Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The King's Touch

The King's Touch
The King's Touch
Author: Jude Morgan
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
danelleb avatar reviewed on + 19 more book reviews


The King's Touch looks at the life of Charles II through the eyes of his much loved, illegitimate son, Jemmy (James Scott, Duke of Monmouth).

Charles II, spent years in exile floating from court to court trying to raise arms to take back the throne. An enigmatic monarch who ruled tolerantly and lived in a court full of lusts and vices, Charles II couldn't be swayed by anyone it seems, not even the son he loved most. And though the book is full of Charles II and England at that time, it's the story of Jemmy's life.

It's Jude Morgan so the prose, the characters and their development (per Morgan's style) are really well done. The King's Touch seems to be just the right mix of historical fact and novelist conjecture, making it a really interesting read. My one caution is that it reads at such a slow pace. Full of period details, plots, and historical significances, it just seems to stall at times. I'd recommend it to history/royalty fans; for others I don't know if it would be worth the time invested.



Such is the speed of change in youth, of course: we traverse mountains and cross leagues while our elders seem to stand still. (p.128)