Wandered off and won't be back for now. I skipped through about the first third of this. The start was rocky because I don't remember much about the Charles I era and the names and places and events were flying at me. The author clearly thinks she has a handle on Charles II's personality. Some of that came through and it was very interesting contemplating the Restoration which was less bloody than you might expect. The new king's early morning tennis playing was new to me. I may need a more stripped down book examining one aspect of the period. English historians of this time are so spoiled for choice with the letter writing.

An up-close look at all elements of Charles's first 10 years on the throne, from the political to the (very) personal.

I enjoyed the use of lines from Restoration poetry and plays, and illustrations from contemporary playing cards, all used to re-create the largely overlooked time period.

But, Uglow's writing was often difficult to follow in this book. Especially with the frequent name changes, it was tough to remember who was who, and Uglow didn't provide many hints to jog the reader's memory. For example, it can be tough to remember exactly which Duke Monmouth is when we haven't heard about him for 10 chapters. A small reminder that he was the king's son would have cleared up quite a bit of confusion for me. ( )

This book covers mainly ten years of Charles II, from 1660 when he was restored to the throne, to 1670 when a secret treaty with Louis XIV was signed. I am no expert in this history at all, so I can't really judge how balanced, accurate, etc. the book might be. There are lots of names and all kinds of plots and intrigues. Uglow does a good job of helping the poor reader keep track, but still it is a bit overwhelming. Anyway it is a great kind of bath in the royal court affairs of the time.

I'm not sure there was a real organizing theme to the book. Why did Uglow write it? She says late in the book that Charles was the first king of the coming Age of Reason, while Louis was the last king of ... hmmm, I can't find that sentence, but maybe the last absolute monarch.

Myself, I am interested in early modern history because it's really the birth of our present age, international corporations and materialism and consumerism etc. How did we get here? This book didn't really address that perspective, but it certainly fleshed out a key piece of the story. ( )

I have always been fascinated by Charles II. He'd gone through such hell, watching his country reject his family via civil war and then kill his father. I wonder if his has something to do with his absolute determination to enjoy his life once he was asked to return as King? Wine, women, and song.
He also returned determined NOT to become involved in any religious persecution, which he was unable to uphold. When it came to running the country,Parliament held most of the cards and it seems he had little choice but to go along. England wasn't about to allow another absolute monarchy within their boundaries.
He did sponsor The Royal Society, as it seems he was scientifically curious. A big plus! I did enjoy his book, although non-fiction at times can be a bit dry, and tough to follow all the political machinations. This one is well written. ( )

An excellent chronological history of Charles II reign from 1660 to 1670 following his return to England/Britain and the restoration of the monarchy.
Having recently read Peter Ackroyd's wonderfully readable narrative history of England in the seventeenth century, which dealt with the Stuarts and Cromwell, and which provides an overview of the period, I subsequently read Adrian Tinniswood's detailed history of the Great Fire of London.
A Gambling Man provided me with​ a greater​ understanding of the approach that Charles took to ruling the country, which was very pragmatic, contrasting with the apparent single-mindedness of his father and Oliver Cromwell.
Although clearly very charismatic in person, Charles does not come across as a good man; he is complicated.
He is a pleasure seeker, with numerous mistresses and a passion for gambling. But he treats his mistresses, even when they are ex-mistresses, and his illegitimate children well.
Charles provided royal patronage and showed interest (in the early days) in the Royal Society (a forum for scientists). Following the Fire of London, when he comes across as extremely hard working and able, he promotes the rebuilding of London. But it appears that his attention was not held for long once the novelty wears off, so he moved on.
I found the insights into why the English went to war with the Dutch very interesting, as well as the political maneuvering, both foreign and domestic, as I knew next to nothing about this before I read this book.
For me, Jenny Uglow persuasively explains how and why Charles continually modified his rule.
At the same time Uglow provides details of contemporary society and Charles' interaction with it, especially his many mistresses, court life and the theatre, which became both a social and political forum.
This is a very rich and readable history, although at times it provided a little too little analysis for me. ( )