Forever Amber (Rediscovered Classics) by Kathleen Winsor
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Book Reviews of Forever Amber (Rediscovered Classics)
Book Review: A beautiful revelation
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought I'd read beautiful and memorable historical fiction in The Tea Rose, The Crimson Petal and the White, and Slammerkin. However, Forever Amber took my breath away. This beautiful novel centers on a rather courageous woman's struggles to get through one of the most difficult times a young woman could face... Pregnant and poor in the mean streets of London, sixteen-year-old Amber St. Clare does whatever is possible to improve her situation. The era -- Restoration England -- doesn't facilitate things for Amber. But with her charm, wit and, more important, beauty, Amber becomes the mistress of Merry Monarch, Charles II -- i.e., one of the most powerful men of that time period. From then on, Amber has the most luxurious and erotic experiences of her life. Little had she known that this new life would lead to greater surprises...
The novel has the sort of beautiful language that is rare in historical fiction. Hers is a lyrical voice that drips with sensual prose. The historical references are as exquisite as they are insightful. I couldn't put this book down. And, as mentioned earlier, it exceeds the other historical novels released as of late. Forever Amber is one of the best literary revelations I've had all year!
Book Review: Longtime Favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book in 1967 when I was in my 20's and was enthralled. At the time I knew little about Restoration England and found Amber's exploits to be captivating. I read the book many times after that first time and still find Ms. Winsor's attention to detail and historical background to be engrossing. When compared to historical novels written today, it is by far, still among the best. I don't find the characters dated and I marvel at the frank handling of sensitive subjects like abortion and life on the streets of London in the 1700's. It is easy to see why, when it was published in 1944, it caused a ruckus!
I admit it did go on a little too long at the end when Amber seemed to have exhausted all possibilities in England and one had the feeling there would be a sequel that took place in America. Of course, that didn't happen, although Winsor's book "Wanderers Eastward, Waderers West" might have started out to be that book.
"Forever Amber" is second only to GWTW in my library and I still find the characters to be colorful and memorable. I would love to see a new film production of it with some good actors--the original film didn't do the book justice.
Book Review: The Ultimate Survivor
Summary: 5 Stars
I was fourteen and while my friends splashed in the swimming pool on a hot July day, I was shut in my room, completely lost in the last pages of Forever Amber. I have since read a quantity of books--a thousand or more--but only a few stand out so sharply as this one. Granted, Amber is not an inspiring character per se. She is not someone you would want as a friend for your daughter. But then place yourself in an era where a woman in her position could not survive on goodness alone. With Kathleen Windsor's writing skills, the streets of Restoration London come so alive that you slip into Amber's shoes effortlessly and they carry you through the heroine's trials in an almost three-dimensional world. Whether you like her or not, you are Amber and only when her ship sails away to America, you are released from the story. Why does the often irritating Amber persist in readers' memory while scores of more deserving heroines had long faded away? Because she rings true. Because she has touched the darker half of our heart. And because she is the ultimate survivor. Oh, and I remember feeling sorry for poor Captain Morgan, Bruce Carlton, and other male victims...Book Review: Amazing Historical Epic!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book this last summer while on a very long tour of the US SW. It took me about one and a half weeks to read, and I was involved in every page of it!! I love how Amber stands out of her time period, and yet belongs enough to be historically believable. Plus, in my opinion, women who aren't the most admirable of moral people often make the best heroines. The other characters are also vital ingredients to the story, as each one comes and goes as people tend to in life. And yet the reader understands the importance and influence of the individuals. The backdrop of the book is remarkably historically accurate, and it is engrossing to learn the details of politics, philosophy, and medicine of the time. Dialogue is usually what determines how much I like a book, and the scenes are so real in this book that one can perfectly imagine them. The only possible downfall to this book is its striking resemblance in many ways to Gone with the Wind. It seems like the author loved many of Mitchell's ideas, and possibly used these subconciously in her own novel. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves good literature and historical romance.Book Review: Don't Read This Book If You Like Fairytales and Fluff!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read all the customer reviews on "Forever Amber" and was amazed at many of the readers' reactions regarding this novel. Many were disappointed with the "unsatisfying ending" and wishing that K. Winsor had written a sequel, i.e. "Amber in America". I read this book about 35 years ago and never forgot the mental banquet I feasted on while immersed in its historical pages and life of Amber. Kathleen Winsor was smart as a fox NOT TO WRITE A SEQUEL to "Forever Amber". We would all have loved (I think) to see Amber fair better, especially in matters of her heart (where Bruce Carlton was so hopelessly "enshrined").
Remember, readers, this is fiction. Winsor draws us in, effortlessly, honing our own hunger for "everything in its right place", and "all lived happily ever after". Amber's determination to win Bruce's heart for all time, and all the bitter disappointments that unrequited love brings to her is what makes ourselves, as we read, unable to put this book down. If you haven't read this book, do so. You have no idea of what you are missing!