by Rose Tremain
First published 1995
Robert Merivel walks away from his medical training and enters the glittering world of King Charles II's court. The king takes a liking to him and assigns him an unusual role: marry one of the royal mistresses as a cover for the king's affair. Merivel accepts this arrangement as a paper husband, enjoying his newfound status and luxury. But he breaks the single rule that governs his position when he falls in love with the woman he was meant to marry in name only. His genuine feelings destroy his place at court, and the king banishes him from the paradise he had briefly known. Cast out and stripped of his privileges, Merivel finds himself working among the mentally ill at a Quaker institution. This harsh new reality forces him to confront deeper truths about himself and his place in the world. His journey from the heights of royal favor to the depths of exile becomes a path toward genuine restoration.
Genres: drama, romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fall-from-grace, fish-out-of-water
Setting: England, Quaker Institution
Period: 17th Century
384 pages · Paperback · Sceptre