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Following a youth of poverty and bitter exile after his father's execution, the ousted king first challenged, then made his magnificent escape from, Cromwell's troops before he was eventually restored to his throne in triumph in 1660. Spanning his life both before and after the Restoration, Antonia Fraser's lively and fascinating biography captures all the vitality of the man and the expansiveness of the age. 'Detailed, sympathetic, and admirably readable' ECONOMIST
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I do not profess to have any great all-consuming interest in history, let alone the period of the Restoration; I read solely for pleasure on a wide range of topics and will quickly drop any book that does not sustain my interest.
I did not come close to wishing to put down this excellent work. Unlike other 'scholarly biographies', Fraser's book is anything but dry, or difficult for a non-expert to follow. It paints a very clear picture not only of Charles, but of his family members, court and acolytes such that by the end I really felt that I had an understanding of the man - his personality, his sense of humour, his temperament and the events that shaped him as a king. The events of his reign are consistently presented with humour and verve, with even the internecine events of the Commonwealth and post-restoration Dutch Wars, and Charles' struggles with parliament easy to follow, and made entertaining. The early part of the book, regarding Charles' flight after the battle of Worcester even reads like an adventure story, without losing authenticity, accuracy or scholarship.
My sole criticism is that in writing the book Fraser seems to have become rather attached to the figure of Charles (who does admittedly seem, on the whole, an attractive and witty personality) to the point where she appears to make excuses for his mistakes, and perhaps defends his corner a little too vigorously. Nonetheless, I would thoroughly recommend this as an entertaining and enlightening book for the general reader.
I did not come close to wishing to put down this excellent work. Unlike other 'scholarly biographies', Fraser's book is anything but dry, or difficult for a non-expert to follow. It paints a very clear picture not only of Charles, but of his family members, court and acolytes such that by the end I really felt that I had an understanding of the man - his personality, his sense of humour, his temperament and the events that shaped him as a king. The events of his reign are consistently presented with humour and verve, with even the internecine events of the Commonwealth and post-restoration Dutch Wars, and Charles' struggles with parliament easy to follow, and made entertaining. The early part of the book, regarding Charles' flight after the battle of Worcester even reads like an adventure story, without losing authenticity, accuracy or scholarship.
My sole criticism is that in writing the book Fraser seems to have become rather attached to the figure of Charles (who does admittedly seem, on the whole, an attractive and witty personality) to the point where she appears to make excuses for his mistakes, and perhaps defends his corner a little too vigorously. Nonetheless, I would thoroughly recommend this as an entertaining and enlightening book for the general reader.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A colourful, well written and comprehensive biography. However, the author comes across as very pro-Charles and pro-Royalist, sometimes to the point of sycophancy. That said, I understand that she is also quite sympathetic to Cromwell in her biography of him (though not here), so maybe in part at least her attitude reflects a close identification with a subject she must spend a lot of time focusing on, given the length and thoroughness of her works.
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Antonia Fraser' s King Charles II. is one of the best ever books written on this King.
This king went down in history as the merry monarch with all this mistresses and bastards children, a barren but not discarded Queen, a fast live with many entertainments.
Well, if one would stop here, one would never understand Charles II..
Antonia Fraser unfolds the life to Charles step by step, guides the reader through the ups and downs, the nightmares of the civil war, the lonely and poor days of a king-in-exile, the restoration and his actual reign. She looks behind the facade: the reader will discover a man following his way, his principles, a man who learned to survive, a man who believed in himself, a man who never gave up, a man with a great zest for life, a very clever man. But there are dark sides too: it was very hard to trust him. There was a very ruthless streak in him.
Antonia Fraser' s fascinating and elegantly written book makes the reader to understand the merry monarch. This book is one of my all time favourite biographies.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
King Charles II
The authoress sets out to inform and entertain, she never bores. She clearly had great sympathy for her subject and treats him in a humane way. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. Charles I. Hunt
an admirable biography of an intriguing man
Having recently read Diane Purkiss' magnificent book on the English Civil War The English Civil War: A People's History sparked my interest in what happened next so - since the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Didier
Another great biography from Antonia Fraser
Another great biography from Antonia Fraser that readily captures the extraordary times and the extraordiary man. Read more
Published on 29 July 2009 by Skirmish
At times very confusing
I greatly enjoyed Antonia Fraser's The Gunpowder Plot, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Weaker Vessel, but this biography of Charles II is slightly disappointing. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2006 by Catfish
Comprehensive, but not for the average reader
Fraser's biography of Charles II is certainly a scholarly work; it is full of detail and background. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2004 by c d falker
Antonia Fraser is fit
This is a comprehensive work that really allows the reader to almost get inside the mind of this famous monarch. And Antonia Fraser is fit...
Published on 16 Sep 2003 by "craigusmungus"
King Charles II another great work from Antonia Fraser
Antonia Fraser in her foreword explains that while researching Cromwell, Chief of men she was intrigued by Charles 2nd and wanted to learn more. Read more
Published on 17 April 2001
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