Exit the Actress

by Priya Parmar Narrated by Charlotte Parry

Overview

Exit the Actress marks the promising debut of historical fiction author Priya Parmar. Following her discovery selling oranges outside of Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, Ellen "Nell" Gwyn leaves behind a life of poverty to become a theatre star. Soon she is mistress to the libertine king Charles II. And though their love is true, gossip-mongers and court politics threaten to tear their romance apart. "This debut novel captures the glamorous world of the amoral court [of Charles II] and the struggle of the city."-Philippa Gregory, New York Times best-selling author

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Part epistolary and part faux memoir, Parmar's debut brings a lesser-known bit of English history to life. Nell Gwyn's name has come down through history as an actress who became Charles II's mistress. Despite her humble beginnings, Nell rises quickly with a gift of mimicry, talent for dance, and a unique loveliness. Charles's charisma, meanwhile, is matched only by his reputation as a libertine, and once he realizes Nell wants him as a man and not a king, he falls for her, though their love must survive his scheming ex-mistresses, Nell's love of independence, and a tumultuous political backdrop. What separates this from other royal mistress tales is the real-feeling relationships between Gwyn, Charles, and Queen Catherine: Parmar resists the easy way out of polarizing the reader against either the cheating husband or the cuckolded wife, and Nell is a thoughtful protagonist and narrator. While the epistolary passages can feel contrived, this is a solid debut from a writer readers will want to see more from. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

A real triumph….A vivid imagining of the restoration London of Charles II with Nell Gwynn as a powerful and engaging heroine set in the busy world of the theater. This debut novel captures the glamorous world of the amoral court and the struggle of the city. Priya Parmar is a writer to watch.”
—Philippa Gregory
Author of The Other Boleyn Girl

"Clever ... a delight ... irresistible ... I loved this book."
— Sharon Kay Penman, author of Devil's Brood

“Nell is irrepressible, spunky, delightful: who wouldn’t fall in love with her? Her story unfolds through diary entries, letters, news announcements, recipes. It's a tasty and often amusing confection, sure to please. I absolutely adored it.”
—Sandra Gulland, author of the Josephine B. Trilogy and Mistress of the Sun

JULY 2011 - AudioFile

Parmar’s innovative blend of fact and fiction will delight listeners as Charlotte Parry narrates actress Nell Gwyn’s life story. Told though faux journal entries, gazette gossip columns, playbills, letters between principal players, and assorted remedies gathered from a popular physician’s handbook of the period, the story is further enlivened by Parry’s enthusiasm. From oyster seller to orange girl, from actress to king’s mistress—the charismatic Nell is a charmer with a quick wit and a mischievous nature. Parry’s high-spirited performance rings with truth in a spun-sugar confection that combines court politics, intrigue, and scandal with a look at the backstage machinations of seventeenth- century theater. An irresistible narrator makes listening a treat as this spunky heroine takes center stage. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171165710
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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