The Loves of Charles II (The Wandering Prince / A Health Unto His Majesty / Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord)
by Jean Plaidy
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From princesses to country girls to actresses...the loves of Charles II come to life. Ten years after Charles I was deposed and executed, his son, Charles II, regains the throne after many years in exile. Charles is determined not only to restore the monarchy but also to revive a society that has suffered under many years of Puritan rule, when everything from theater to Christmas festivals was illegal. As king, Charles II throws himself into the gaiety of court life, becoming a patron of the show more arts and a consummate lover of women. He first secures a strong dynastic alliance by marrying Catherine of Braganza, a shy, plain Portuguese princess who falls in love with her handsome husband and brings him great wealth, but can never give him the son he longs for. For many years, his "untitled queen" is a bold and sensual older woman--Barbara, Countess of Castlemaine--whose husband is routinely paid to look the other way. But when the politically ambitious Lady Castlemaine becomes too powerful, she is replaced by Louise de Kéroualle, a baby-faced French noblewoman who may have been sent to Charles's court as a spy. His other great love, and Louise's rival, is Nell Gwyn, a stage actress who rises from the streets of London to become the king's favorite and a hero of the working class. Court intrigue and affairs of the heart weave together in this unforgettable page-turner. show lessTags
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One of Plaidy's more comprehensive works -- whereas many of her novels offer only a single point of view, because Loves is actually the conflation of three other novels, each with two narrators -- for a grand total of six very different women -- the depiction she gives of Charles II is in some ways much more thorough than the treatment other historical figures have received at her hands.
This book is 735 pages and is actually three novels in one volume.
The first novel is about the flight of Charles II as a boy and his family from Cromwell. His Father is later executed. It follows his childhood and his efforts at reclaiming the throne. It is also heavily focused on his youngest and favourite sister and her quest for marriage into the French royalty.
The second book follows his return to England as it's king. His Royal marriage and mistress' and his illegitimate children. This is where I put the book down for a few days and never picked it back up! It wasn't exciting enough for me to keep reading I had no desire to find out what happened next. The first book was alright but the second book felt a bit like 'same old same show more old'.
I hope other have better luck reading this than I. show less
The first novel is about the flight of Charles II as a boy and his family from Cromwell. His Father is later executed. It follows his childhood and his efforts at reclaiming the throne. It is also heavily focused on his youngest and favourite sister and her quest for marriage into the French royalty.
The second book follows his return to England as it's king. His Royal marriage and mistress' and his illegitimate children. This is where I put the book down for a few days and never picked it back up! It wasn't exciting enough for me to keep reading I had no desire to find out what happened next. The first book was alright but the second book felt a bit like 'same old same show more old'.
I hope other have better luck reading this than I. show less
slow to start. but moved right along.
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Author Information
259+ Works 37,429 Members
Jean Plaidy was a British writer who wrote under various pen names. Her real name is Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert. She was born in London on September 1, 1906. Most of the books written as Jean Plaidy are historical romances based on English history featuring historical figures. The first, Beyond the Blue Mountains, was published in 1947. Hibbert show more also wrote five nonfiction histories and two children's books. Besides Jean Plaidy, Hibbert wrote under Victoria Holt, Phillipa Carr, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Ellalice Tate, and her maiden name, Eleanor Burford. Hibbert died on January 18, 1993. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- The Loves of Charles II (The Wandering Prince / A Health Unto His Majesty / Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord) (The Wandering Prince / A Health Unto His Majesty / Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord)
- People/Characters
- Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland; Catherine of Braganza; Barbara Palmer, duchess of Cleveland; Nell Gwynne; Louise de Kerouaille, duchess of Portsmouth; Lucy Walter (show all 8); Henriette of England; Hortense Mancini, duchesse Mazarin
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Paris, France
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Statistics
- Members
- 186
- Popularity
- 175,265
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.83)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 5
