Forever Amber

When Forever Amber was originally published in 1944 it created a sensation and catapulted its author to instant fame. The novel sold over 100,000 copies in its first week, and Kathleen Winsor became a household name. In Amber St. Clare, she created a passionate, wilful and unforgettable heroine to rival Scarlett O’Hara and Rebecca de Winter. Considered bawdy and immoral, the book was banned in Boston and burned in the streets, yet it went on to sell over 3 million copies worldwide, was a bestseller in 16 countries and outsold almost every other book of the decade.

Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, sixteen-year-old Amber St. Clare uses her wits, beauty and courage to climb to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England – that of favourite mistress of the Merry Monarch himself, Charles II.

From whores to highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from 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…

As Amber’s adventures unfold, the world of the Restoration and the Court of Charles II are brought vividly to life. From her humble beginnings in rural England, Amber, beautiful, determined, sexy and ruthless, refuses to let anyone or anything stand in her way. Her ascent to the upper echelons of London society is as spectacular in its audacity as it is dramatic in its consequences. From peasants to princes, Kathleen Winsor’s dissection of the manners and mores of Restoration England and the pomp and ceremony of Court recreates the sense of time and place, capturing in the rich atmosphere the bawdy excesses and immorality of the period. Forever Amber remains a sensual and classic love story, with a heroine at its heart who is as mischievous as she is romantic. This much-loved tale, read and adored by two generations, will engage and enchant contemporary readers.