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The Shadow Queen A Novel Sandra Gulland Books

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The Shadow Queen A Novel Sandra Gulland Books

First of all, forget the title.

Yes, market research probably has shown that throwing "queen" (or "princess" or "mistress" along with "king") in a title makes us more likely to grab it. This isn't really about a queen. It's not even about the shadow queen of the title, Louis XIV's 'maitresse en titre', Athenais de Montespan. Rather, it's a worm's eye view of the world of the Sun King, told through the eyes of someone I had never heard of but who was -- to my astonishment -- a real character: Claude des Oeillets, who started her life following her parents through the French countryside as they scraped a living as traveling players amidst the chaos of a France torn by civil war and religious schism.

It's in those years, Gulland imagines, that the young Claudette's path first crosses that of the young Athenais, future Marquise and future King's mistress, but already arrogant and privileged. Claudette can only dream of such a life, even in later years when she, her widowed mother and mentally challenged brother are back in Paris and finally establishing themselves in the mainstream theater, the world that Corneille still rules but where Moliere is emerging as a challenger and that the upstart Racine is threatening to unsettle. Gulland paints a riveting portrait of the war of the theaters, and the battle between the church and the theaters, and I simply couldn't put the book down. The final third, by contast, when Claudette has become an "extra" at the King's court in the entourage of Athenais, felt less intriguing to me and more like "more of the same" kind of stuff that pops up in every other historical novel I pick up these days: neophyte goes to court; has innocence shocked; finds way to cope; etc etc.

This isn't as vivid or personal as the Josephine B trilogy -- but then, it's not a trilogy, and it's not devoted to Josephine, a character whose every move is well documented and whose life offers the historical novelist plenty of scope for imagination. If you're not looking for a book about Versailles and court, but a novel about Paris and broader French society in the 1660s and 1670s, I suspect you'll find this a lively and entertaining option. I certainly did.


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The Shadow Queen A Novel Sandra Gulland Books Reviews

Not much of a plot..but an interesting historical story..compliments to the author for making it so authentic and readable....
Kudos for the research and the skill to create word pictures that left the reader feeling as if they had seen the story as well as read it..liked the authors style of telling a good story in a straight line and not messing around with a lot of adjectives.
I wanted to learn the history through fiction. I stuck with the book until the end but it always felt like someone working at writing dialogue. I like when I get sucked into the plot and I feel like I am part of it. This did not happen. I did get some idea of life at court, and I do appreciate all the research that goes into historical fiction.
The story revolves around a girl, Claudette who was a member of a theater family. Her mother was once a star. Claudette meets by accident a royal female who she becomes best friends with. This friend was a paramour of the French King. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical books.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Shadow Queen and found myself absorbed from the very opening pages. Sandra Gulland does a masterful job of weaving together the story and characters, giving us a colorful window into 17th century France. Prior to reading this work, I knew little about this period in France's history or life at court under the reign of Louis XIV. But Sandra's detailed scenes and cast of characters brought this period to life and helped me envision what life must have been like at this time, both for the extremely poor and the obscenely wealthy. This was my first introduction to Gulland's work, and I was left wanting to read more!
Richly detailed portrait of life in the French court under the rule of Louis XIV. This is a story of the Princess and the Pauper. Claudette des Oeillets is a daughter of the theater. Part of a traveling theater group, her path crosses with a morally bankrupt princess and the young girl finds herself drawn to the cold hearted beauty. They go their separate ways, and later find their lives connecting and growing together. While Claudette lives on the fringe of society, forsaken by the church for embracing the theatre, the Marquis de Monspan is a respected member of court, the de facto Queen, and totally without a moral compass. She dabbles in the dark arts, cast spells and ultimately forces Claudette to make the final choice between good and evil. This was a fascinating look at French life in the 17th century, a beautifully depicted tapestry of the birth of French theater.
First of all, forget the title.

Yes, market research probably has shown that throwing "queen" (or "princess" or "mistress" along with "king") in a title makes us more likely to grab it. This isn't really about a queen. It's not even about the shadow queen of the title, Louis XIV's 'maitresse en titre', Athenais de Montespan. Rather, it's a worm's eye view of the world of the Sun King, told through the eyes of someone I had never heard of but who was -- to my astonishment -- a real character Claude des Oeillets, who started her life following her parents through the French countryside as they scraped a living as traveling players amidst the chaos of a France torn by civil war and religious schism.

It's in those years, Gulland imagines, that the young Claudette's path first crosses that of the young Athenais, future Marquise and future King's mistress, but already arrogant and privileged. Claudette can only dream of such a life, even in later years when she, her widowed mother and mentally challenged brother are back in Paris and finally establishing themselves in the mainstream theater, the world that Corneille still rules but where Moliere is emerging as a challenger and that the upstart Racine is threatening to unsettle. Gulland paints a riveting portrait of the war of the theaters, and the battle between the church and the theaters, and I simply couldn't put the book down. The final third, by contast, when Claudette has become an "extra" at the King's court in the entourage of Athenais, felt less intriguing to me and more like "more of the same" kind of stuff that pops up in every other historical novel I pick up these days neophyte goes to court; has innocence shocked; finds way to cope; etc etc.

This isn't as vivid or personal as the Josephine B trilogy -- but then, it's not a trilogy, and it's not devoted to Josephine, a character whose every move is well documented and whose life offers the historical novelist plenty of scope for imagination. If you're not looking for a book about Versailles and court, but a novel about Paris and broader French society in the 1660s and 1670s, I suspect you'll find this a lively and entertaining option. I certainly did.