At 850+ pages this book could be quite daunting to some readers, yet it is for the most part an entertaining read, that travels at break neck speed through some of the key events in the life of Amber St Clare, with quite a lot of historical detail included from the time of the Restoration, during the reign of King Charles II.

When we first meet Amber she is a 16 year old orphaned village girl, who has been living with her adoptive aunt and uncle since the day she was born. None of the other girls (or even her adoptive sisters) like her because Amber has managed to attract most of the attention of the young men of the village. When Amber meets dashing Cavalier, Lord Bruce Carlton, she realises that he is her ticket out of the small village, and she begs him to take him to London with her. Bruce is returning to London after an extended stay overseas with King Charles II but the King is about to be restored to his rightful .

Lord Carlton is pretty much honest with Amber. Whilst he loves her, and wants her, he is not going to be sticking around, even when Amber finds herself pregnant. After giving Amber money, and instructions on how to invest wisely, Bruce has left her, and before too long Amber has moved up a better home, with servants, and is spending lavishly using the money that Bruce gave her. Before too long she is the target of fraudsters and she find herself in the debtor’s prison at Newgate with no way to get out until she is taken under the wing of Black Jack, notorious highwayman and thief, and serial escapee from jail. When he next leaves he takes Amber with him, away from Newgate forever.

This begins a period of crime for Amber as she becomes the bait to lure wealthy young men out for Black Jack to rob. It also becomes a time where Amber begins to realise the value of having a protector and provider, so when Black Jack is no longer able to provide the protection that she needs, Amber moves on from one man to the next, always making sure to save her money wherever possible. She becomes an actress, mainly because she learns that if you are employed in the King’s company as an actress you can never be sent to Newgate, meaning that her greatest fear can never come true. Whilst performing as an actress Amber once again makes enemies of most of the women around her, but she also meets Captain Rex Morgan, probably one of the few men that truly loved Amber, although she doesn’t realise what a good thing she has until he is gone. Eventually Amber marries again a couple of times, never for love, and never being faithful, but throughout her life Bruce appears and disappears, always coming back to be with Amber for a short period of time at least, and eventually Amber has two children by him.

In her second to last marriage Amber moves sufficiently through the social strata to come to the notice of the King, and she becomes his mistress, and mother of one of Charles’ children. In her last marriage she has found the way to be able to live as she pleases whilst at least appearing to be married and respectable, although there are times when she cannot help be shocking to the people around her, such as the occasion when Lord Bruce has brought his new wife to London and she is determined to show him what he is missing by wearing a basically see through dress to the party being held in their honour, shocking everyone and embarrassing herself.

To me, the most amazing part of this story was when the Plague hits London in 1765 and Amber stays behind to nurse Bruce back to health, but not before she succumbs to the sickness herself. Bruce and Amber have at least one period in their time together where you would think that there is hope for them... a future together. However Bruce has always said that he will not marry Amber, and he tells his eventual wife that Amber is what every man will always want as a mistress but definitely not as a wife. Eventually Amber manages to not only make enemies of most of the ladies of the Court but also of many of the men, including those that have stood by her for many years, the centre of a whirlpool of court intrigue and gossip.

Forever Amber came out around the same time as Gone With the Wind,and there are definitely similarities between the two novels, both of which have stood the test of time. Just like Scarlett O’Hara, Amber St Clare is a conniving, selfish woman, who will do anything to get what she wants, whether that be money and status, or the love of her life, Lord Bruce Carlton. There is also a similarly enigmatic ending, with seemingly endless permutations possible for the future. Forever Amber also had the distinction of being banned in several states when it was first published for being too sexy. It is funny now to think of this because compared to the romances and even mainstream literature being published now, this is very tame sexual content wise.

Forever Amber is a bawdy romp through Restoration England and well worth a read

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