Muguet de Paris

Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King, by Antonia Fraser (© 2006 Antonia Fraser).

Louis XIV

Customarily, I wait until I have finished reading a book to recommend it, but in this case it hardly seems necessary. It is biographical, so there is no danger of giving away the ending. For those who know nothing of French history, this is a painless way to learn; for those who do, it is an entertaining way to broaden and deepen that knowledge.

Writing in the context of the events of the time, Fraser shines her light on the women who surrounded Louis XIV from his birth to the end of his life. You will meet the devout Anne of Austria, his mother, who had certainly the strongest influence on his character, and his wife, the shy, long-suffering Marie-Thérèse, Infanta of Spain.

You will meet his mistresses, from his first (and reputedly platonic) love , the adorable Marie Mancini (who was considered unsuitable and sent away; her parting gifts from Louis were a magnificent strand of pearls and a spaniel puppy upon whose silver collar was engraved, “I belong to Marie Mancini”) to the puritanical Madame de Maintenon, with whom he shared his later years, as well as the women he loved who were part of his large family — his sisters-in-law, his daughters, and his beloved Adélaîde, wife of his grandson the duc de Bourgogne.

Marie Mancini

Fraser notes in the foreword that her principal themes were gallantry (and sex) and religion, citing the connection (and, often, the conflict) between the two. This book gives an insight into court life and examines the character of the Sun King and the status of women in the 17th century.

Fraser is an accomplished writer of historical subjects whose many books have become international bestsellers. Marie-Antoinette: The Journey was the inspiration for the film of the same name. (In my opinion, Sofia Coppola massacred the story, but Versailles and the actors are photogenic.) Her books are exhaustively researched (this one was five years in the making), and could well serve as reference material, given the chronology of political events, a list of principal characters, family trees (you will be grateful), a bibliography, beautiful illustrations, copious footnotes and an index.

Yet her voice is that of a chatty, well-connected neighbor who is only too willing to share the gossip to which she is privy. You will be charmed, and you will be entertained.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© 2008, Jan del Monte

∞

~ by Jane del Monte on October 9, 2008.

Posted in Books and Films