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

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, rea

A Thoughtful Yet Entertaining Retelling of Nell Gwynne's Life It's not easy to take a familiar historical legend and make it seem new. The story of Nell Gwynne, who hopped from selling oranges during theater intermissions to the bed of the king of England is well-known, and the inspiration for old chestnuts like "Forever Amber." But in this thoughtful yet entertaining retelling, the author resists the familiar conventions and shows us new aspects of Nell and her royal consort. We see not only "pretty, witty" Nell famously selling her citrus-wares, but also her appalling girlhood poverty, her many friends (including the famous rake and poet Lord Rochester), and her protectors before King Charles. While Nell's life is the centerpiece, Restoration London (1660-1685) comes alive in all its unruly splendor, from the louche backstage of the playhouse to the splendor of the palace and Charles's court of beautiful loose women and international playboys, to the ghastly treatments employed by Rochester to treat his syphillis. The research to support all this is extensive and richly felt, but it never overwhelms the story, and it is the characters who carry the day. Nell, Lord Killigrew, King Charles, Lord Rochester, and the others are shown much as they must have been: witty, charming, and ultimately flawed, the way most real people always are. Highly recommended.

In this, the third installment of Scott's wonderful series of fictionalized biographies of notable (to say the least!) women associated with the court of Charles II, we are given entry to Nell Gwyn's world, an entirely different one from that enjoyed by Sarah Churchill or Barbara Palmer. Over the years, Nell as a historical figure has been misrepresented and sometimes maligned even more cruelly than Barbara, if possible. Scott, as always, does a thoroughly remarkable job of weaving painstaking research with her terrific storytelling instincts and effortlessly beautiful prose style. For me, one of the essential pleasures of reading is finding a writer whose work is "musical". If I hear a pulse and a flow in the words on the page, I can't help but read more. Scott's books are full of this music. There are a great many more famous authors who don't have a tenth of Susan Scott's gifts for bringing stories to such vivid life on the page. Her work, and this story of Nell Gwyn in particular, are HIGHLY recommended!

After two decades at the top of her profession Nell Gwynn "never claimed to be a lady". However, the royal mistress was proud how far she climbed from being a young teen in 1661 London working at Madam Ross' bawdy house. In 1662 at thirteen she obtains her first "guardian" Mr. Duncan who protects her. A year later, Nell obtains works as an orange seller at the Royal Theater where the recently returned to the throne King Charles Stuart likes what he sees. She goes on stage and soon leaves the theater to perform her greatest and longest running role, two decades at Whitehall; where lying backstabbers invoke the name of God, country and other babble to claim the moral high ground. However, she is the only one who lightens the load of King Charles II. This is an entertaining raunchy fictionalized memoir that brings alive from an "insider's" perspective a transformation period in English history as Cromwell is out and the Stuarts are back in. Nell comes across as intelligent and witty as she uses double entendres to get the better of hypocrites who claim to know what is morally best for others (sounds so contemporary familiar). Genre fans will appreciate the life and times of THE KING'S FAVORITE, as the "DUCHESS" of biographical fiction Susan Holloway Scott provides an insightful seventeenth century tale. Harriet Klausner