emmarj's review against another edition
4.0
Deserted Island Book Rating System --
4 stars: Reread but only because there are no libraries on deserted islands.
I loved the main character for her morals, her drive, basically everything about her. I don't think there was a single other character I liked though. I felt that all characters aside from Petite herself really lacked depth, though they easily could have been fleshed out.
The pacing of this book felt so incredibly lopsided to me. So much time is spent telling us all about Petite's childhood in incredible detail - much of it unnecessary, in my humble opinion. And then when we get to the time in her life when she serves as a waiting maid to the Sun King's sister in law, great leaps of time lapse between chapters which, I believe, lead to my next problem...
I thought this book was about Petite's life in regard to her relationship with the king. It certainly covered her life but as for her relationship with the king, we see very little of it. The king visits, he leaves. She bears him a child, the child is sent away. We see very few snippets of their conversations and time together so in the end the effect is that we're told they're in love but never shown it.
I still really enjoyed this book despite the issues I've listed here, thus 4 stars and my willingness to reread it if I were stranded on a deserted island.
4 stars: Reread but only because there are no libraries on deserted islands.
I loved the main character for her morals, her drive, basically everything about her. I don't think there was a single other character I liked though. I felt that all characters aside from Petite herself really lacked depth, though they easily could have been fleshed out.
The pacing of this book felt so incredibly lopsided to me. So much time is spent telling us all about Petite's childhood in incredible detail - much of it unnecessary, in my humble opinion. And then when we get to the time in her life when she serves as a waiting maid to the Sun King's sister in law, great leaps of time lapse between chapters which, I believe, lead to my next problem...
I thought this book was about Petite's life in regard to her relationship with the king. It certainly covered her life but as for her relationship with the king, we see very little of it. The king visits, he leaves. She bears him a child, the child is sent away. We see very few snippets of their conversations and time together so in the end the effect is that we're told they're in love but never shown it.
I still really enjoyed this book despite the issues I've listed here, thus 4 stars and my willingness to reread it if I were stranded on a deserted island.
calandra_hudson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
magdon's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting in the sense of fear that permeated everything in their lives. Want to do more research in the secrecy that surrounded the mistresses. Not the best written book (did anyone did edit this for continuity?) but fine for vacation reading.
bethany_t's review against another edition
4.0
I love this book like no other book before. I am always afraid to read novels like this because I’m sure they’ll either consist entirely of steamy, ridiculous sex scenes or clinical, dull writing worthy of the dryest of history books. This one was nothing like either! It was actually very demure concerning sex scenes despite focusing on the life of a mistress of King Louis XVI. And the novel itself was highly interesting. I loved the beginning as it reflected on bone magic and other rituals/superstitions common in that time period.
I was last exposed to (fictionalized) details of this time period via the Canal+ TV show “Versailles,” which took place after Petite’s time in court. So this was a refreshing look at the rule of Louis XVI. And Louise de la Vallière, or Petite, was just plain cool, for lack of a better term. I loved her fierce spirit and her sort of rags-to-riches story. She was treated with respect over her hunting skills instead of with contempt, and her passion for horses was what helped her connect with Louis XVI. She never let her limp, caused by a childhood riding accident, dissuade her from her interests.
I suppose I do have two complaints: (1) the many ways in which characters are referred and (2) multiple points of view. Characters are referred to by ever-changing titles, nicknames, middle names, etc. It was difficult to keep track of the many names of any individual. Also, my dislike of poorly executed multiple POVs rears its ugly head yet again! Most of this book was told through Petite’s POV, and it was jarring whenever it shifted, usually abruptly and for a section only a few paragraphs long. I wish it had just stuck with telling the story through Petite.
Verdict
I read about 100+ pages in one day at one point. This is a quick, enjoyable read.
So, who would enjoy this book?
Historical fiction lovers who won’t be too upset over a novel focusing on a consort but containing very little focus on sex scenes. Those who might not enjoy reading depictions of occult-linked rituals or superstitions may want to proceed with caution. (My sister is inexplicably sensitive about such topics and won’t even dare to look at the artwork of tarot cards! She was very upset after reading the first third of this book.) So if you have the same sensitivity regarding such depictions, this book isn’t for you.
I was last exposed to (fictionalized) details of this time period via the Canal+ TV show “Versailles,” which took place after Petite’s time in court. So this was a refreshing look at the rule of Louis XVI. And Louise de la Vallière, or Petite, was just plain cool, for lack of a better term. I loved her fierce spirit and her sort of rags-to-riches story. She was treated with respect over her hunting skills instead of with contempt, and her passion for horses was what helped her connect with Louis XVI. She never let her limp, caused by a childhood riding accident, dissuade her from her interests.
I suppose I do have two complaints: (1) the many ways in which characters are referred and (2) multiple points of view. Characters are referred to by ever-changing titles, nicknames, middle names, etc. It was difficult to keep track of the many names of any individual. Also, my dislike of poorly executed multiple POVs rears its ugly head yet again! Most of this book was told through Petite’s POV, and it was jarring whenever it shifted, usually abruptly and for a section only a few paragraphs long. I wish it had just stuck with telling the story through Petite.
