The Sisters of Versailles: A Novel (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy), by Sally Christie
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The Sisters of Versailles: A Novel (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy), by Sally Christie
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“An intriguing romp through Louis XV's France. Filled with lush backdrops, rich detail, and colorful characters, fans of historical fiction will enjoy this glimpse into the lost golden era of the French monarchy.” (Allison Pataki, author of The Accidental Empress) “Tantalizing descriptions and cliff-hangers will leave the reader rapidly turning the pages in anticipation…A wickedly delightful read.” (New York Daily News)Goodness, but sisters are a thing to fear. Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife. The race is on to find a mistress for the royal bed as various factions put their best feet—and women—forward. The King’s scheming ministers push sweet, naïve Louise, the eldest of the aristocratic Nesle sisters, into the arms of the King. Over the following decade, she and three of her younger sisters—ambitious Pauline; complacent Diane, and cunning Marie Anne—will conspire, betray, suffer, and triumph in a desperate fight for both love and power as each becomes the king’s favorite for a time. In the tradition of The Other Boleyn Girl, The Sisters of Versailles is a clever, intelligent, and absorbing novel that historical fiction fans will devour. Based on meticulous research on a group of women never before written about in English, Sally Christie’s stunning debut is a complex exploration of power and sisterhood—of the admiration, competition, and even hatred that can coexist within a family when the stakes are high enough.
The Sisters of Versailles: A Novel (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy), by Sally Christie- Amazon Sales Rank: #77264 in Books
- Published on: 2015-09-01
- Released on: 2015-09-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.25" h x 1.10" w x 5.31" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 432 pages
Review “Such an extraordinary tale makes for compelling reading and, as the lead book in a planned trilogy, will draw in readers who are interested in royal lives before the French Revolution….historical fiction fans, unfamiliar with the history of the Nesle sisters, will be intrigued.” (Library Journal)"Sally Christie's The Sisters of Versailles is an intriguing romp through Louis XV's France. Filled with lush backdrops, rich detail, and colorful characters, fans of historical fiction will enjoy this glimpse into the lost golden era of the French monarchy." (Allison Pataki, author of THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS)“A stunning breadth of period detail, offered in a fresh, contemporary voice.” (Juliet Grey, author of the acclaimed Marie Antoinette trilogy)“Tantalizing descriptions and cliff-hangers will leave the reader rapidly turning the pages in anticipation… A wickedly delightful read.” (New York Daily News)
About the Author Sally Christie is the author of The Sisters of Versailles and The Rivals of Versailles. She was born in England and grew up around the world, attending eight schools in three different languages. She spent most of her career working in international development and currently lives in Toronto. Visit SallyChristieAuthor.com to find out more about Sally and the Mistresses of Versailles trilogy.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Sisters of Versailles
Hortense
PARIS An VII (1799) We were five sisters and four became mistresses of our king. Only I escaped his arms but that was my choice: I may be eighty-four years old, and all that I speak of may have happened in the far distance of the past, but in a woman vanity is eternal. So I need to tell you: I could have. Had I wanted. Because he—the king—he certainly wanted. I’m not speaking of the last king, our sixteenth Louis, poor hapless man dead these six years on the guillotine, followed by his Austrian wife. No, here I talk of the fifteenth Louis, a magnificent king. I knew him when he was fresh and young, no hint of the debauched libertine that he would become in his later years, with his drooping eyes and sallow skin, his lips wet with lust. The story of my sisters and Louis XV is today mostly forgotten, their memory eclipsed by more famous and more scandalous mistresses, and by the upheaval of the last decade. I too am forgetful now, my memory faded and worn as my sisters slip in and out of the shadows in my mind. I spend my hours immersed in a sea of their old letters; reading them, then rereading them, is both my comfort and my sorrow. Is anything more bittersweet than the pull of past memories? These letters, a portrait of one sister that hangs above the fireplace, and a faded sketch of another pressed between the pages of a Bible, are all that remain to me now. It was years ago that it all began: 1729, almost three-quarters of a century past. It was such a different time then, a completely different world. We were secure and arrogant in our privilege, never suspecting that things might change, that the accident of birth might not always be the promise it once was. We were born daughters of a marquis; titles and courtesy and the perquisites of the nobility were all that we ever knew, but now, what do those things matter? Well, they still matter a lot, though all we citoyens must pretend they do not. The world—our world—was softer then; those who could afford to do so buttered and feathered themselves until they were