duke of Monmouth, the oldest illegitimate son of King Charles II, who was restored to the british throne around 1660 - after the Cromwellian reign.

The Duke of Monmouth, James (to friends and family known as Jemmy) not only recounts his personal story and history, but in the first instance the story of his father and his reign over England during the Great Fire of London, the wars with the Dutch and the Plague.

Throughout the book Jemmy has not only to struggle with his illegitimacy, his desire for his father's acceptation and recognition but also with his "unsecure" status at court.

Although he was appointed several offices, fought in several wars of his father's and was openly shown affection by his father, Jemmy never really believed it was enough and wanted more. He wanted to become an heir to the throne of England.

Married to a wife he did not love, he had numerous affairs, just like his father had mistresses (although Charles II remained devoted to his wife Chatherine). He finally found s/o he considered himself married to and at least was happy in that regard.

The struggle to become an heir to the throne or the next king respectively, led to the Duke of Monmouth's demise however.

This book is full of intrigue, manipulation, secret trysts and decadence. It not only gives you details about the Court of King Charles II, but also on the French Court of King Louis (VERY decadent).

Jude Morgan chose her wording brilliantly and stuck to historical detail. The only thing I found a bit annoying was that she hardly gave any dates to pinpoint events to. If you are interested in British history, you will know, however.

Highly recommended, it is worth the time and money you have to spend!

This book started off very slowly, and I almost gave up on it, when suddenly it took off like a bullet. When James (or "Jemmy") returns to England in order to be part of Charles II's Court, this novel became a page-turner of the best variety.

Concentrating on my favorite aspect of historical writing - the people, Jude Morgan writes about the complex relationship between Jemmy and his father, the King. The King gives favor upon favor to Jemmy, leading him to believe that he will eventually be acknowledged as Charles' legitimate son. Meanwhile, Jemmy's Uncle James lurks in the background like an evil spectre.

Nobody here is without their flaws. Jemmy is prideful and sometimes arrogant, Charles is inscrutable and mercurial. The two characters who are the most likable are William of Orange and, unsurprisingly, Nell Gwynne.

I came to this novel knowing absolutely nothing about the Restoration or about the Duke of Monmouth. Now I can't wait to learn more. What higher praise can one give?

A friend recommended this to me recently. I was in two minds whether to read it, as I have little interest in seventeenth century history. However, I found a cheap copy and decided to buy it, and I'm so glad I did.

King's Touch is the story of 'Jemmy' - James Scott, Duke of Monmouth - the eldest illegitimate child of the future King Charles II and his mistress Lucy Walter. The novel is narrated by Jemmy in the first person, and covers his life from the age of seven in the 1650s, in precarious exile on the Continent with his mother, until 1685.

King's Touch is exactly the kind of novel I enjoy most, where the focus is almost entirely on characterisation and relationships. There is plenty of action, but the focus is on the characters themselves - and my goodness, how Jude Morgan makes them come to life. They jump right off the page, vivid, three-dimensional, incredibly real - even the minor characters. We see lots of the French royals too - Louis XIV, Anne of Austria, the Duke of Orleans and so on, as vivid as their English counterparts. Despite the long list of characters, I was never confused about who was who.

Before starting the novel, I knew very little about the period of English history it covers: the aftermath of the Civil War, the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, the Restoration of Charles II, and so on. But I was never lost. There's plenty of information to help the reader understand the situation, and best of all, it never appears in 'info dumps' but seems to grow organically out of the narrative. It's beautifully written, with frequent little touches of humour that made me smile. Although it's a thick book - over 500 fairly dense pages - it didn't drag at all.

There was nothing at all I didn't like about King's Touch. Oh yes, one thing: it ended. It's one of those novels that I finished with a genuine sense of regret, knowing that I was going to miss Jemmy enormously.

Highly, highly recommended.

The King's Touch tells the story of King Charles II through the eyes of his first born, illegitimate son, James(Jemmy)1rst Dule of Monmouth. Reviled by history as a traitor with better looks than common sense,Jemmy is given a chance to tell his side of the story in Jude Morgan's beautifully written novel.Since history always comes with a point of view, I think that there are many versions of the truth. Given the poverty of his childhood and the natural confusion of feelings a royal illegitimate child must feel, I can understand why the honors and wealth bestowed on him later could have gone to his head. From his own telling, Jemmy seems to have more heart than brains. Still, I found him to be a deeply sympathetic character. The task of untangling conflicting feelings about your parents, of trying to find your own place in the world--here's a universal theme I can relate to.

Mr. Morgan's historical research seems well done. He brings Charles II and the Restoration alive with vivid true to life characters (truth is sometimes stranger than fiction). But this story is Jemmy's tale: growing up, loving, and hating, leading and being led with all the fascinating people he meets along the way.

This book was written with sensitivity and detail. It's really stuck with me. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Jude Morgan!

The King's Touch is the story of Charles II's illegitimate son Jemmy, James Duke of Monmouth. Written in the first person POV, Jemmy recounts his life story from being removed by Charles from his mother's care, through his relationship with his father and his aunt Minnette, Charles' restoration to the English Crown and finally ending at the start of the Monmouth Rebellion at Charles' death. The life and reign of Charles II and the main characters (and Charles' many mistresses) are fairly well known, and not worth rehashing further.

Those looking for an action packed, bawdy romp through the Courts of Charles II should look elsewhere, this is not the book for you - I'd recommend Forever Amber. Yes, we see his mistresses and the intrigues and scandals of the Restoration period, but in lesser degree - even the plague and the great fire of London are almost afterthoughts in the story. As other reviewers have noted, what this book is about is Jemmy and his relationship with his very enigmatic father as Jemmy struggles to come to grips with his illegitimacy as others intrigue to have him declared legitimate and the true heir to the crown.

As stated previously, this is not a fast paced book and one that should be read in small doses so you can sit back and savor them slowly like you would a very decadent truffle or a fine glass of red wine (or both!!). Unfortunately for me, I had this as an interlibrary loan and not renewable and found myself under the gun at the last minute to blow through 500 + pages and I feel it impacted my enjoyment of this a bit. 4/5 stars.