[Charles II] was tender, kind, overwhelmingly generous, and totally disillusioned. On this aspect of his character Antonia Fraser is both fresh and original [in her Royal Charles: Charles II and the Restoration]. For her, rightly, he is no "Merrie Monarch" but a cynical, melancholy man, a lover of the flesh but always conscious of the fleeting nature of its satisfactions…. His character, as well as the events of his life, make him a splendid subject for a biography and Antonia Fraser's book does him justice.

This is a far better book than either her Mary Queen of Scots or Cromwell, good as they were: the narrative is stronger, tenser, better structured; her perceptions of character go deeper and carry conviction. As always, Antonia Fraser has done her scholarly homework…. The result is the best biography of Charles II yet available: indeed it is one of the best historical...