Synopses & Reviews
The Restoration was a decade of experimentation: from the founding of the Royal Society for investigating the sciences to the startling role of credit and risk; from the shocking licentiousness of the court to failed attempts at religious tolerance. Negotiating all these, Charles II, the slippery sovereign,” laid odds and took chances, dissembling and manipulating his followers. The theaters may have been restored, but the king himself was the supreme actor. Yet while his grandeur, his court, and his colorful sex life were on display, his true intentions lay hidden.
Charles II was thirty when he crossed the English Channel in fine May weather in 1660. His Restoration was greeted with maypoles and bonfires, as spring after the long years of Cromwells rule. But there was no way to turn back, no way he could restore” the old dispensation. Certainty had vanished. The divinity of kingship had ended with his fathers beheading. Honor” was now a word tossed around in duels. Providence” could no longer be trusted. As the country was rocked by plague, fire, and war, people searched for new ideas by which to live. And exactly ten years after he arrived, Charles would again stand on the shore at Dover, this time placing the greatest bet of his life in a secret deal with his cousin, Louis XIV of France.
Jenny Uglows previous biographies have won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and International PENs Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History. A Gambling Man is Uglow at her best: both a vivid portrait of Charles II that explores his elusive nature and a spirited evocation of a vibrant, violent, pulsing world on the brink of modernity. Jenny Uglow is an editor at Chatto & Windus and lives in Canterbury, England. Her previous books include Nature's Engraver, A Little History of British Gardening, The Lunar Men, and Hogarth. A Mark Lynton History Prize Finalist
The Restoration was a decade of experimentation: from the founding of the Royal Society for investigating the sciences to the startling role of credit and risk; from the shocking licentiousness of the court failed attempts at religious tolerance. Negotiating all these, Charles II, the "Slippery sovereign," laid odds and took chances, dissembling and manipulating his followers. While his grandeur, his court, and his colorful sex life were on display, his true intentions lay hidden.
Charles II was thirty when he crossed the English Channel in fine May weather in 1660. His Restoration was greeted with maypoles and bonfires, as spring after the long years of Cromwell's rule. But there was no way to turn back, no way he could "restore" the old dispensation. Certainty had vanished. The divinity of kingship had ended with his father's beheading. "Honor" was now a word tossed around in duels. "Providence" could no longer be trusted. As the country was rocked by plague, fire, and war, people searched for new ideas by which to live. And exactly ten years after he arrived, Charles would again stand on the shore at Dover, this time placing the greatest beet of his life in a secret deal with his cousin, Louis XIV of France.
Jenny Uglow's previous biographies have won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and International PEN's Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History. A Gambling Man is Uglow at her best: both a vivid portrait of Charles II that exploreshis elusive nature and a spirited evocation of a vibrant, violent, pulsing world on the brink of modernity. "An exceptionally interesting story that should please all lovers of history."Library Journal
"While her literary talents are everywhere evident in her exuberant prose, with A Gambling Man Jenny Uglow proves she is as much historian as biographer. She writes here in the grand tradition of historical pageant, albeit with a 21st-century canniness, and as an heir of much-admired popularizers like Barbara Tuchman and Antonia Fraserwhose own 1979 volume, Royal Charles, still stands up, companionably, to Uglow's thoroughly engaging Restoration drama."Megan Marshall, The New York Times
"[Uglow's] prose is always clear, forceful and dynamic. For A Gambling Man she certainly needs all her skills just to keep up with the action-packed 1660s, the first decade of the reign of England's Charles II."Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
"British historian Uglow attempts to organize the bemusing Stuart Restoration period into tidy compartments. How did the son of the murdered tyrant Charles I return to England in triumph more than a decade after his father's beheading, then stay securely in power for 25 years? . . . Uglow provides a labored but ultimately entertaining view of the richly intricate tapestry of this era . . . Burbles with personalities and ideas of the Restoration age."Kirkus Reviews
