Mistress | The Perfect Royal Mistress: A Novel

Stage mom | The Perfect Royal Mistress: A Novel | Diane Haeger

books:


	• The Perfect Royal Mistress: A Novel Diane Haeger Three Rivers Press, 2007 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

very good read

nell capture the king hearts because she was free spirit that come in your life onlt once.

Mistress

I'd heard and read about Nell Gwynn but until I read this book I didn't know she was King Charles II's royal mistress for over 17 years. How she kept him interested that long when others came and went over that period of time was truly an eye opener. If Charles had not been king I truly believe he would have married her. Great read!

Stage mom

This is the tale of Nell Gwynne, an actual person of 1660s London, who managed to carve out a niche for herself in the royal household. Born in a brothel, raised by a mother of questionable values, she was able to immortalize herself from the ground up; starting, as far as anyone can determine, as an orange girl at the local theatre (a seller of sweetmeats who circulated amongst the audience), and having caught the King's eye, working her way up to a position she never dreamed of.

This book is fairly well written and is not exactly a romance; it manages to present a great deal of political intrigue and shows, also, some of the other business that King Charles had to deal with. He wasn't a very good money manager and, apparently, never met a woman he didn't sleep with, but when he met Nell he seems to have made a lifetime commitment, as far as that could go. He had two sons by Nell (and many others by various other ladies, but none legitimately), and showed himself to be a responsible parent. All of his children were dear to him, and he provided for them all, ennobling many of them. He could not remain faithful to anybody; but Nell rolled with it, realizing he was the King and would do as he pleased, and that objections to his philandering would only drive him off. Because they seemed to be therapeutic for each other, their relationship lasted; his reported last wish as he lay dying was that his brother should make sure that Nell wanted for nothing.

This book started out a bit sluggishly, but picked up the pace a little ways in. While it won't be a book I mind giving up to someone else, I enjoyed it; it presented one of my favourite eras of English history in a readable manner, and perked my interest in Nell (who I did previously know of) to the effect that I researched her a bit after finishing the book. It is interesting to note that Diane Haeger, the author, incorporated a number of Nell legends into the story in a believeable fashion.

For those interested in the English theatre of that era, or in King Charles II, it is a safe recommend. There are a few mawkish moments, but not bad enough to relegate it to the dress-ripping category of romance novels. The history itself saves the story.

for more information click here

Bitter-sweet Love Story & Rags-to-Riches Tale

I always love historical fiction, especially of this period. (17th Century England.) Life was really hard then. But in this novel, Nell Gwynn, born in the lowly slums of London, finds herself first the leading comedic actress of her day and then the beloved mistress of King Charles II. This book is a good sequel to Philippa Gregory's novels about the Tudors. "The Perfect Royal Mistress" met the greatest test of all for me: I cried at the end! Read it! You'll cry too.

Born into poverty and raised in a brothel, Nell Gwynne sells oranges in the pit at London?s King?s Theater, newly reopened after the plague and the Great Fire devastated the city. Soon, her quick sense of humor and natural charm get her noticed by those who have the means to make her life easier. But the street-smart Nell knows a woman doesn?t get ahead by selling her body. Through talent, charm, intelligence, and sheer determination?as well as a keen understanding of how the world operates?Nell works her way out of the pit and onto the stage to become the leading comedic actress of the day. Her skills and beauty quickly win the attention of all of London?eventually even catching the eye of King Charles II. Their attraction is as real as it is unlikely, and the scrappy orange girl with the pretty face and the quick wit soon finds herself plunged into the confusing and dangerous world of the court, where she learns there are few she can trust?and many whom she cannot turn her back on.

From the gritty streets of seventeenth-century London, to the backstage glamour of its theaters, to the glittering court of Charles II, The Perfect Royal Mistress is a love story for the ages, the rags-to-riches tale of a truly remarkable heroine.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

hot