insulated from all of the unpleasant realities of life. We never dreamed—ever—that a horror like the Terror could happen. We were five sisters in our childhood home on the Quai des Théatins. Our home was in the center of Paris on a road by the Seine, lined with the houses of the rich and powerful. The house still stands on that street, now renamed the Quai Voltaire to honor that great man. I shudder to think who may live there now. It was a grand house, an elegant house, a reminder to all of our place in the world. I remember well my mother’s golden bedroom on the second floor, opulent and resplendent, the awe we felt when summoned for a visit. Of course, the nursery was not so grand; children in those days were mostly ignored, and so why waste money on things, or children, that were so rarely seen? Up in the aerie of our nursery on the fourth floor, the rooms were cold and bare, but comfortable, our haven in a heartless world. We had no education to speak of; the aim was not an educated daughter, but a mannered daughter, one who knew her way through the intricate maze of politeness and social graces that governed our world. In truth, even with the wisdom that is supposed to come with age, I can’t say that more education would have served me better in my life. We were five sisters and we had no brothers; my mother sometimes remarked, when she was happy on champagne, the misfortune that had cursed her so. Though we sprang from the same parents, we were all so different. Oh, how different! Louise was the eldest, charming and somewhat pretty, nineteen when she was first presented at Court. She was a dreamer, always with stars in her eyes when she thought of her future and the happiness that would surely come for her. Then there was Pauline, fierce with no softness in her body and a character to make a pirate proud. She was as headstrong as a horse and ruled the nursery; she towered over us, both in height and in strength. Even at seventeen, Pauline knew she would be powerful and important. How she knew that, I know not. But she knew. Our next sister was Diane, fifteen then and always jolly, lax and lazy. She avoided conflict and only wanted to giggle and laugh and dream of becoming a duchess. Physically she reminded everyone of our sister Pauline, but without the force of personality. I suppose that was both a curse and a blessing. Then there was I, only fourteen when everything changed. All called me the prettiest of the family and many commented on my likeness to my namesake, my famous great-grandmother Hortense Mancini, who in her time bewitched more than one king. Finally there was little Marie-Anne, though it seems strange now to speak of her last. She was twelve and also very pretty, but hidden beneath her angel face was a sharp and shearing mind that emerged occasionally to astound our nursemaids. I remember our years on the fourth floor of the Quai des Théatins as happy ones, years of light and love. Certainly, there were small differences, the usual squabbles and petty fights, but overall harmony reigned, a harmony that was all too precious and absent later in our lives. Perhaps there were signs, but they were faint and thin, mere whispers of the callousness and suffering to come. No, my memory is of a happy time, before the harsh world of adults caught us and covered us with its disappointments and cruelties, before we lost the closeness of our younger years and before Louise became broken, Pauline mean, Diane fat and lazy, and Marie-Anne manipulative and hard. But through it all, through the good, the bad, the sin and the scandal, the heartbreak and the joy, the exiles and the deaths, through it all, they were my sisters. And now I am all that is left. I sit in my darkened rooms, an old woman, passing my days rustling through their letters and my memories. If I am careful, and still, I can hear their voices once again.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful. "Goodness, but sisters are a thing to fear..." By Jenny Q @ Let Them Read Books Louis XV is a king that tends to get skipped over somewhat in fiction between the larger-than-life figures of Louis XIV and XVI, and when I saw that this book was about four sisters who were all his mistresses, I had to read it. I was not disappointed!The story begins with Hortense, the only one of five sisters who did not become mistress to the king, as she reflects back on a lifetime of memories. Through her, we get a glimpse of what's to come before moving on to Louise, the first and longest-reigning of the sister mistresses. The story is then told alternatingly by all of the sisters, from their isolated childhood to their separation after the death of their mother to their reunion at court and all of the pleasure and heartache that come with it. At first, I was wary of a story told from five different first-person points of view, but I was pleasantly surprised at how the author managed to give all five sisters distinct voices and personalities. I really fell for all of them, and even though a couple of them became right bitches and I was anticipating when they would get what was coming to them, I cried when they did. They are all very well-drawn women with their own hopes and dreams, strengths and weaknesses, and methods of dealing with disappointment and tragedy.Louis is not painted in the best light in this story. Although it's easy to see what each of the sisters sees in him, I found myself railing against a man who could so easily use women and toss them aside when he was finished, readily building each of them up and then distancing himself during their