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9 reviews for:
The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal That Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern
Maurice Samuels
3.74 AVERAGE
9 reviews for:
The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal That Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern
Maurice Samuels
3.74 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
The topic and goal of this book, to explain historical antisemitism in France and the lasting impact it has had both in France and Europe as a whole, was why I picked up this book. I learned something new!
I was just distracted a lot by the redundancy of many of this books pages. It could have been shorter if it hadn’t kept repeating itself. And I wish it had split the difference, spending half its word count on the story of the dutchess and Deutz and spending the other half really examining in depth the impact the events had on World War II antisemitism. The final examination of antisemitism post-betrayal is crammed into the last few pages and leaves me with more questions than were answered. That’s said, more books like this need to exist and need to be read by more people! Maybe then more people will #StandUpToJewishHate #StandUpToAllHate
I was just distracted a lot by the redundancy of many of this books pages. It could have been shorter if it hadn’t kept repeating itself. And I wish it had split the difference, spending half its word count on the story of the dutchess and Deutz and spending the other half really examining in depth the impact the events had on World War II antisemitism. The final examination of antisemitism post-betrayal is crammed into the last few pages and leaves me with more questions than were answered. That’s said, more books like this need to exist and need to be read by more people! Maybe then more people will #StandUpToJewishHate #StandUpToAllHate
This was a very interesting book, covering a part of French history that I wasn’t aware of. Very detailed, well written and throughly researched, I found it a compelling read. It’s a bit dense so took some time to get through but very enlightening. It goes very deep on the history of anti-semitisim in France and how this particular event has been used over the past 100+ years to condemn an entire religion vs looking at it as the actions of one man.
I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in order to provide an honest review.
I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in order to provide an honest review.
informative
medium-paced
What a pleasure to have a gripping, but still scholarly, history that covers the main themes of the Napoleonic era through July Monarchy in France (legitimism vs liberalism, aristocratic"honor" vs inchoate capitalism, assimilation and the emergence of modern anti-semitism, separate spheres and its contradictions, the legacy of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars etc.) all in a story featuring miraculous babies, assassination, rebellion, betrayal, and secret love affairs! Samuels did a great job of capturing so much of what draws me to this comparatively neglected period of French history - that weird co-existence of the old regime and the new, which makes formulating coherent narratives of linear development difficult but also more interesting.
Thank you to Basic Books and #netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest review. This book comes out today, April 14, 2020!
Synopsis: from @goodreads: The year was 1832 and the French royal family was in exile, driven out by yet another revolution. From a drafty Scottish castle, the duchesse de Berry -- the mother of the eleven-year-old heir to the throne -- hatched a plot to restore the Bourbon dynasty. For months, she commanded a guerilla army and evaded capture by disguising herself as a man. But soon she was betrayed by her trusted advisor, Simon Deutz, the son of France's Chief Rabbi. By blaming an entire people for the actions of a single man, the duchess's supporters set the terms for the century of antisemitism that followed.
My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars
I am such a sucker for these historical books about old age royalty. I had not read about this particular Duchess and her plight but it was so interesting too. The book is extremely detailed and filled with tiny details about every single thing. It might be boring to some, but I ate it all up. I can easily see this story translate to becoming a scandalous HBO show or something. If you are into these kinds of novels, you will love it!! However if you need a quick read, then this is not for you.
Synopsis: from @goodreads: The year was 1832 and the French royal family was in exile, driven out by yet another revolution. From a drafty Scottish castle, the duchesse de Berry -- the mother of the eleven-year-old heir to the throne -- hatched a plot to restore the Bourbon dynasty. For months, she commanded a guerilla army and evaded capture by disguising herself as a man. But soon she was betrayed by her trusted advisor, Simon Deutz, the son of France's Chief Rabbi. By blaming an entire people for the actions of a single man, the duchess's supporters set the terms for the century of antisemitism that followed.
My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars
I am such a sucker for these historical books about old age royalty. I had not read about this particular Duchess and her plight but it was so interesting too. The book is extremely detailed and filled with tiny details about every single thing. It might be boring to some, but I ate it all up. I can easily see this story translate to becoming a scandalous HBO show or something. If you are into these kinds of novels, you will love it!! However if you need a quick read, then this is not for you.
Thank you to Basic Books and #netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest review. This book comes out today, April 14, 2020!
Synopsis: from @goodreads: The year was 1832 and the French royal family was in exile, driven out by yet another revolution. From a drafty Scottish castle, the duchesse de Berry -- the mother of the eleven-year-old heir to the throne -- hatched a plot to restore the Bourbon dynasty. For months, she commanded a guerilla army and evaded capture by disguising herself as a man. But soon she was betrayed by her trusted advisor, Simon Deutz, the son of France's Chief Rabbi. By blaming an entire people for the actions of a single man, the duchess's supporters set the terms for the century of antisemitism that followed.
My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars
I am such a sucker for these historical books about old age royalty. I had not read about this particular Duchess and her plight but it was so interesting too. The book is extremely detailed and filled with tiny details about every single thing. It might be boring to some, but I ate it all up. I can easily see this story translate to becoming a scandalous HBO show or something. If you are into these kinds of novels, you will love it!! However if you need a quick read, then this is not for you.
Synopsis: from @goodreads: The year was 1832 and the French royal family was in exile, driven out by yet another revolution. From a drafty Scottish castle, the duchesse de Berry -- the mother of the eleven-year-old heir to the throne -- hatched a plot to restore the Bourbon dynasty. For months, she commanded a guerilla army and evaded capture by disguising herself as a man. But soon she was betrayed by her trusted advisor, Simon Deutz, the son of France's Chief Rabbi. By blaming an entire people for the actions of a single man, the duchess's supporters set the terms for the century of antisemitism that followed.
My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars
I am such a sucker for these historical books about old age royalty. I had not read about this particular Duchess and her plight but it was so interesting too. The book is extremely detailed and filled with tiny details about every single thing. It might be boring to some, but I ate it all up. I can easily see this story translate to becoming a scandalous HBO show or something. If you are into these kinds of novels, you will love it!! However if you need a quick read, then this is not for you.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the title, as I'm intrigued by scandals involving royalty and nobility throughout history. And the connection to the 1830 Revolution was also cool. I enjoyed reading about the complex and cutthroat politics of the time, including the titular betrayal. The writing is a little dense, but it's very informative.
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the title, as I'm intrigued by scandals involving royalty and nobility throughout history. And the connection to the 1830 Revolution was also cool. I enjoyed reading about the complex and cutthroat politics of the time, including the titular betrayal. The writing is a little dense, but it's very informative.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I'll be honest. I've never heard of this era of history whatsoever. Then again, this isn't technically the era of French history that personally interests me. That title really grabbed me and intrigued me. There's a ton of good information in this book about the events. The first part is more about the duchess, the second part about Deutz (the betrayer). From there, it unwinds the story. It's a pretty quick book and, at times, was a little dense to read. However, it was still a very interesting read and it makes me want to pick up more books to find out a little more about Duchesse de Berry.
I'll be honest. I've never heard of this era of history whatsoever. Then again, this isn't technically the era of French history that personally interests me. That title really grabbed me and intrigued me. There's a ton of good information in this book about the events. The first part is more about the duchess, the second part about Deutz (the betrayer). From there, it unwinds the story. It's a pretty quick book and, at times, was a little dense to read. However, it was still a very interesting read and it makes me want to pick up more books to find out a little more about Duchesse de Berry.