Garden of Venus
4 journalers for this copy...
It is November 1822. Countess Sophie Potocka lies on her deathbed in a Berlin palace, a tumor ravaging her body. Since her triumphant appearance at the Polish court in 1781, this extraordinarily beautiful, graceful woman has been the toast of European society. And yet she still has secrets to protect, betrayals to avenge and stories to tell. How did the naive young daughter of a Greek peasant cattle trader rise to become Sophie Potocka - courtesan, courtier, countless and confidante to royalty throughout Europe? In a saga that sweeps from the olive groves of Greece to the teeming bazaars of Istanbul, from a draughty Berlin palace to the inner chambers of Marie Antoinette's gilded Parisian boudoir, Garden of Venus is a story of an extraordinary life stitched into the fabric of one of the most tumultuous periods in European history.
Slow to get into, but the second half goes much faster. I found the names difficult to pronounce (not that i really pronounce them, but I don't know russian very well, so I don't know what an "L" with a slash through it sounds like) and the amount of names was overwhelming. I couldn't really believe that they were all necessary, but they were. A chart or a quick glossary would have been helpful for those who cannot read a whole book in one day or weekend. I enjoyed imagining Sophievka, the elaborate dresses and the balls. I can't wait for Season 3 of The Tudors.
Journal Entry 3 by aliaskris29 at Second Cup - Lakeshore at Navy in Oakville, Ontario Canada on Saturday, November 13, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (11/14/2010 UTC) at Second Cup - Lakeshore at Navy in Oakville, Ontario Canada
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I tried to get into this book but I was just not interested. Taking to meet up or leaving on back window ledge.
Picked up at the Oakville Meetup today. I've been getting more in to historical fiction so this looked interesting.
Sophie Potocka grew up in late 1700s Turkey as a Greek Christian, who married a Pole and eventually moved to Russia. For most of her life, it's just her and her mother, who manipulates to get her way. At a young age she loses her virginity to a cousin, which enrages her father so they move and he dies from illness. Due to her beauty, Sophie becomes the mistress to high ranking people where she has to fake her virginity multiple times. We learn about her romantic life as she grows up, but also learn about her life as it's coming to an end. The other side of the story is Sophie on her death bed, being treated for her illness by a French doctor and her young nurse Rosalia. Sophie recounts her past as she gets weaker and weaker.
The start of this book is quite confusing because it's hard to get a good handle on where the story is taking place. Greece, Turkey, Poland, Russia, France, and Germany are all mentioned within the first few pages, causing the confusion. Honestly, I got about 250 pages in and couldn't take it anymore. The book was bland, not well written, and just not worth continuing so I gave up. Not a read I would recommend.
The start of this book is quite confusing because it's hard to get a good handle on where the story is taking place. Greece, Turkey, Poland, Russia, France, and Germany are all mentioned within the first few pages, causing the confusion. Honestly, I got about 250 pages in and couldn't take it anymore. The book was bland, not well written, and just not worth continuing so I gave up. Not a read I would recommend.
Mailed today to my birthday partner. Hopefully they enjoy this book more than I did!
Received for my b-day. Thanks Lauren. I already have a copy I won on a swap with your mom so I will be putting this out for release.