The Enemies of Versailles: A Novel (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy)
Registered by CynthiaA of Brantford, Ontario Canada on 3/12/2017
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
ARC from Simon and Schuster Canada, via Goodreads.
Disclaimer: my copy of this novel was an ARC, received for free from the publisher, through Goodreads giveaways.
The Enemies of Versailles was a fairly simple and entertaining read. It is billed as "historical fiction" and that is true. It is fictional, and it is set in a historical time period (18th century France, just prior to the Revolution).
The timeline and geneology line of the characters at the beginning of the book had incorrect dates for Marie Antoinnette -- I assume that has been corrected for the official printing. There were numerous typographical errors, often at the beginning of chapers. It seemed to be a font-related issue as it was almost always the first letter or sometimes first word of a paragraph that was missing. It was distracting, but again, I assume that has been fixed for the official printing.
This story is the third book in a trilogy, but I was able to read and enjoy it without having read the first two books. It is predominantly character-driven, and Christie creates characters that are interesting and believable.
The story is told in a first-person voice, alternating between two characters: one, Adelaide, a daughter of Louis XV; and two: Comtesse Du Barry, a mistress of Louis XV. There are many presumptions about the personalities of these characters -- that is what historical fiction does. An interesting note for me: DuBarry's character was often made out to be frivolous and silly in her dialogue, and clearly she was thought to be an intellectual lightweight by her acquaintances. But the chapters in her voice (first-person), use language that is just as intellectual and intelligent as that of anyone else in the story. So her dialogue doesn't match her "thoughts", if you know what I mean. I suspect that is me being overly picky.
One other comment: Christie does a good job of demonstrate the way the nobility thought about the poor and the bourgiousie. It was more than just "snobbish" -- the nobility of France (of anywhere really, at this time in history) truly believed themselves to be superior. Chosen by God. Too good to mingle outside of their rank. This is particularly clear in the final part of the book, when Louis XV is dead and Louis XVI and Antoinnette are ruling. It's an important issue for Christie to highlight because it gives some understanding as to how the Revolution took hold.
People who are history buffs, well-read and knowledgeable about this period in history might find the book too fluffy, but for the casual reader, it is a good yarn.
The Enemies of Versailles was a fairly simple and entertaining read. It is billed as "historical fiction" and that is true. It is fictional, and it is set in a historical time period (18th century France, just prior to the Revolution).
The timeline and geneology line of the characters at the beginning of the book had incorrect dates for Marie Antoinnette -- I assume that has been corrected for the official printing. There were numerous typographical errors, often at the beginning of chapers. It seemed to be a font-related issue as it was almost always the first letter or sometimes first word of a paragraph that was missing. It was distracting, but again, I assume that has been fixed for the official printing.
This story is the third book in a trilogy, but I was able to read and enjoy it without having read the first two books. It is predominantly character-driven, and Christie creates characters that are interesting and believable.
The story is told in a first-person voice, alternating between two characters: one, Adelaide, a daughter of Louis XV; and two: Comtesse Du Barry, a mistress of Louis XV. There are many presumptions about the personalities of these characters -- that is what historical fiction does. An interesting note for me: DuBarry's character was often made out to be frivolous and silly in her dialogue, and clearly she was thought to be an intellectual lightweight by her acquaintances. But the chapters in her voice (first-person), use language that is just as intellectual and intelligent as that of anyone else in the story. So her dialogue doesn't match her "thoughts", if you know what I mean. I suspect that is me being overly picky.
One other comment: Christie does a good job of demonstrate the way the nobility thought about the poor and the bourgiousie. It was more than just "snobbish" -- the nobility of France (of anywhere really, at this time in history) truly believed themselves to be superior. Chosen by God. Too good to mingle outside of their rank. This is particularly clear in the final part of the book, when Louis XV is dead and Louis XVI and Antoinnette are ruling. It's an important issue for Christie to highlight because it gives some understanding as to how the Revolution took hold.
People who are history buffs, well-read and knowledgeable about this period in history might find the book too fluffy, but for the casual reader, it is a good yarn.
Journal Entry 3 by CynthiaA at Healthy Rabbit Book Exchange Box in Brantford, Ontario Canada on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Released 5 yrs ago (9/20/2018 UTC) at Healthy Rabbit Book Exchange Box in Brantford, Ontario Canada
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
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