Thomas Dunne Books, December 1, 2015.
Five Stars
I was completely captivated by this novel, and clichéd
as it sounds, I could not put it down. It is a historical novel with a very
contemporary feel, and that’s what made it so fresh and fun to read. Even
though it is a somewhat formulaic story about the children of Catherine de
Medici, Perinot managed to write something completely new and exciting about
Princess Marguerite.
We sometimes forget that in the 16th
century, whole countries were ruled by a group of spoiled, demanding children.
At the start of this book, King Charles is only fifteen, and his sister Margot
(Marguerite) is twelve. Margot is brought to court bright eyed and naïve, but
she soon learns the ways of political intrigue, while still managing to keep
some of her innocent view of the world. This is ultimately a coming-of-age
story with a dash of forbidden love – but it happens to be played out on the
stage of the tumultuous French court.
The House of Valois, headed by King Charles but ruled
by his mother Catherine, is ruthless and power hungry. It is also very complex,
and Margot must learn quickly to survive, even within her own family. She is
intelligent yet she refuses to sacrifice her humanity for power. She cannot
compete directly with her mother or her brothers, but she makes up for it with
her ethical beliefs and her strength of conviction. Her relationship with her
family is tumultuous – although she does her best to please her mother, it is
never enough. Her relationship with her brother Henri, the one sure thing in
her life, is turned upside down in a political power struggle. Even her love
interest, the Duc de Guise, cannot be trusted – after sacrificing everything, their
love ends in an unexpected betrayal.
As time passes, Margot becomes an adult in the face
of tragedy, during the War of Religion. She finds an unlikely moral compass in
Henri de Navarre, her cousin and betrothed, who also happens to be a
Protestant. During the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Margot is forced to make
difficult choices while witnessing her Catholic family’s religious persecution
of the French people. The story is rich in historical detail, and the massacre
was hard to read, but necessary.
Marguerite de Valois is considered insignificant by
history, but in fact she paid an important role in the French court, mostly
behind the scenes. She is shown in a positive light by the author, and even
Catherine is multifaceted – her evil actions are shown in their complexity.
Both mother and daughter were a product of their time and environment, where
there was little chance to act as a strong woman and be seen in a positive
role. Each of the women were doing what she thought best at the time.
Some reviews have criticized Perinot’s choice of
narrator, describing Margot as an angry, self-indulgent teen, but I think it is
her voice, from childhood to young adulthood, that makes the story relatable
and modern in tone. Margot is a pawn, but using her voice to tell her story is
the only power she has. As Margot matured, the book also developed and became
more enjoyable, with increased depth and understanding. I would love to see a
sequel with Margot as an adult, as there is so much more to her story, waiting
to be told.
I received this novel from Thomas Dunne Books and
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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