Best Historical Fiction
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book data
1,219 ratings,
3.87
average rating, 221 reviews
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published
July 25th 2002
by Penguin Books Ltd
(first published 1944)
details
Paperback, 992 pages
isbn
0141009829
(isbn13: 9780141009827)
description
Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using her wits, beauty, and courage, to cli…more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2,185)
All ratings
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5 stars (411)
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4 stars (391)
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3 stars (296)
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2 stars (86)
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1 star (35)
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avg 3.87
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in January, 2003
A little known trivia about this book. Artie Shaw wanted his beautiful young wife Eva Gardner to be well read, and so he encouraged her to read many intellectual books, and he was very annoyed when he found her reading Forever Amber. He called it a trashy romance novel. Years later Artie Shaw would wed the author, Kathleen Windsor.
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May 19, 2008
Barb
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Read in August, 2008
I know some of you just love this book...and I'm happy for you...you are the good kind people who are able to go out into the world and make friends easily because you see the good in everyone regardless of how horrible and shallow and rotten they are.
I am not like you...I'm fussy, I'm particular, I'm very judgmental...and I could only stand to read 323 pages of this awful book!
I too am one of those people who thinks you should finish the book if you start it. I have n...more
I am not like you...I'm fussy, I'm particular, I'm very judgmental...and I could only stand to read 323 pages of this awful book!
I too am one of those people who thinks you should finish the book if you start it. I have n...more
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Read in December, 2008
Ugh! I thought I'd never finish this book. I have never before read so many pages about a protagonist I hated this much.
At the beginning of the book, Amber is a childish, selfish, spoiled little brat who uses her natural beauty and sexuality to get what she wants. But I thought, it's a book about a journey! Life will Happen, Amber will learn and grow and become a better person, and by the end of the book, I'll be happy when good things happen to her.
Well. Life did happen, but Amber d...more
At the beginning of the book, Amber is a childish, selfish, spoiled little brat who uses her natural beauty and sexuality to get what she wants. But I thought, it's a book about a journey! Life will Happen, Amber will learn and grow and become a better person, and by the end of the book, I'll be happy when good things happen to her.
Well. Life did happen, but Amber d...more
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Read in January, 1968
I first read this book in 1968 and started a life-long interest in Restoration England. This novel (the unabridged version, if you please) I smuggled away to read at night. Back then, such books were not considered suitable reading material for 12 year olds.
Amber herself reminds me now of Scarlett O'Hara in GWTW (a book I didn't read until much later). Besides, my interest was not in the heroine but in the times, the events and (naturally) King Charles II himself. Okay, I'll admi...more
Amber herself reminds me now of Scarlett O'Hara in GWTW (a book I didn't read until much later). Besides, my interest was not in the heroine but in the times, the events and (naturally) King Charles II himself. Okay, I'll admi...more
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Read in January, 2006
"Never again, she had promised herself a dozen times will I be such a fool." Yeah right, like we all know that's never going to happen don't we?
Amber St. Clare never felt she belonged with the poor family who raised her, and when one day a troop of cavaliers ride into her village she's swept away by Lord Bruce Carlton. Well, actually its more like the other way around - Amber won't say no and begs Bruce to take her to London and against his better judgment he agrees - alth...more
Amber St. Clare never felt she belonged with the poor family who raised her, and when one day a troop of cavaliers ride into her village she's swept away by Lord Bruce Carlton. Well, actually its more like the other way around - Amber won't say no and begs Bruce to take her to London and against his better judgment he agrees - alth...more
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Read in November, 2008
This book had everything you could ask for in historical fiction - court intrigue, infidelites, Newgate prison, smallpox, the plague, fire in London...It kept me going for 992 pages, yet I hated every character - there was no one with any redeeming qualities!! It was a very interesting read!
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Read in July, 2009
This book is titled after the main character in this story Amber. She is the most selfish, self loving, not so bright, lucky, social climbing character I have ever read. I found her so awful I had to put the book down half-way through because I didn't like her. She cares for no-one but herself and on her way up the social ladder she tramples on anyone who gets in her way and shows no remorse.
And yet I came back to it. The book itself is well written and gives a somewhat historical refe...more
And yet I came back to it. The book itself is well written and gives a somewhat historical refe...more
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Read in August, 2008
What a book! It felt more like an epic, with its length but fascinating read. The leading lady, Amber, was somebody that I found myself both rooting for and despiting her. She was the type of person who you wanted to succeed, to be happy, to be with her love, yet your nose crinkle in disdain about her dishonourable actions. Her discontempt for others, and her egostical attitude.
Definitely a fun read- but not by any means light! If you're looking for a book to last a few weeks on a v...more
Definitely a fun read- but not by any means light! If you're looking for a book to last a few weeks on a v...more
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Horrible book! Not a romantic one at all! i was extremely surprised that it was ever advertised as that...very depressing...Main character is very superficail and remains so through the entire book
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I read this book because of my grandfather. That sounds funny, but my grandpa Duke was in WWII and he was stationed mostly on ships. When this book came out, he the whole crew were given one copy to share. So they tore the book apart and passed the chapters around. You might get the third chapter one night and the tenth another. He read the whole book, but completely out of order. After he told me this story I went to the library and checked out the book. It was a good book especially if you lik...more
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Read in January, 2005
recommended to Lisa by:
Davidrecommends it for: Women who don't read romances.
