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Mistress of the Sun: A Novel |
Author: Sandra Gulland
Published: 2008-06-03 |
List price: $26.00
Our price: $18.46
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As of: January 07th, 2009 07:06:22 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Very enjoyable
This is a novel about the Sun King's lesser known mistress Louise, who is nicknamed Petite because she is so small. The author tells the story of how Petite is a rather wild child, running here and there, indulged by her father, taming wild horses that non one else can tame... Her mother disapproves of all of this, just as her mother disapproves of Petite's growing interest in becoming a nun. Instead, Petite's mother wants her to marry, and this is where the novels really takes off. I would recommend this for lovers of historical fiction, French history and of course, anyone with an interest in the Sun King. I found the author's footnotes really interesting, and they're well worth a look when you've finished reading.
 A beautifully detailed novel of a royal mistress
I found this an engrossing tale of life in the court of the young Louis XIV, a figure so associated with engendering the extravagance that came to represent 17th century France, that it was refreshing to see him portrayed in a very human way; a person struggling to reconcile his duty as monarch with his innate need for love and family, sans the excessive pomp and grandeur for which he was later famous. The attention to detail was impeccable and one can tell that the author spent an exhaustive amount of time researching her subjects. This novel may not be filled with the pageantry and extravagance that one comes to expect in stories involving French royalty of the 17th century but what it lacks in firepower it more than makes up for in rich characterizations and an unerring sense of time and place. The story moves in a beautiful, languid pace, very much like taking a stroll through a flowering garden rather than a race through a carnival. If you're looking for tawdry thrills, idle court gossip and catty exchanges, this may not be your book; however, if you're in the mood for some excellent writing about a little known historical figure who managed to steal the heart of the King of France and in her own small way, influence history, I think you'll find this a rewarding read. Another reviewer stated that there was "no meat" to this story. I wholly disagree. There is much substance. What it might lack, however, is the whipped cream that most people love in tales of courtly life.
 No Meat to this Bland Story
This historical novel has nothing special. I felt the characters lacked depth and development. The story seemed to be told without connecting the reader to it. I didn't feel pulled in and made to feel the emotions of the characters or the story. I didn't believe the character of Louise/Petite and that she could be so naïve and remain so throughout the book. Even as she discussed her position as a "fallen woman," she appeared to the reader as holy character and that her only flaw was love of the wrong man. No meat in this story.
A Mesmerizing Tale of a Royal Mistress
In her first novel in eight years (following the international success of her Josephine B. trilogy), Sandra Gulland has chosen an enigmatic figure--Louise de la Vallière, mistress to Louis XIV and mother of four children by him. Louise has been overshadowed in history by her more glamorous successors and the flamboyance that characterized the later years of Louis's reign, but in her captivating jewel of a novel Gulland offers an absorbing account of a woman who reluctantly became a royal mistress and paid the price.
Gulland's Louise has a fey spirit with the ability to enchant horses. In a desperate act of magic to save a feral stallion's life she sets the course for her own destiny, one that will bring her equal measures of sorrow and joy. Uneasy with the cruel sycophantism of court, caught between her innate spiritual introspection and an impoverished lineage that compels her to noble servitude, Louise eventually catches the young king's eye. Louis is handsome and vital, poised to assume his later embodiment as the Sun King. In Louise, he discovers incorruptible innocence, and their romance flourishes under a secrecy that continues for years, even as he grows in stature and she wrestles with her conscience and the degradation of her illusions. Scandal ensues when Louise is brought into the open as Louis's lover; this fateful moment also sets the stage for her decline.
Fascinating details of life at the French court sparkle throughout the narrative, evidence of Gulland's dedication to research. While Louise may not be as ambitious or clever as those who followed in her footsteps, she imbues an unforgettable authenticity that gives credence to the belief that she was Louis XIV's only true love.
(This review was first published in the May 2008 issue of The Historical Novels Review)
The Sun King's 1st Mistress
A very enjoyable novel. I particularly enjoyed the childhood of Louise de la Vallière; the tale of Her relationship to horses, and Her use of "Bone Magic" to tame a stallion, which intensifies her Religiosity later in life.
The author also describes Louis XIV -the human man vs. The King- very well, so I almost love him, too. The scene where Louise first comes to the real attention of the King, by winning a horse-race with him when all the other courtiers deliberately lost, is amusing and a little touching. Louis requests a meeting, where the courtiers advise her to "grovel" in repentance, but instead the King just wants to chat.
I was sorry when the book ended, and I shall purchase the other Gulland books.
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