Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by annarien
Louise de La Vallière by Alexandre Dumas
4.0
From an action/adventure/humor point of view, this entry to the D'Artagnan romances is the low point. Romance takes the center point, with all the flirting, gasping, sweating, fainting, plotting, counter-plotting and fluttering-about that a court of puffed-up nobles and ladies performs so perfectly. And perfectly annoying, if you’re not into that sort of thing. I recall being somewhat but not greatly impressed by the shenanigans going on at this stage in the books some 10 years ago when I was the same age as the mademoiselles at the French Court but now, at an age more ripe, it was pretty hard to stomach.
Throughout the books, there have been numerous times when I wanted to reach into the story and bash together the heads of fellows like Buckingham, De Guiche, Raoul (him especially) and even that effing idiot, the king himself. My only consolation sprang from researching the historical counterpart of my favorite character, the Compte de Guiche. That is to say Armand de Gramont, who apparently was a first class philanderer and amateur of both sexes and therefore can’t have been the immense sucker his novel representation was.
That said, Louise de La Valliere, who names the second partition of this huge novel in the same way that the Vicomte de Bragelonne names the first (i.e. by being more or less off-screen), I cannot to this day fathom why she became an object of such fascination. Unless I am supposed to be impressed by the transition from little saint to the mistress of a married man and the eye of the biggest scandal in the kingdom, while somehow maintaining the conduct of the most innocent and noble of hearts. Please… Even in the midst of all the exaggerated affairs of the heart happening around her, this character and her credibility leaves much to be desired. Not unlike the woman herself.
Thankfully, the tale in this book is interspersed with bits of clever and suspicious D’Artagnan, clueless, gentle-giant Porthos and the ever-inspiring, plotting, brilliant Aramis. And some serious business regarding finance, politics, affairs of state, etc.
Throughout the books, there have been numerous times when I wanted to reach into the story and bash together the heads of fellows like Buckingham, De Guiche, Raoul (him especially) and even that effing idiot, the king himself. My only consolation sprang from researching the historical counterpart of my favorite character, the Compte de Guiche. That is to say Armand de Gramont, who apparently was a first class philanderer and amateur of both sexes and therefore can’t have been the immense sucker his novel representation was.
That said, Louise de La Valliere, who names the second partition of this huge novel in the same way that the Vicomte de Bragelonne names the first (i.e. by being more or less off-screen), I cannot to this day fathom why she became an object of such fascination. Unless I am supposed to be impressed by the transition from little saint to the mistress of a married man and the eye of the biggest scandal in the kingdom, while somehow maintaining the conduct of the most innocent and noble of hearts. Please… Even in the midst of all the exaggerated affairs of the heart happening around her, this character and her credibility leaves much to be desired. Not unlike the woman herself.
Thankfully, the tale in this book is interspersed with bits of clever and suspicious D’Artagnan, clueless, gentle-giant Porthos and the ever-inspiring, plotting, brilliant Aramis. And some serious business regarding finance, politics, affairs of state, etc.