Forever Amber (1944)

No, this is not a book I enjoy. I have read 267 of 972 pages and have decided to quit. I know the historical facts are correct so I have been forcing myself to continue to learn about the Restoration period in England, the plague, the London’s Fire, clothing, food, customs and manners. Yes, all that is here. Still, I did not enjoy it. The beginning was fun because Amber felt like a young, spunky girl determined to get what she wanted from life… and Bruce did blow her over! That was all fine and dandy, and they went off to London together. Then he disappears, and he had told her he would be leaving so he is no rotten schmuck. Don’t worry; this is all so soon in the book it is not a spoiler. It is just that I don’t like Amber at all anymore. Prison and thievery and marrying for personal gain, well, I just don’t like her anymore. OK, I could follow her footsteps to learn about the events at the end of the 1600s. It is just that I don’t care for any of the characters; in fact I dislike all of them. I would only recommend this book to those who particularly enjoy plot oriented novels because the characters just do not draw you in. Maybe I am too picky, but I want more than just plot. I want characters that feel real, some bad, some good, at least one for whom I can feel empathy. Nope, this is not my thing. I am going to stop here. I tried.

Remember, my one star doesn’t at all mean this is a bad book. It just means it was not for me. You have to decide for yourself what you are looking for in a book.

Dumped April 26, 2013 ( )

Read this book so many times (In Dutch) and really loved it. One of my all time favorites. ( )

Ooooh... a romantic epic, very similar to Gone with the Wind, but set in the 1600s and in London. ( )

there's a great reason this has been called "the restoration gone with the wind", right up through the WTF ending. fun times romping through 1600s england with a farm girl turned courtesan are mostly fun for the lush setting and wonderful sense of place. equally as unlikable and just as compelling as scarlett, amber bounces from bed to bed, making and loosing several fortunes. all the smut scenes are "fade to black" or "and then she rose up from the bed satisfied", which makes it all less tawdry while still being titillating for "Banned in Boston!!!!"

interesting, but not essential, and most definitely the sort of book you can savor chunks at a time while more intently reading another handful of books. ( )

This is not cheese, it's processed cheese food. A great big block of processed cheese food, and best approached with a non-gourmet attitude. The plot is melodramatic, the characters for the most part unlikeable and the settings fairly realistic. The costumes, of course, are gorgeous, but several pivotal moments seem to have been lifted whole from [b:Gone With The Wind|18405|Gone With The Wind|Margaret Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166913011s/18405.jpg|3358283], and despite some reasonably accurate historical details and slang, it's readable if you don't require characters you actually like. ( )