Absolutely the best chick-lit classic of all time. This historical romance is poorly written worthless junk, and I loved every second of it! I have never read a Harlequin Romance, anything by Barbara Cartland or Danielle Steele, or anything with Fabio on the cover. The only reason I bothered was the person who sent it to me. Not just recommended it, took the trouble to send it. This is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of fluff, entertaining in ways I can't begin to understand or describe. Heartily r...more
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Synopsis
Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using 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, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from events such as the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary-and extraordinary-men and women, Amber experiences it ...more
Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using 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, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from events such as the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary-and extraordinary-men and women, Amber experiences it ...more
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Read in December, 2009
Okay, Okay, I've read all the bad reviews on here, and I have to admit that this was NOT the book I would choose if I wanted a pick-me-up, light-hearted, fun read. But I would always reach for this book before picking up Gone with the Wind, and that's saying something since most of the reviewers on this site have commented about how much they like that book!
It really is along the same lines, and I don't know how you can like Scarlet O'hara without falling in love with Amber St Claire. ...more
It really is along the same lines, and I don't know how you can like Scarlet O'hara without falling in love with Amber St Claire. ...more
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Read in July, 2009
recommended to Keoetter by:
Those with little time to read.recommends it for: Those with great interest in history and patience for a slow story.
This book would be receiving five stars had it been about 500 pages shorter.
I do not mind large books - not at all. My favorite book ever is Gone With the Wind, followed by Les Miserables. But Forever Amber was like soup with water added to make it stretch farther. The amount of filling between the good parts just made the whole thing thin and loose.
Don't get me wrong, the good parts were great. I couldn't put it down during the Plague - stayed up until three in the mor...more
I do not mind large books - not at all. My favorite book ever is Gone With the Wind, followed by Les Miserables. But Forever Amber was like soup with water added to make it stretch farther. The amount of filling between the good parts just made the whole thing thin and loose.
Don't get me wrong, the good parts were great. I couldn't put it down during the Plague - stayed up until three in the mor...more
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Read in April, 1992
I first read this book when I was 11 and pretty sheltered in terms of sex and greed. I was floored at how Windsor made every character in this book come alive; living, breathing, fornicating, swearing---ALIVE. I certainly agree that Amber is one of the least likeable characters I've ever come across-she's bitchy, narrowminded, selfish and I believe that the term "stalker" would describe her osbession with Bruce--but can anyone say that they've never held on too long to someone they k...more
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recommended to ~M~ by:
Belinda Brouette
recommends it for: People Who Like Abnormal Psychology, People Who Like Bitches
recommends it for: People Who Like Abnormal Psychology, People Who Like Bitches
This book was the number one book in the US in the 1940s. And it was banned in parts of the world at the same time. Reading it, I can see why. I was actually shocked at some of the content. As for the heroine... I hate Amber. No wait -- I HATE AMBER. For the first 50 pages I constantly wanted to throw the book across the room. For the first part of the book, Amber is the STUPIDEST book character I have ever seen or heard of. I kept picking the book back up because I just had to see how she would...more
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Read in June, 2007
This is the only "bodice ripper" I'll ever recommend. A historical romance based on the life of a gorgeous young peasant girl turned mistress to the king, this book is one of those "read under the covers with a flashlight late at night because you just can't stop" types of novels. Also, as it was written in the 1940s it's not too bawdy (i.e. no nauseating references to "trembling flowers" or "unsheathed sabers.")
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Read in April, 2009
this aptly titled book did go on forever. amber is a rather disagreeable woman who i wished would be poisoned before i would read, yet again, about how she absolutely must see bruce one more time. this book is a historical tribute to how a super bitch can get everything she wants with a small amount of wit and great beauty- well almost everything she wants.
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I absolutely loved this book. I bought it in Chicago on vacation knowing I needed something long to start on the train ride home, and I just finished it months later (taking many breaks to read library books that had to go back soon.) Amber is despicable and never becomes a character I could like, yet I was compelled to keep reading. Parts of it reminded me of Gone With the Wind, particularly how the main character is a jerk that doesn't ever really grow up. It was mindless enough that I cou...more
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Read in July, 2009
Set in the mid to late 1600s, Forever Amber follows the ambitions of a young girl. Born in the countryside and raised by a yeoman farmer and his wife, Amber believes she is destined for better things. When a handsome Lord Carlton visits her small hamlet, she takes the oppurtunity to leave town with him. From there she becomes everything from a mistress to an actress to a countess, living a very full---but not very rewarding--life.
I loved this book. It's long, but so filled with an in...more
I loved this book. It's long, but so filled with an in...more
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