In the original dustsheet. Maroon cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

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In a sweeping narrative that takes the reader from palaces and battlefields through exile, bitterness, triumph and deceit, acclaimed biographer Stephen Coote strips away the varnish of sentiment that for so long has clouded the image of the ‘merry monarch’. He reveals Charles as an altogether more fascinating, brave and dangerous man – a gambler, a fixer, a survivor. Stephen Coote depicts the twists and turns of Restoration public life and weaves these together with the major events of the day including the Plague and the Fire of London. We also are taken behind the scenes of Charles’s private life and meet the many mistresses: the lustful and ambitious Lady Castlemaine, the beautiful but rapacious Lady Portsmouth, the gloriously streetwise Nell Gwyn, the exotic Hortense Mancini and many others. In his detailed and fascinating overview of the time, Stephen Coote offers a vivid account of the events that led to the Restoration and which schooled Charles in the ways of the world and made his reign unforgettable.

Review: Stephen Coote’s biography on Charles II is an enjoyable story of a man who the author has titled ‘Royal Survivor’. This book, which is just under 400 pages (hardback format), takes the reader on a trip with Charles II, through his trials and tribulations, his victories and his defeats. We follow Charles II from boyhood, the death of his father and his attempt to reclaim the throne which met its end at the Battle of Worcester. Then the author takes us along with Charles II as he makes an exciting escape from England back into exile and then his triumphant return to the Throne of England.

We then settle into an account of Charles II as the King of England, his conflicts with Parliament and the tales of his many mistresses. We follow the story through the period of the Restoration and other great events that occurred during his reign. After finishing this book I really believed that I had gained a better understanding of the subject and the times. In fact I came away from feeling that the King wasn’t all that bad and maybe he did try to do his best for England (within a certain framework).

Not only did the book offer an account of Charles II and his private life but we are also provided with accounts of his struggle with the Dutch provinces, France and its King, along with the plague and the Great Fire of London. I would not consider the book to be an in-depth biography but more of a narrative history offering the reader a general overview of the subject. That said, I still found the story interesting and learnt quite a few things along the way.

I believe that anyone who enjoys good history without too many dates and names will be quite taken with this account of Charles II. The book provides the reader with a free flowing narrative, holding your interest throughout the whole story. The book is well presented and has a number of black and white photographs of the period. Overall this is an excellent story and well worth the time to read.

Stephen Coote is the author of several much-admired biographies of historical persons, including W.B. Yeats, John Keats, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Francis Drake. He lives in Oxfordshire, England.