--- product_id: 177386201 title: "Calais Hardcover – 1 May 1979" brand: "winsor" price: "£6.41" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 5 category: "Books" url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/177386201-calais-hardcover-1-may-1979 store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Calais Hardcover – 1 May 1979 **Brand:** winsor **Price:** £6.41 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Calais Hardcover – 1 May 1979 by winsor - **How much does it cost?** £6.41 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/177386201-calais-hardcover-1-may-1979) ## Best For - winsor enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted winsor brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Calais Hardcover – 1 May 1979 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414phJeFvvL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐ but the book itself is not in the very good condition described *by V***A on 25 February 2016* It's a lovely story, but the book itself is not in the very good condition described, yellowed , old , smelly. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Glossy theatrical saga *by M***T on 10 August 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. ### ⭐⭐ Episodic *by L***E on 4 July 2006* That just about sums it up.There's this actress, and you're introduced to her as she's getting off a plane. She's just met a man who attracts her, but she doesn't know his name. From there, you go into a long reminiscence of her life, up to present, then somehow that merges into the pursuit of the man she's just met on the plane. The thing is, there's no feeling of progression in the character of the actress.She jumps from love affair to love affair and part to part. She approaches each love affair in much the same way. She approaches each role in the same way, too. You'll get a tour of all the roles that have made actresses famous, and get her personal interpretation of each one, but trust me, it won't be anything enlightening. She's famous and glamorous, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll get it in abundance.The supposed love-of-her-life is really no different in substance from any of her other loves, except that he happens to be working in some other venue than the theatre.The end is anticlimactic, and I got the distinct impression that the author was simply getting tired of going on and on about a character that wasn't going anywhere, and had to kill her off.I don't even know why the book is called "Calais." It's not as if this part of France plays any role in her story. Some other reviewer can remind me if it did, 'cause I plumb forgot the significance.A very disappointing read after "Forever Amber." And I picked this book because it had the best review of all the others she's written. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/177386201-calais-hardcover-1-may-1979](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/177386201-calais-hardcover-1-may-1979) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-22*