downfall, willfully oblivious to the heartache he left in his wake. He is portrayed as a weak king, easily led by others, more interested in the pursuit of pleasure than in ruling a kingdom, and though this novel is rather light on the history of the time period, (as the sisters are mostly insulated from anything that doesn't take place within the king's court), little hints point to running themes throughout his reign that will eventually lead to the French Revolution.The Sisters of Versailles is very well written, with transporting descriptions of the decadence of the French court contrasting nicely with the brief glimpses of the common people's hardship and suffering on the occasions when the sisters travel from palace to palace. The court itself is like a living, breathing monster, peopled with many real-life characters, all of whom have their own agendas. Its glittering, luxuriant facade veils a cesspool of ugly hearts and unrepentant debauchery, filled with traps and pitfalls, secrets and lies, and wrenching betrayals. It's a difficult road our sisters must navigate, and here that old adage has never been more true: it's lonely at the top.The only thing that keeps me from rating the book higher is that I found some sections to be somewhat slow moving and repetitive in content, though I still found The Sisters of Versailles to be a supremely emotional and satisfying read. I felt very sad afterward that these remarkable women had been all but forgotten by history, and I was grateful to Sally Christie for bringing them to life for me. I am very much looking forward to the remaining two books in the series, which will feature Louis XV's more famous mistresses, Madame du Pompadour and Madame du Barry.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. but to enjoy regardless of their knowledge of the history that surrounds ... By L. Shaw This is one of those historical novels that a reader cannot help, but to enjoy regardless of their knowledge of the history that surrounds King Louis XV. In fact I am such a reader that was not fully aware of just how much Louis himself was both important and beloved by his people in France in the eighteenth century. So I think the author did a great job at catching me up on my history lessons.For me what stood out the most was the vibrant writing flow of the author. I literally felt like I had been swept away in time. Each of the five sisters felt like friends rather than actual characters that I was reading about within a book. Louis himself proved to be charming and if I dare to admit it quite the lady's man as well.I do think that throughout all of the scandal of finding the appropriate mistress it forced the sisters to struggle to remain loyal to themselves as well as to each other. It saddened me to watch the four of the five sisters fall apart as they attempted to win the bed and the heart of Louis. In reality these were actual women who lived lives and were joined together once as a family.My favorite character within the book was Louise and my least favorite was Pauline. Pauline in many ways made my skin crawl as I think she was the most desperate to become the mistress of the king at any costs. The other two sisters didn't seem as strong as characters as Louise and Pauline did.Lastly I think this book will highly appeal to readers that are fans of pure, historical-fiction because this story has never been told before. It's certainly is worthy of a good read as it contains romance, a devouring plot and of course a scandal that proved to last.
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful. The Sisters of Versailles By J. Hamby I have to admit that my rating perhaps is more rooted in the lack of delivery than the lack of quality. Confused yet?I wanted to like this book much more than I could. The idea of a series based around the Nesle sisters seems perfect. And yet there is somethign necessary lacking in this effort by Christie.It is rich on detail and seems to have a rather authentic tone and the sisters each ring true as women of their time. But I felt that the book spends little time on anything much. The sisters' narratives often seem detached even when in the midst of what should be fascinating and slightly scandalous events. And yet they never seem to come alive.I think for me the main problem was that the skips between sisters often felt unnecessary. One sister would be in the midst of the happenings of court and then the narrative would shift to another who really, well, did little to nothing. This might have been thought to be a device to build suspense and interest, but for me it simply watered down both plot and characters. Also Christie uses letters to separate chapters/narratives. They were interesting and offered some different insight than the narratives themselves. The problem I found was that these letters in a few sentences could refer to events and people that the narratives never cover. And should have. Anecdotal sentences more interesting than whole chapters. And what made it worse was those same letters also contained elements that were rendered redundant and slightly boring by the narrative chapters.I definitely want to see where the next book goes. So Christie was a success enough as a writer for me in that regard. There story of these sisters is something not mined much and not at all in current historical fiction. Also Christie doesn't fall into the temptation of making these women paragons of modern sensibility and ethics like so many writers of female-centric historical fiction do.
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