"For those who remember the great English historian C.V. Wedgwood, who wrote so tellingly about the 17th century, reading this work will be like reading Wedgwood once more. Uglow displays many of the same virtues, most notably a command of narrative and a use of trenchant detail to humanize a compelling story. Her narrative here, telling the story of the first ten years of the reign (166085) of England's Charles II, ranges across politics and diplomacy, court intrigues, fashion, the arts and sciences, and changes in the society and economy to produce a satisfying portrait of a fascinating age. These were critical years for the restoration of the monarchy after the Puritan interregnum, and Charles was a singularly attractive, though enigmatic, ruler. Energetic when he wanted to be and immensely talented, he was also easily distracted and an incurable womanizer. He appeared accessibleindeed, he was criticized for being too openbut he shared his thoughts with no one. Scandal soon roiled his libertine court. In the opposition to him that rose in Parliament one sees the beginning of the English party system. An exceptionally interesting story that should please all lovers of history."Library Journal
Review
Praise for The Lunar Men
“The warmth of friendship and the intoxicating fizz of discovery make [The Lunar Men] irresistible reading.” —Lev Grossman, Time
“The Lunar Men is a grand story . . . Jenny Uglows magnificent group history chronicles a last great upsurge of the all-embracing Renaissance spirit . . . Start reading some evening when the moon is full.” —Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
“A playful, exuberant book.” —Richard Eder, The New York Times
“An absolute wonder of a book, huge in its span and close in its detail, nothing less than a snapshot of what and who was best about Britain and its intellectual life in the middle of the eighteenth century.” —The Economist
“An absorbing and rich account of the dreams and determination of the engineers of the first Industrial Revolution.” —Brian Dolan, The Times Literary Supplement
“Excellent and fascinating . . . [Uglow is] a serious and enthralling writer.” —P. N. Furbank, The New York Review of Books
“[A] majestic study in camaraderie and intellectual kinship in eighteenth century Britain . . . Uglow excels with the charming detail and the telling fact.” —Matthew Price, The Boston Globe
“[Uglow] evokes vividly the state of science and technology on the eve of the industrial revolution.” —Scientific American
“Jenny Uglow [is a] learned biographer and an effervescent historian, a discoverer of extraordinary facts.” —Gaby Wood, The Observer (London)
Review
Praise for The Lunar Men
“The warmth of friendship and the intoxicating fizz of discovery make [The Lunar Men] irresistible reading.” Lev Grossman, Time
“The Lunar Men is a grand story . . . Jenny Uglows magnificent group history chronicles a last great upsurge of the all-embracing Renaissance spirit . . . Start reading some evening when the moon is full.” Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
“A playful, exuberant book.” Richard Eder, The New York Times
“An absolute wonder of a book, huge in its span and close in its detail, nothing less than a snapshot of what and who was best about Britain and its intellectual life in the middle of the eighteenth century.” The Economist
“An absorbing and rich account of the dreams and determination of the engineers of the first Industrial Revolution.” Brian Dolan, The Times Literary Supplement
“Excellent and fascinating . . . [Uglow is] a serious and enthralling writer.” P. N. Furbank, The New York Review of Books
“[A] majestic study in camaraderie and intellectual kinship in eighteenth century Britain . . . Uglow excels with the charming detail and the telling fact.” Matthew Price, The Boston Globe
“[Uglow] evokes vividly the state of science and technology on the eve of the industrial revolution.” Scientific American
“Jenny Uglow [is a] learned biographer and an effervescent historian, a discoverer of extraordinary facts.” Gaby Wood, The Observer (London)
Synopsis
The Restoration was a decade of experimentation: from the founding of the Royal Society for investigating the sciences to the startling role of credit and risk; from the shocking licentiousness of the court to failed attempts at religious tolerance. Negotiating all these, Charles II, the “slippery sovereign,” laid odds and took chances, dissembling and manipulating his followers. The theaters may have been restored, but the king himself was the supreme actor. Yet while his grandeur, his court, and his colorful sex life were on display, his true intentions lay hidden.
Charles II was thirty when he crossed the English Channel in fine May weather in 1660. His Restoration was greeted with maypoles and bonfires, as spring after the long years of Cromwells rule. But there was no way to turn back, no way he could “restore” the old dispensation. Certainty had vanished. The divinity of kingship had ended with his fathers beheading. “Honor” was now a word tossed around in duels. “Providence” could no longer be trusted. As the country was rocked by plague, fire, and war, people searched for new ideas by which to live. And exactly ten years after he arrived, Charles would again stand on the shore at Dover, this time placing the greatest bet of his life in a secret deal with his cousin, Louis XIV of France.
Jenny Uglows previous biographies have won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and International PENs Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History. A Gambling Man is Uglow at her best: both a vivid portrait of Charles II that explores his elusive nature and a spirited evocation of a vibrant, violent, pulsing world on the brink of modernity.
About the Author
Jenny Uglow is an editor at Chatto & Windus and lives in Canterbury, England. Her previous books include Natures Engraver, A Little History of British Gardening, The Lunar Men, and Hogarth, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.