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Mistress Of The Sun (Hardcover)

by Sandra Gulland (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 383 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (Feb 7 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0002007754
ISBN-13: 978-0002007757
Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 17.1 x 3.2 cm
Shipping Weight: 794 g

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #74,202 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

As she did for Napoleon's wife (The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.), Gulland skillfully blends fact and fiction to imagine the life of Louise de la Vallière (1644–1710), mistress to Louis XIV, France's Sun King. Louise loses her father early and spends her childhood in a convent run by her aunt, Sister Angelique. When Louise's mother, Françoise, marries a marquis, she takes Louise home, where, by chance, she meets King Louis. As she secures a position at court about 100 pages in, the plot finally begins to bubble with intrigue: the king has married for political reasons, but, as a young and pious man, he has not kept a mistress before Louise. Their secret love eventually comes to light, but not without exacting a price. A supernatural element threaded throughout adds color to Gulland's vivid period imaginings. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Book Description

The author of the internationally acclaimed Josephine B. trilogy returns with another deeply enchanting historical novel, this one based on the life of an extraordinary horsewoman, Louise de la Vallière, the brave and spirited child of minor nobility who, against all odds, grows up to become one of the most mysterious consorts of France's King Louis XIV, the charismatic Sun King.

Set against the magnificent decadence of the 17th-century court of the Sun King, Mistress of the Sun begins when the eccentric young Louise falls in love with a wild white stallion and uses ancient magic to tame him. This one desperate action of youth shadows her throughout her life, changing it in ways she could never imagine.

Unmarriageable and too poor to join a convent, she enters the court of the Sun King as a maid of honour, where she captures - and then tragically loses - the King's heart. Mistress of the Sun illuminates, through the resurrection of a fascinating female figure from the dark corners of history, both the power of true love and the rash actions we take to capture and tame it.

Sandra Gulland's previous work brought Josephine Bonaparte magnificently to life in three immediately addictive bestselling novels. Beginning with The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Gulland established an entirely new gold standard for the art of historical fiction. Mistress of the Sun - a riveting love story with a captivating mystery at its centre - is a welcome reward for all those who have waited so patiently for its arrival.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rich Details and Decadence of the 17th-Century Court, Jun 1 2008

By	Teddy (Richmond, BC) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This is the story of real life Louise de la Valli�re, mistress to France's King Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King. At a young age, Louise, lovingly nicknamed Petite by her father, uses bone magic to tame a wild stallion.

Though of minor nobility, her family doesn't have enough money for her dowry to marry, let along to get into a convent. Thus she starts a new chapter in her life, that of maid in waiting to a princess of a bit higher nobility than herself. After the princess moves away, Louise moves to the court of the Sun King and is maid of honour to a high nobility princess. Soon after she becomes mistress to the king.

Set against the breathtaking background of France, this enchanting piece of historical fiction displays the extravagant opulence of the time of King Louis XIV's reign.

Sandra Gulland has made me crave more of King Louis XIV. She must have suspected that this would be the case with some readers, as she suggests a book to learn more `Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King' by Antonia Fraser. I have added this to my TBR (to be read).

This is the first book I have read by Sandra Gulland but it won't be the last! I look forward, with great anticipation to reading her Josephine B. trilogy.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Novel, April 18 2009

By	Toni Osborne "The Way I See It" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Mistress Of The Sun (Paperback)

This is the compelling love story of Louise de la Valli�re (known as Petite) mistress of King Louis X1V of France and the struggles she faces while living in a court where gossip is prolific, privacy is rare and fidelity is nonexistent

Living in the royal court in her late teens, Petite falls under the king's magical charm becoming his hidden mistress. After becoming pregnant, the reality is shocking, she is sent into seclusion in order to protect her reputation. Their children are removed at birth and raised by hired help for their safety.

This epic is more than a profoundly romantic one during the time of magnificent castles, dangerous dwarves, masked balls, black magic, lovely costumes, but also a time of conniving intrigues and treacheries... a little of everything. The author has masterfully portrayed the life under the rule of the Sun King. Her prose is witty and engaging and her characters are simply fascinating.

One tends to forget this is mainly fiction based on history; Ms Gulland delivers a stunning novel, highly entertaining and hard to put down.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparkles as brilliantly as Versailles in the summer sun, Mar 10 2008

By	Leah M. Brown (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sandra Gulland, author of the riveting and critically acclaimed Josephine B series, has written an engrossing and touching novel about Louise de la Valliere, one of Louis XIV's most interesting, charming mistresses.

I am a huge fan of Ms. Gulland's personality and enchanting writing style. As soon as I learned of Mistress of the Sun's impending release in Canada, I spent the extra postage and ordered it through Amazon.ca (I live in the United States).

I read the book in record time. In fact, I reluctantly completed it this morning at one o'clock. I am not disappointed to have spent the extra money on postage. It was one of the best novels I have read in the last year.

Mistress of the Sun beautifully tells the story of Louise de la Valliere, a chaste young woman with a loving heart and quiet nature, who, despite her religious upbringing and guilt, falls in love with a very married, very magnetic Louis XIV. The story is set during the golden years of Louis' epoch - when he was still young, dashing, brazen, and not yet entirely jaded by the intrigues and excesses of his court. It makes for a compelling backdrop, one that ensnares the reader.

Ms. Gulland, deft as ever, masterfully weaves a story that seems to come together colorfully with each word. Her characterizations are subtle and brilliant. This reader grew to love innocent, tender Louise and felt her heart break when certain tragedies befell the character.

It is clear that Ms. Gulland did her research, peppering the story with interesting but obscure facts about court life, provincial supersitions, and horsemanship.

For anyone who loves French history or historical novels, Mistress of the Sun must be read. It sparkles as brilliantly as Versailles in the summer sun!

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars As Beautiful as Versailles
Since this is suppose to be an honest review about the book, I will just say it right away: I LOVED IT! Read more

Published 29 days ago by Blanche Coday

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of love and heart-break in the French court
The story depicts the life of Louise de la Valliere, a young girl who finds herself at court as a hand maiden and falls into the arms of the glorified King of France, Louise XIV... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Genevi�ve Beauchamp

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!
I didn't want to put the book down. I would find myself wondering and worrying about the characters even when I wasn't reading. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Brooke Goad