In 1661, 11-year-old Nellie Gwyn and her sister, Rose, are
being raised in poverty at Madame Ross' house of gaming and
prostitution in London after being left there by their
widowed mother. All girls brought there are intended to
begin prostitution at this early age. Rose, being older
than Nell, has fallen into the expected trade. But Nellie
is an exception and refuses to become a whore.
Nellie's aspirations are high as she strives to better
herself by becoming the mistress of a wealthy merchant at
the age of 14. This aides her in becoming an orange seller
at the King's theater where she realizes her love and
natural ability for the theater. With her wit and ability
to make people laugh, Nellie soon becomes a famous actress.
Nell's ultimate desire is to become the royal mistress of
King Charles II. This also becomes reality and they share
two children as the years quickly pass leaving Nell with an
involvement in politics, but much grief. Besides Queen
Catherine, Nell is but one among the King's mistresses and
finds the cutthroat world of the court something she hasn't
bargained for.
Many events of 17th-century life were certainly eye-
openers. It was a little hard for me to believe that an 11-
or 12-year-old child could possibly have as much wit and
cunning as Nell had to best her elders. She was definitely
a funny, but very vulgar, young lady. The love shared
between King Charles II and Nell was well-portrayed, and
much detail was written about the Court and the politics
between the French and English.
The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal
Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a
king’s last love and London’s darling…
Nell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to
be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she
swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to become
a sensation in the theater. Still in her teens, she
catches the eye of King Charles II, and trades the stage
for Whitehall Palace—and the role of royal mistress.
Even though she delights the king, she must learn to
negotiate the cutthroat royal court, where ambition and
lust for power rule the hearts of all around her. For
beneath her charm and light-heartedness, Nell has her own
ambition—to become no less than the king’s favorite.
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