FOREVER AMBER UPDATE 1&2

I’m a little behind on posting my updates on this book . Amber is a fascinating exploration of the Restoration period of English history under the Reign of Charles the Second. This book is a 972 page monster! But it reads like a dream, you cant help turning the pages. Here is my thoughts on weeks 1 &2:

 

WEEK 1

 

Amber St. Clare isn't very likeable!  She is 16 and well aware of her allurements. She is the bastard child of a young woman who ran away from home due to a distasteful marriage. Though not aware of her lineage, Amber does lord it over her cousins and the other village girls. When a group of Lords pass through her village on their way to London and the circus that will follow the Restoration of King Charles.

Amber attaches herself to Lord Carlton and begs her way to England. Even though he tells her he has his own plans and will not marry her she remains hopeful.

 

Things end quickly as Bruce leaves her pregnant and alone yet well funded with 500 pounds. Amber of course has no head for money and finds herself attached to the wrong crowd and eventually in debtors prison!

 

Prison to her first keeper Rex Morgan and even the stage ! Our Amber gets around, yet as this first part draws to a close Bruce Carlton steps into her life again and Ambers obsession for him will turn her world upside  down !

 

 

WEEK TWO

In this section we begin to see two of the greatest tragedies of London through Ambers eyes: The Plague and The Great Fire of London. Amber is once again without Lord Carlton and stumbles into a fortunate and unfortunate series of events. First she picks up ( literally!) A rich older man who she quickly sets her sights on. Through him she secures comfort and legitimacy for Bruce’s second child. All this she risks again when Lord Carlton returns. Not only does Bruce have a business relationship with her husband but he is sleeping with her stepdaughter! This enrages Amber and she sets out to destroy her stepdaughter. Fate is smiling on Amber as her husband dies without learning of her actions and leaves her a fortune. When the plague enters London Amber barely gives it a thought. The most selfless thing Amber does is wait for and care for Bruce through his illness. Bruce really takes care of Amber as well and I really thought these two were going to make it! Alas Bruce leaves again and the always practical Amber decides to marry for a title. It’s in this marriage I really felt Amber was getting what she deserved. Her husband Radclyffe is impotent and brutal. He cannot be charmed by her and uses her money flagrantly. Their relationship comes to a climatic ending during the fires.

 

My head spins at all the marriages, births and obsessions Amber experiences and I cant wait to see how this book ends!

 

To see what Michelle and others think of the book check out the link.

 

This is such a great book and I’m so happy that Michelle introduced it to me.