Verdict
I read about 100+ pages in one day at one point. This is a quick, enjoyable read.
So, who would enjoy this book?
Historical fiction lovers who won’t be too upset over a novel focusing on a consort but containing very little focus on sex scenes. Those who might not enjoy reading depictions of occult-linked rituals or superstitions may want to proceed with caution. (My sister is inexplicably sensitive about such topics and won’t even dare to look at the artwork of tarot cards! She was very upset after reading the first third of this book.) So if you have the same sensitivity regarding such depictions, this book isn’t for you.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I learn all of my history from historical fiction (and the occasional children's book or run to an encyclopedia). Thank goodness for people like Sandra Gulland, who write historical fiction that's engrossing and informative without slipping into soap opera or dry information. As with her Josephine Bonaparte trilogy, we follow the life of an ordinary French woman whose life ends up closely tied to a big figure in history. This way we get the details of ordinary life at the time - and the medical tidbits were particularly amusing in this one - but at the same time we're coming in contact with the "kings, battles and dates" kind of history as Petite becomes a lady in waiting and moves closer and closer to the court of Louis XIV. And while she eventually becomes the king's mistress, this never turns into that more sensationalistic, bodice-ripper, high-drama kind of historical fiction (cough-[b:The Other Boleyn Girl|37470|The Other Boleyn Girl|Philippa Gregory|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GRhNMuStL._SL75_.jpg|3248536]-cough). Instead, Petite seems - and acts - like a normal person caught in extraordinary circumstances. I didn't get quite as attached to her as I did to Rose, in the Josephine books, but it did make me want to learn more about the time period, the places they went, and so on (thanks to my middle school obsession with French chateaux, I could picture several of them).
lauraksingleton's review against another edition
1.0
Actually quit this halfway through. God, was it boring! All the more disappointing because I loved Gulland's Josephine B. trilogy.
magshugs's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. It paints a wonderful picture of what life would have been like during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King. It also had a lot of parallels to a book a I read earlier this year about Charles II of England. His sister Henriette was married to Louis's brother Phillipe, and was a pretty important character in this novel.
Petite, or Louisa's life was so interesting. She came from practically nothing, after her father passed away her family was seriously in debt. So it's a great rags to riches type of story in that sense. Her life seemed very tragic also, she pretty much lived her life fearing the devil and/or fearing making the wrong move with the King and had periods of great ups and downs throughout her lifetime.
Petite, or Louisa's life was so interesting. She came from practically nothing, after her father passed away her family was seriously in debt. So it's a great rags to riches type of story in that sense. Her life seemed very tragic also, she pretty much lived her life fearing the devil and/or fearing making the wrong move with the King and had periods of great ups and downs throughout her lifetime.
writer09's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
nightfalltwen's review against another edition
2.0
I finished this a couple of days ago and decided to hold off on my review because I wasn't quite sure what I thought about it. After some time away from the book and some time to mull over my opinion, I have to say that I didn't hate it, but I didn't absolutely adore it either.
I found the plot would speed up and slow down repeatedly which made the entire book read very choppily.
It's hard to review historical fiction when it's based on people who actually existed. You've got Louis XIV and Louise de la Vallière who lived lives and although the author has the flexibility to deviate from the historical time line, she can't make it too different without labelling her work as "alternate universe." So there were things that bugged me about the *people* in the books and there was nothing I could do about it.
Okay, yeah, I get that this is historical *fiction* and I shouldn't be taking it at face value. But like, there comes a point when you just want to say "Louis give up your crown and run away with Petite!" but you know that he can't because he's the king of France. The Sun King. Someone noteworthy.
In any case, Gulland didn't really make me love these characters. And that's the job of a historical fiction writer. Is to make these real people someone I *want* to know about.
It wasn't necessarily a bad story. I read it until the end and there were parts I quite enjoyed, but I didn't absolutely love it.
I found the plot would speed up and slow down repeatedly which made the entire book read very choppily.
It's hard to review historical fiction when it's based on people who actually existed. You've got Louis XIV and Louise de la Vallière who lived lives and although the author has the flexibility to deviate from the historical time line, she can't make it too different without labelling her work as "alternate universe." So there were things that bugged me about the *people* in the books and there was nothing I could do about it.
Okay, yeah, I get that this is historical *fiction* and I shouldn't be taking it at face value. But like, there comes a point when you just want to say "Louis give up your crown and run away with Petite!" but you know that he can't because he's the king of France. The Sun King. Someone noteworthy.
In any case, Gulland didn't really make me love these characters. And that's the job of a historical fiction writer. Is to make these real people someone I *want* to know about.
It wasn't necessarily a bad story. I read it until the end and there were parts I quite enjoyed, but I didn't absolutely love it.
hyacinth_girl's review against another edition
3.0
I really love Historical fiction so this book was perfect for me. I just finished a class called "Paris and the Art of Urban Life," and since this book dealt with King Louis XIV, I knew a lot of the places discussed. It was nice to be able to envision all the places they went, and having been to some of the places myself, made the book special. I will say though, at times, the writing seemed a little weak, but the book was still very enjoyable to read. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes French history and/or historical fiction.