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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I know, I know, this looks very dirty and mindless. I loved reading things I didn't know about mistresses and their kings. I've had plenty of questions (what if the husband of the woman minds? What if the queen was bothered by it?) and there were plenty of examples that answered my questions. The author presented the material in a gossipy way, which I didn't mind, and was rather disorganized, but I didn't have a hard time following who was who. The only thing that annoyed me was the frequent use of "we can imagine..." or "we picture...", followed by long descriptions.
I didn't dislike this as much as everyone else in my book club did. I strenuously object to the way it was arranged, but I'm such a sucker for the raw material that I actually did enjoy it. It would have been far better arranged by time period or by country or by monarch; the jumping from one factoid to the next made it impossible to really remember anything other than the odd anecdote (2,500 baby corpses!). I would still probably take a crack at Herman's "Sex with Queens," but I really wish someone else had written it.
This was a pretty indulgent read, kind of like if Perez Hilton was a woman and a European historian/academic, and had a dry, British sense of humor (how's that for a recommendation?)
Let me start off by saying it doesn't get to graphic with the details, most of the intrigue has to do with the court gossip, the jealous queens, the power plays and the extent to which the royal mistress could influence politics. There are just as many Great Love stories here as there are affairs of a lesser caliber, though I was touched by the mistresses whose genuine love for their king finds them nursing their lovers on their death beds.
I only had one issue with this book, but it is a big one - this book is not organized very well. Each chapter addresses certain subject - like mistresses who had rocky relationships with the queen, royal bastards, great beauties, etc. Unfortunately, these woman fell into more than one category, so the result is a disjointed narrative as we meet a different part of a story for one woman in each chapter. I would have like to see each story told in a more cohesive manner, maybe organized by the king, since some kings had a string of mistresses whose lives were intermingled. I'm told that this problem is fixed in her next book, "Sex with the Queen," which I'm planning on reading also.
The book jacket mentions Philip/Diana/Camilla, but they are only discussed in the last chapter. It's an interesting one, because she compares the fate of a modern mistress to those in an earlier age bereft of the media, but if you are looking for an expose, you will be disappointed, and that's just as well since I think that chapter is still being written.
Definitely a great read for history buffs, but can also be a vacation read for someone looking for a book with more substance.
Let me start off by saying it doesn't get to graphic with the details, most of the intrigue has to do with the court gossip, the jealous queens, the power plays and the extent to which the royal mistress could influence politics. There are just as many Great Love stories here as there are affairs of a lesser caliber, though I was touched by the mistresses whose genuine love for their king finds them nursing their lovers on their death beds.
I only had one issue with this book, but it is a big one - this book is not organized very well. Each chapter addresses certain subject - like mistresses who had rocky relationships with the queen, royal bastards, great beauties, etc. Unfortunately, these woman fell into more than one category, so the result is a disjointed narrative as we meet a different part of a story for one woman in each chapter. I would have like to see each story told in a more cohesive manner, maybe organized by the king, since some kings had a string of mistresses whose lives were intermingled. I'm told that this problem is fixed in her next book, "Sex with the Queen," which I'm planning on reading also.
The book jacket mentions Philip/Diana/Camilla, but they are only discussed in the last chapter. It's an interesting one, because she compares the fate of a modern mistress to those in an earlier age bereft of the media, but if you are looking for an expose, you will be disappointed, and that's just as well since I think that chapter is still being written.
Definitely a great read for history buffs, but can also be a vacation read for someone looking for a book with more substance.
Meh. Didn't hold my interest enough to renew it a second time in order to finish it. I found the scope too limited both in region and time-frame. I also found the author's assumptions about the reader's perspective rather annoying; even as a middle-class white American woman with a vague curiosity about royalty, that's not what I was imagining about how these women lived, thanks.
Would have liked it to be in chronological order rather than skipping back and forth in time. Fascinating read, however.
This book was very lucky. I read it on the beach in Portugal on my honeymoon. I think under almost any other circumstances I would have lost patience with it much more quickly. As it was, I made it almost all the way through in good spirits, and only got impatient the last couple dozen pages.
I have shelved the book "history," but I'm not actually sure about that. It's really more "history lite" or some other nonsensical genre. She did do some research, but she focused on a handful of women, rather than looking broadly as the title implies. The research she did yielded some entertaining anecdotes, but I never felt confident trusting their historical veracity. And many women you wondered about were left out, as well as whole countries that could have been profitably mined.
It was pure fluff, not too objectionable, but on the whole not worthy of recommendation either. Best read in a romantic location demanding very little of your academic brain.
I have shelved the book "history," but I'm not actually sure about that. It's really more "history lite" or some other nonsensical genre. She did do some research, but she focused on a handful of women, rather than looking broadly as the title implies. The research she did yielded some entertaining anecdotes, but I never felt confident trusting their historical veracity. And many women you wondered about were left out, as well as whole countries that could have been profitably mined.
It was pure fluff, not too objectionable, but on the whole not worthy of recommendation either. Best read in a romantic location demanding very little of your academic brain.
New Review
Educational gossip!
Old Review
It is impossible not to like a book that has the line "many men were willing to lay down thier wives for their king".
Totally impossible.
At times funny, at times surprisingly sad, this is a good book. Herman writes about the mistresses withuot making them saints. She is sympathic to husband, wife, and the other woman and the other woman's husband. While the book focuses mostly on the French, there are some really funny and strange stories. Like the one about the bathroom. Or the one about the Nell (who is my favorite mistress). I really feel sorry for Marie de Medici whose husband left her in a flooded coach, but saved his bastard son.
I have to admit, though, I kinda like Camilla.
I do have a question for Gabrielle d'Estrees, why would you have a portiat of yourself done, showing you naked from the waist up and pinching your sister's nipple? Inquiring minds want to know.
Educational gossip!
Old Review
It is impossible not to like a book that has the line "many men were willing to lay down thier wives for their king".
Totally impossible.
At times funny, at times surprisingly sad, this is a good book. Herman writes about the mistresses withuot making them saints. She is sympathic to husband, wife, and the other woman and the other woman's husband. While the book focuses mostly on the French, there are some really funny and strange stories. Like the one about the bathroom. Or the one about the Nell (who is my favorite mistress). I really feel sorry for Marie de Medici whose husband left her in a flooded coach, but saved his bastard son.
I have to admit, though, I kinda like Camilla.
I do have a question for Gabrielle d'Estrees, why would you have a portiat of yourself done, showing you naked from the waist up and pinching your sister's nipple? Inquiring minds want to know.
The writing style wasn’t for me. If you prefer conversational nonfiction, this might be for you.
It was super hard to keep track of everybody. I wish there had been some sort of chart at the beginning indicating who was who, especially since the book is set up thematically and constantly jumps from one King/mistress/century/country to another.