Expected more, nonetheless it's ok

books:


	• Forever Amber Kathleen Winsor Penguin Books Ltd, 2002 - 992 pages average customer review:based on 140 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Expected more, nonetheless it's ok

Just finished reading the book, 972 pages long which I usually don't mind but in this case I found myself thinking" 972 pages for amber getting duped in the end by two selfish plotting men, wasn't Amber supposed to get her way at the end?" Some of you might actually think me naive or just a hopeless romantic but I truly expected Lord Carlton to marry Amber, at least some day when they were 90 something like that. Getting to the basis of my review, from which I have drifted, the book is just as intriguing as any contemporary historical romance novel it seems to be the foundation for all those great historical romance novels that are hugely popular today. It has rich descriptions and truly gives the sense of one actually living in 17th century London. Amber is a great character and I was rooting for her from the beginning, we all have a little side of Amber's evilish thoughts. On the other hand the book is too repetitive, two bad husbands is enough in my opinion, and most times I had to put it down just to simmer my anger at Bruce for being so cold to her and at Amber for being too pleading with him often asking myself "where's her pride when she needs it?!"
So basically my disappointment is that Amber got greedy and Bruce got married and even more cold towards her, and they didn't end up together. I was also disappointed in the fact that throughout all the novel I saw how Amber rose above all obstacles and later she gets tricked because of her only weakness, the novel completely lost oomph for me I wanted her to rise above EVERYTHING including Bruce. And finally the only thing that I would criticize about Amber's attitude is that she wasn't such a devoted mother, I don't know but my maternal instincts kicked in and I kept wondering about her kids all the time, and Lord Carlton was always a bigger priority than them.
Still got to say props to Kathleen for writing such an amazing book (which is today considered a classic) in such a conflicting time for women specially. I give it 4 stars for the ending, but truly i have read worse, much much worse, its pretty good!

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Love to hate it!

I read this book about eight years ago. I never read modern romances but this fell into my hands by chance and wasn't too raunchy, and once I had started it I couldn't put it down. I STILL remember these characters as if they were people that I actually knew. I remember how I felt about them too--mostly I wanted to kick them all in the shins and tell them to be better people. I remember jumping to my feet with the book in my hands and exclaiming, "What are you DOING???" to the main character. Ah! I get my hackles up just remembering it. Fantastic book!

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Euro Scarlett O'Hara?

This is an epic disappointment. It made me suspect that the author had tried to write a European version of Gone With the Wind and failed miserably. I was generous with the 3 stars only because of the historical content. Amber is a hedonistic version of Scarlett O'Hara. The only reason I kept turning the pages was because I hoped to see her wake up and achieve some level of maturity.

The novel spans a decade, and yet Amber's character spirals to levels of degradation that leave us nothing to root for. For all of her worldliness and sophistication she only gets more dim-witted. As I got closer to the end I realized there weren't enough pages left to make Amber into anything better. But again, like another reader I had invested so much time in this book that I kept on going till the bitter end. Afterwards, I closed it and threw it beside the bed and thought it was an incredible waste of time.

If you want to read a wonderful historical romance, may I suggest the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. The first book, Outlander, is a keeper and I read it over and over again. The characters are smart and likeable. The historical context, remarkable. Almost everyone I've given Outlander to has read all the books in the series. The second and third in the series, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager, are to me, as good as the first.

Another is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. When I put this book down it was like saying good bye to a dear friend.

But this book, Forever Amber, will be forever forgotten

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Amazing Novel

This is the best book I have read in a long time. It really gives you a feel for the time period and is extemely interesting as well!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using her wits, beauty, and courage, to climb to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England?that of favorite mistress of the Merry Monarch, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from events such as the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary?and extraordinary?men and women, Amber experiences it all. But throughout her trials and escapades, she remains, in her heart, true to the one man she really loves, the one man she can never have. Frequently compared to Gone with the Wind, Forever Amber is the other great historical romance, outselling every other American novel of the 1940s?despite being banned in Boston for its sheer sexiness. A book to read and reread, this edition brings back to print an unforgettable romance and a timeless masterpiece.

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