The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: orange girls, Master Killigrew, Lady Castlemaine, Lord Rochester (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king’s last love and London’s darling…
BR>Nell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to become a sensation in the theater. Still in her teens, she catches the eye of King Charles II, and trades the stage for Whitehall Palace—and the role of royal mistress.

Even though she delights the king, she must learn to negotiate the cutthroat royal court, where ambition and lust for power rule the hearts of all around her. For beneath her charm and light-heartedness, Nell has her own ambition—to become no less than the king’s favorite.

About the Author

Susan Holloway Scott is a graduate of Brown University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045122406X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451224064
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #213,307 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, June 28, 2009

By	Debbie Graham (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable if a tiny bit frustrating, November 6, 2009

By	Charlene Vickers (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Susan Scott does a lot of things very well in "The King's Favorite". It's unusual to find an author who can write from the first person point of view without turning the protagonist into a shining exemplar of unerring, perfect omniscience. Scott doesn't do this: her Nell Gwyn is ignorant without knowing it, brash without fully recognizing it, sweet and loyal without understanding herself exactly how sweet she is. Ignorance especially isn't easy to portray from this point of view, but Scott does it very well.

I also liked how she handled contemporary texts. Nell's occupation as an actress and her friendships with the wits of the day gave Scott the opportunity to lace her story with quotes from men like Rochester, Killegrew, and Dryden, but she didn't just throw them in willy-nilly; she used them appropriately *and* she was careful to have her characters attribute the words to their original writers. That shows not just talent but integrity.

There were a few things, though, that I didn't enjoy as much. For one thing, every chapter seems to end with a melodramatic cliffhanger where Nell promises great horrors that never actually materialize. I suspect Scott wanted to show that Nell's theatre experience made her melodramatic and prone to using tricks like this, but for me it simply didn't work. The trick turned into the boy who cried wolf: when something awful actually did occur, I didn't notice it because I simply assumed it was yet another false alarm. The climax and denouement seemed off to me as well, not because it was undramatic or unrealistic but because it was a relatively minor incident in both Charles's and Nell's lives. For me the book would have been more satisfying if it had continued until Charles's death, with Nell finding out only afterwards that he had intended to ennoble her - leaving her wondering if he had intended to honour her or discard her.

All in all, however, this was a good book, and I recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable read about the great Nell Gwyn, April 14, 2009

By	kellie "Aussie Aussie Aussie" (perth australia) - See all my reviews

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.