– Amber and Bruce Carlton's oldest son, born of the first period of their long affair. Susanna Dangerfield – Amber and Bruce's youngest child, born during their affair during Amber's marriage to Samuel Dangerfield and passed off as a Dangerfield child. She is very much like her mother in both looks and temperament. Charles Stanhope – Amber's third child born of her affair with Charles II, King of England. He looks very much like his biological father, though Amber names him after Gerald Stanhope, her husband at the time of his birth. Amber uses his birth to manipulate the king into making her a countess and, eventually, a duchess. Historical figures Charles II of England – The newly returned King of England who is well known for his voracious sexual appetite, good-temper, and political savvy. Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland – The king's favorite mistress who is an ill-tempered but extremely beautiful woman who is ambitious and enjoys scheming. George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham – A perverse man who enjoys scheming and making enemies of his friends. He is Barbara Palmer's cousin. Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond – a beautiful young noblewoman who attracts the King's attention but refuses to become his mistress. Catherine of Braganza – Charles' Portuguese wife. Small of stature and very modest due to her Catholic upbringing, she is devoted to her husband and puts up with his affairs. He remains loyal to her as well, despite her inability to produce an heir. Publication After five drafts, Forever Amber was accepted for publication. After editing, the two and a half million-word manuscript was reduced to a fifth of its original size. The published novel was 972 pages long. A condensed version was published as an Armed Services Edition during WWII. Critical reception While many reviewers "praised the story for its relevance, comparing Amber's fortitude during the plague and fire to that of the women who held hearth and home together through the blitzes of World War II", others condemned it for its blatant sexual references. Fourteen US states banned the book as pornography. The first was Massachusetts, whose attorney general cited 70 references to sexual intercourse, 39 illegitimate pregnancies, 7 abortions, and "10 descriptions of women undressing in front of men" as reasons for banning the novel. Winsor denied that her book was particularly daring and said that she had no interest in explicit