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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
informative
informative
medium-paced
Amazing biography of the Renaissance’s greatest Queen Smother. I admit I started reading this after watching Starz’s “The Serpent Queen” but found it just as entertaining and informative as anything by Alison Weir. I knew relatively little of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre and the French wars of religion (limited primarily to the French film “La Reine Margot” starring the incredible Isabelle Adjani) but this book greatly expanded my knowledge. Catherine’s “humble” origins (a Medici heiress — loaded, but not royal) and her ridicule as a dirty Italian when she first comes to France, her husband’s humiliatingly public affair with Diane de Poitiers, and her pathetic children’s moral and physical weakness all read as struggles she had to overcome to be the political powerhouse that she was. Definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in Renaissance history or powerful queens!
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This was my first foray into any French history so it was slow going for me, and I zoned out a lot. Catherine is fascinating, and in parts where I could get a sense of her life and that of her neurodivergent sons, I was fascinated. Unfortunately, I am bored by history about war and about religion and Catherine’s time in power was marked by 8 wars of religion.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Proper Game of Thrones level stuff. One strong, powerful woman.