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5.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisite Read!, Oct 20 2009
What could be better than reading about the sumptuous life of a favourite love in Charles IIs life? Compound this with an in-depth look at the life of his beloved sister Henriette (whom I simply adore); seen through the eyes of our heroine, Louise de Keroualle, her principle maid-in-waiting- and you have a book that I just devoured.
Although Louise came from an average background, her honourable and loyal family, through merit, was granted the privilege of sending her to the French Court at the service of Madame Henriette. Due to Louises genuine kindness and honesty, absolute loyalty, prim demeanor, chaste morals and devoutness to her Catholic faith, this lady-in-waiting raised the bar for herself and soon became Madames closest, most trusted and devoted companion.
Poor Henriette (also called Minette), led a tragic life at the hands of her husband, le Duc DOrleans (her first cousin as well as Louis XIVs brother). Finding no love in this demeaning relationship, she gave herself completely to the cause of re-kindling ties between France and England through her brother Charles II and her cousin, Louis XIV. This project consumed her completely; bringing her much of the sanity needed to survive (although briefly) through it all.
Henriette dedicated her time in planning her most-awaited reunion with her brother, whom she adored to no end. She would spend endless hours talking to Louise about her brothers exceptional qualities, along with his charms and loving manners towards the ladies. Henriette thought the world of her brother and this image she portrayed of Charles as being the most perfect, kindest, gentlest and most handsome man ever, helped propel him into the role of hero of Louises love fantasies. Young and very impressionable, she became enamoured of King Charles II. Before even meeting him, Charles became Louises secret Love of her life.
The reality though, was that Louises family wanted her to remain true to her virtues and morals in order to soon marry high, and well. Louise abided by these wishes by keeping herself chaste and pure until she would find a suitable husbandsomething quite uncommon in Louis XIVs Royal Court. In fact, most of the ladies surrounding Louise aspired to catching the Kings fancy and becoming his mistress. Let alone that she did not think Louis her type (another rarity), she herself, being dark-haired; completely the opposite of the blonde fair look that was all the rave- Louise was probably not the most sought out gal at court. So, lucky for Louise, Louis did not favour her in that way; The French King would have other plans for this different beauty
These plans finally unravel when Louis allows Henriette to visit Charles in England. Madame is then reunited with her loving brother where she manages to strengthen the ties between the two countries while convincing Charles to convert to Catholicism- Madames most important objective. This is not all that Charles is ventured into. Once he lays eyes on Louise de Keroualle, the King becomes floored by her beauty (English tastes differing from the French). Louise de Keroualle, a real lady in every sense, captures the heart and soul of this magnificent King.
From then on, Louises life would take a sharp turn away from the high aspirations of marrying respectably. Although she would keep a strong hold on her virtues until a solid commitment was reached, inevitably she would forego all to become the Kings favourite. Different from most mistresses of the time, Louise would only know Charles, and be loyal to him for life. Because of her strong devotion to Charles and her selfless dedication to Henriette, Louise comes across as an incredibly warm, loving and caring person; its no wonder she was adored and held in the highest esteem by both these royal siblings.
The French Mistress is a definite page turner. The story, written in the first person, gives a brilliant account of the life in the times of both the French and English Courts. The story completely drew me in. I loved reading about the particularities in the lives of two of my very favourite royals. Susan Holloway Scott details the scenes, filling them with emotional dialog and in-depth character perceptions that clearly bring the period to life. I couldnt help feeling a kinship with Louise and concurring with all her thoughts and emotions- almost like reading the memoirs of a close friend. The book is beautifully written to vividly depict this most grandiose time in all of its spendour, without being devoid of its tragically sad and scheming deceptions.
If like me, you love the extravagance of the French courts of the 17th century; the magnetic and totally charming Charles II spins your fantasies; the superb Louis XIV completely fascinates you; the most graceful and loving Henriette endears youthen, you have got to read about this exquisite French mistress take on all of it. I guarantee youll love this book.
I defintely want to read more books by Susan Holloway Scott
[...].
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4.0 out of 5 stars
THE MERRY MONARCH'S FRENCH MISTRESS..., Oct 7 2009
Those who like historical fiction will enjoy this book about a lesser known mistress of King Charles II of England, Louise de Keroualle, the Duchess of Portsmouth. Reviled in her day by the English for being French, as well as Catholic, Louise began life as the daughter of an impoverished French nobleman.
Growing up in her family's crumbling chateau in the French countryside, her life changed when her family secured her a place in the sophisticated court of the French king, Louis XIV. There, she was ensconced as a maid of honor to the wife of the decadent notorious Duc D'Orleans, brother of the French King. The Duc's wife was none other than the sister of the English King, Charles II.
When circumstances had Louise and King Charles II meet, he quickly became smitten with her and she is with him. When fortune threw them together after the suspicious and premature death of his sister, Louise not only acted in the interests of France, she acted in her own interests. Though Louise was sent to England by the French King to ensnare the heart of the English King and spy for France, Louise and Charles would begin an enduring relationship that was to last until his death.
The story of these lovers is told by the author in a straightforward way, using a first person narrative. Well-written and steeped in period detail and intrigues, the story of Louise Keroualle is that of a woman who was determined to make the most of her situation and in the process found love, wealth, and a place in history.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Historical fiction lite, July 25 2009
Did I read a different book again? Oh well. The French Mistress is I believe the third book written by Holloway Scott recounting the lives of mistresses of Charles II of England. Louise de Kérouaille is sent to the French court to serve as maid of honor to Charles' sister Henriette-Anne, sister-in-law to Louis XIV. Louise serves her mistress faithfully and during Henriette's visit to England she catches the roving eye of Charles II, but has to return to France with her mistress. Henriette soon dies mysteriously and Louise is sent to England to seduce Charles and provide political information to the French King. While keeping Charles at arm's length for a time, she eventually becomes Charles' favorite mistress (albeit not his only one) and is able to juggle life amidst the hatred of the English for anything French and Catholic, the intrigues of the English court, as well as her love for Charles while remaining loyal to Louis.
Well, that all sounds great and very much like the kind of book I love getting permanently lost in so why am I giving it three stars? I very much enjoyed the first part of the book while Louise was at the French Court in service to Henriette, as well as the first visit to England and the attraction between her and Charles. That said, it was well into two-thirds of the way through before Louise and Charles finally consummate their relationship and it then seemed the author found herself rushing to finish Louise's story and keep it under 400 pages.
The first person narrative didn't work well for me, it really seemed to limit the way the author conveyed Louise's story, whether from putting her into contrived situations just so she could "witness" Henriette's being abused by her husband to the last 100 or so pages where's she's dryly (very dryly I might add) recounting Charles's political difficulties with Parliament, the Dutch and the matter of his succession. I prefer to see the action rather than have someone else tell me about it. The other problem with the first person narrative in this book was instead of someone else commenting to Louise on her generous bosom/creamy neck/beguiling eyes it was Louise giving herself those compliments. Who knows, perhaps that was intentional to remind us that Louise what a self-centered vain young miss she was? Lastly, and perhaps I'm forever spoiled and will always judge any book in Restoration England against Kathleen Winsor's wonderful romp Forever Amber, this one just wasn't bawdy enough somehow - it wasn't "fun". If you're not sure get it from the library first, then buy it if you love it.
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