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emmedash's review
3.0
I'd have given a fourth star but for the author's persistent habit of attributing emotions and motives to her subjects even when they were quite unknowable.
hilaryjsc's review
4.0
"Every now and then there comes a moment in history when an individual not previously credited with any particular integrity is elevated to a position of authority and unexpectedly assumes the character of the office and rises to a higher purpose."
This, but also some excellent love affairs.
This, but also some excellent love affairs.
naomiscarlett's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
lauraajohnsonrn's review
5.0
This book was great! It had so much information but displayed if in a way that was not dull and listless. It is full of Marguerite of Valois's own words. Highly recommend!
xxstefaniereadsxx's review
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
My internet has been out for a week and a half, so I am lacking in book reviews and catching up on homework. If you are a follower of my reviews, I apologize for the flood of them you are about to receive. I certainly got plenty of reading done while living in the Stone Age.
This book discusses the relationship between Catherine de Medici, wife of Henri II of France, and her daughter Marguerite de Valois. Catherine's story itself is full of shady doings and intrigue. If you have watched the show Reign, that is a dramatized introductory into her conniving and manipulation. Marguerite had a different personality than her mother, often causing clashes. Catherine forced Marguerite to marry Henry III of Navarre. Their marriage was particularly controversial, as it was between a Roman Catholic and a Huguenot. Despite the difference in religion, Henry was a relative and from a French royal house, and this marriage was meant to strengthen ties and good relationships between the two royal houses. Right after the wedding, Catholics wound up murdering some of the Huguenots that were in Paris for the festivities, resulting in the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Catherine's actions surrounding this are questionable at best. This was a really wild series of events, and made for some dramatic reading.
The author of this book is a wonderful writer. I have enjoyed her work, and I also enjoyed interacting with her on a human level before I joined the exodus from Twitter. She conducts her research in a thorough and methodical way, and tells the story of her subjects in a way that is informative and engaging. I had known about Catherine Medici and Marguerite's relationship prior to reading this book, but the details presented included some facts I didn't know and provided more in depth details to supplement my previously learned facts. This was a little longer than some of the other books that I selected for this month, coming in at just over 400 pages, but wasn't a slow paced read. Certainly worth checking out.
This book discusses the relationship between Catherine de Medici, wife of Henri II of France, and her daughter Marguerite de Valois. Catherine's story itself is full of shady doings and intrigue. If you have watched the show Reign, that is a dramatized introductory into her conniving and manipulation. Marguerite had a different personality than her mother, often causing clashes. Catherine forced Marguerite to marry Henry III of Navarre. Their marriage was particularly controversial, as it was between a Roman Catholic and a Huguenot. Despite the difference in religion, Henry was a relative and from a French royal house, and this marriage was meant to strengthen ties and good relationships between the two royal houses. Right after the wedding, Catholics wound up murdering some of the Huguenots that were in Paris for the festivities, resulting in the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Catherine's actions surrounding this are questionable at best. This was a really wild series of events, and made for some dramatic reading.
The author of this book is a wonderful writer. I have enjoyed her work, and I also enjoyed interacting with her on a human level before I joined the exodus from Twitter. She conducts her research in a thorough and methodical way, and tells the story of her subjects in a way that is informative and engaging. I had known about Catherine Medici and Marguerite's relationship prior to reading this book, but the details presented included some facts I didn't know and provided more in depth details to supplement my previously learned facts. This was a little longer than some of the other books that I selected for this month, coming in at just over 400 pages, but wasn't a slow paced read. Certainly worth checking out.
sbauer378's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it. So well written and had a flow that was easy to follow. Marguerite de Valois was a wonderfully complex and intelligent woman who managed to survive everything her terrible family threw at her.
clt677's review against another edition
4.0
I am a strong 3.5 on this book, but bumped it up to 4 because it finally became a page turner towards the end. This book is well-researched and at times reads more like a story than a biography. But at times it became a chore to slog through. Overall it was an interesting read about 2 women who I admittedly knew nothing about before this book.