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Mistresses

Sex and Scandal at the Court of Charles II

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Mistresses

By: Linda Porter
Narrated by: Julie Teal
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Summary

According to the great diarist, John Evelyn, Charles II was ‘addicted to women’, and throughout his long reign a great many succumbed to his charms. Clever, urbane and handsome, Charles presided over a hedonistic court, in which licence and licentiousness prevailed.

Mistresses is the story of the women who shared Charles’s bed, each of whom wielded influence on both the politics and cultural life of the country From the young king-in-exile’s first mistress and mother to his first child, Lucy Walter, to the promiscuous and ill-tempered courtier, Barbara Villiers. From Frances Teresa Stuart, ‘the prettiest girl in the world’ to history’s most famous orange-seller, ‘pretty, witty’ Nell Gwynn and to her fellow-actress, Moll Davis, who bore the last of the king’s fifteen illegitimate children. From Louise de Kéroualle, the French aristocrat - and spy for Louis XIV - to the sexually ambiguous Hortense Mancini. Here, too, is the forlorn and humiliated Queen Catherine, the Portuguese princess who was Charles’s childless queen.

Drawing on a wide variety of original sources, including material in private archives, Linda Porter paints a vivid picture of these women and of Restoration England, an era that was both glamorous and sordid.

 17th Century Europe Great Britain Modern Politics & Activism Royalty Women Witty England
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A brief but well written biography of the chief mistresses of Charles II, and his long-suffering wife Catherine of Braganza. Although several of these women, the Queen included, merit deeper study, this book is a great introduction to, and overview of, a court that, it could be argued, instigated the two party political system that still blights our country today.

I found the narration irritating at times. The failure of the narrator to pronounce names and places correctly always irks.

Restoration naughtiness.

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This book was fascinating, I knew little just a few myths so this book really held my interest. The narration was wonderful.

I highly recommend.

Fantastic!

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I really enjoyed this well narrated listen. it gives lots of detail about the Mistresses lives before and after their affairs with the king

interesting book

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A captivating and detailed book that offers an insight into Charles II's many mistresses. Well researched and featuring mostly core information, the book is a great introduction to the topic. The author is engaging and good for the book, although she sadly mispronounces many (if not most) of the non-English names and locations - but this is a minor detail.

Very Interesting

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My first read of history of Charles the second, very well researched. Narrator had a nice voice

Very enjoyable

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