Atria Books, April 5, 2016.
Four Stars
This novel is the follow-up to Christie’s The Sisters of Versailles, both part of
a trilogy that chronicles the mistresses of King Louis XV of France. This
second novel follows the life of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, later the Marquise
de Pompadour, who essentially ruled France, through the heart of the king, for
almost twenty years.
After a fortune teller tells young Jeanne-Antoinette
that she will become the lover of a king, she precociously insists on the
nickname Reinette (French for “little queen”). It is 1745 and Marie-Anne,
youngest of the Nesle sisters, has just died suddenly, leaving King Louis
without an official mistress. The beautiful Reinette is poised to take her
place, regardless of the fact that she is a member of the bourgeois middle
class, and seemingly unfit to mix with royalty. Louis does indeed fall under
her spell, elevating her to the Marquise de Pompadour to help her gain
acceptance in the royal court.
Regardless of her new title and the affection of the
king, many rivals continue to scheme against the Marquise, and they are
especially offended by her bourgeois roots. She is young, idealistic and
especially naïve, but she learns quickly, making herself indispensable to King
Louis. Although her relationship with the king grows increasingly platonic over
the years, their friendship is strong and the Marquise de Pompadour becomes the
only one he truly respects and trusts.
The novel is divided into six sections, three of which
are written from the perspective of the Marquise and include letters written
from her friends and family, although not nearly as many as the correspondence
that flew between the Nesle sisters in the first book. The other three sections
are focused on three specific rivals of the Marquise – very young girls who
briefly held the attention of King Louis. Interspersed in their sections are
letters from the Marquise to her acquaintances, which serve to fill in the
historical gaps that the young rivals may not have been aware of at the time.
Although we know from historical records that King Louis XV had a preference
for young girls, none of them managed to hold his attention for long. He always
returned to the ministrations of the Marquise de Pompadour, who encouraged him
to live a life of luxury, even as revolution loomed in the near future.
Christie once again brings to life the world of 18th
century Versailles, with a realistic portrait of one of the most famous women
in history. Filled with sexual escapades and political intrigue, the novel has
a very modern tone – I feel like the Marquise de Pompadour would fit in well
with today’s celebrity culture. As a trendsetter and social climber, the
Marquise could have her own reality show – and yet, Christie’s portrayal is
distinctly sympathetic. The Marquise herself wonders at the life she is living –
“If they write a book of my life, long after I am dead, will it just be a
litany of one rival after another, until I am finally defeated?” (p. 162) Yes,
this novel chronicles her many rivals, but the Marquise de Pompadour triumphed
above them all, living on in the heart of the king and in the minds of readers
today. Looking forward to the third part of the trilogy, coming out next
spring!
I received this novel from Simon & Schuster/Atria
Books in exchange for an honest review.
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