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Calais
First there was AMBER, bewitching, seductive — an immortal heroine, Now there is ARLETTE, actress, star — all woman and just as immortal, Arietta Morgan: Fiercely passionate, restless, volatile, Her whole ambition is set on becoming the world’s greatest actress and to gain this end, she will sacrifice friends, lovers, anyone — until she meets Anthony Di Forest, the only man who can match her dedication, her passion. Apart they are superb, together they are a sensation. Calais — a giant of a novel, about the theatre, about love and passion, above all, about people driven by ambition.
690 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
2 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Winsor
51 books182 followersKathleen Winsor was an American author. She is best known for her first work, the 1944 historical novel Forever Amber. The novel, racy for its time, became a runaway bestseller even as it drew criticism from some authorities for its depictions of sexuality. She wrote seven other novels, none of which matched the success of her debut.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 16, 2020
This is the story of Arlette Morgan and Anthony De Forest, both theater personalities, their journey in the world of theater and film.
The quote on the back cover sums up their lives - "Apart they are superb, together they are sensational". Arlene was happy until Anthony cheats on her, and then she loses her respect for men. She jumps from one affair to another, never getting involved emotionally with her lovers. The story of Arlette and Anthony is just another love story, with heartbreak.
What is remarkable about the book however, is that every theater or film role that Arlette plays is analyzed, we get a personal interpretation of each one of her roles.
I remember particularly the role of Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, Arlette plays the red headed, fiery Queen of Scots and works hard to surpass the role of the great Queen Elizabeth I.
It is from this book, that I learnt how every line must be delivered, how every nuance counts, and what great role costume plays.
Personally this book taught me a great deal about the craft of theater and films. In my opinion the story of Arlette Morgan and Anthony De Forest is just incidental.
The quote on the back cover sums up their lives - "Apart they are superb, together they are sensational". Arlene was happy until Anthony cheats on her, and then she loses her respect for men. She jumps from one affair to another, never getting involved emotionally with her lovers. The story of Arlette and Anthony is just another love story, with heartbreak.
What is remarkable about the book however, is that every theater or film role that Arlette plays is analyzed, we get a personal interpretation of each one of her roles.
I remember particularly the role of Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, Arlette plays the red headed, fiery Queen of Scots and works hard to surpass the role of the great Queen Elizabeth I.
It is from this book, that I learnt how every line must be delivered, how every nuance counts, and what great role costume plays.
Personally this book taught me a great deal about the craft of theater and films. In my opinion the story of Arlette Morgan and Anthony De Forest is just incidental.
May 21, 2021
Kathleen Winsor made publishing history with her 1944 novel 'Forever Amber,' a racy, randy romp through 17th century England. The book was a massive bestseller and is quite rightly recognized as an iconic contribution to the historical romance genre. 'Forever Amber's' heroine, Amber St. Clare, was lusty, ambitious, impulsive and vain yet was (usually) saved from disaster by her intelligence and resiliency.
So, it's depressing to see the woman who gave the world Amber St. Clare spend 670 plodding (and ultimately maddeningly pointless) pages on Arlette Morgan, the boring, pretentious heroine of 'Calais.'
What can you say about a romance novel where the heroine spends more time in her head than she does in bed?
So, it's depressing to see the woman who gave the world Amber St. Clare spend 670 plodding (and ultimately maddeningly pointless) pages on Arlette Morgan, the boring, pretentious heroine of 'Calais.'
What can you say about a romance novel where the heroine spends more time in her head than she does in bed?
September 5, 2021
Boring and lurid.
August 10, 2010
Calais is the story of actress Arlette Morgan's rise to fame and fortune from the 1940s to the 1960s. Arlette is orphaned at the age of five, and Winsor convincingly explores how early loss shapes her character and influences her life choices. Arlette believes that if it were not for her parents’ death, she would not have decided to become an actress. While her sense of her own mortality pushes her towards early success, acting provides a way for her to live more than one life. Her succession of love affairs, which sometimes seem under-motivated, might also stem from this need to live as fully as possible.
Winsor is especially adept at exploring female rivalry, and she has great fun with all the tropes that belong to this type of fiction: the college friends after the same part, the understudy waiting in the wings for the star to sprain her ankle, the showdown between the ambitious Eve Harrington-type ingenue and the understudy-turned-star. Her depiction of female friendship is less convincing. Arlette would seem a loner if it weren’t for the revolving door ushering her men in and out.
Arlette sleeps with her leading men, her directors and anyone else who catches her fancy, but rarely uses the relationship to her advantage, and in fact, has a lot to put up with from the men in her life - especially consort Anthony De Forest. The prologue, set in 1966, allows the reader a glimpse of Arlette and Anthony’s glamorous married life, positioning them somewhere between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Yet I didn’t care for Anthony much: he seemed arrogant, controlling and insecure all at the same time.
As a depiction of the theatrical world Calais doesn’t have the authentic ring of, for example, Noel Streatfeild’s adult novels, and I found myself seriously doubting quite a few details, such as whether a horse would be able to gallop across the stage. Apart from any lack of realism (which I may be wrong about, as I’ve never worked in the theatre) Calais has the faults of Winsor’s other books: after Anthony and Arlette marry the novel sags and begins to seem episodic. The last third is very overwritten, and the book doesn’t so much end as simply come to a stop. However, it was worth reading as I found much of the novel the engrossing read it was meant to be – a book for women, about a woman who lives out her dreams.
Winsor is especially adept at exploring female rivalry, and she has great fun with all the tropes that belong to this type of fiction: the college friends after the same part, the understudy waiting in the wings for the star to sprain her ankle, the showdown between the ambitious Eve Harrington-type ingenue and the understudy-turned-star. Her depiction of female friendship is less convincing. Arlette would seem a loner if it weren’t for the revolving door ushering her men in and out.
Arlette sleeps with her leading men, her directors and anyone else who catches her fancy, but rarely uses the relationship to her advantage, and in fact, has a lot to put up with from the men in her life - especially consort Anthony De Forest. The prologue, set in 1966, allows the reader a glimpse of Arlette and Anthony’s glamorous married life, positioning them somewhere between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Yet I didn’t care for Anthony much: he seemed arrogant, controlling and insecure all at the same time.
As a depiction of the theatrical world Calais doesn’t have the authentic ring of, for example, Noel Streatfeild’s adult novels, and I found myself seriously doubting quite a few details, such as whether a horse would be able to gallop across the stage. Apart from any lack of realism (which I may be wrong about, as I’ve never worked in the theatre) Calais has the faults of Winsor’s other books: after Anthony and Arlette marry the novel sags and begins to seem episodic. The last third is very overwritten, and the book doesn’t so much end as simply come to a stop. However, it was worth reading as I found much of the novel the engrossing read it was meant to be – a book for women, about a woman who lives out her dreams.
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November 29, 2008a guilty pleasure
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews