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missywinesalot's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hoserlauren's review
4.0
In the third and final book in the Versailles/Louis XV trilogy, this time we look at two women from King Louis XV's last years. The first is his final mistress, the Comtesse du Barry, who started out as a luxury escort. She makes friends with the right people and is eventually presented to the king. Not surprisingly the court hates her not only because she's an escort but also because she's a commoner. The second is Louis' eldest daughter Adelaide. She is an extremely rigid woman and doesn't have a very good relationship with her father because she hasn't approved of any of his mistresses.
The two women are completely different, likely why they were both selected for this book, and it really highlights the extremes that existed in the French court. Christie does a great job of showing how tone deaf French royalty was during this time, which eventually brought their demise. Obviously all these years later, in a much more advanced society, it's easy to see the errors of their ways but I wonder if it would have been easy to understand back then. This book actually made me want to read more on the French Revolution.
Having read Christie's other two books in the trilogy (read my reviews for The Rivals of Versailles and The Sisters of Versailles), even though these characters were unique from all the other ladies highlighted in Christie's books, I found them somewhat less captivating.
It's still a worthy read - you should definitely check out all three books! It gives you great insight in to some of the more periphery characters of the Louis XV reign.
The two women are completely different, likely why they were both selected for this book, and it really highlights the extremes that existed in the French court. Christie does a great job of showing how tone deaf French royalty was during this time, which eventually brought their demise. Obviously all these years later, in a much more advanced society, it's easy to see the errors of their ways but I wonder if it would have been easy to understand back then. This book actually made me want to read more on the French Revolution.
Having read Christie's other two books in the trilogy (read my reviews for The Rivals of Versailles and The Sisters of Versailles), even though these characters were unique from all the other ladies highlighted in Christie's books, I found them somewhat less captivating.
It's still a worthy read - you should definitely check out all three books! It gives you great insight in to some of the more periphery characters of the Louis XV reign.
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
3.0
I love historical fiction books so of course, I had to read this book.
This is book 3 in The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy and yes I did read the previous 2 books. I did enjoy the 2 previous books and yes I did enjoy this book as well.
This book kept me reading and kept me interested in the story and this book is very well written and surprisingly enough I liked this book more than the previous two.
You can now purchase this book online or in your local bookstore.
I give this 4 out of 5
This is book 3 in The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy and yes I did read the previous 2 books. I did enjoy the 2 previous books and yes I did enjoy this book as well.
This book kept me reading and kept me interested in the story and this book is very well written and surprisingly enough I liked this book more than the previous two.
You can now purchase this book online or in your local bookstore.
I give this 4 out of 5
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2017/03/14/blog-tour-giveaway-the-enemies-of-versailles-by-sally-christie/
The Enemies of Versailles is the third book in Sally Christie’s Mistresses of Versailles trilogy. But don’t worry–you don’t have to read either of the previous books to be able to understand this one. Each book in the series focuses on a different mistress of Louis XV of France, and their stories are fascinating.
The Enemies of Versailles alternates between the point of view of Adelaide, Louis’ frumpy daughter, and the Comtesse du Barry. Of the two, I found du Barry much more compelling. Jeanne was born in poverty. After working for a time at a fashionable shop, she became mistress to Barry, who in turn started pimping her out to the nobility. But Jeanne is independent and used Barry to propel herself all the way to Versailles as she becomes the king’s mistress and companion. By this point, Louis is already pretty old, and Jeanne brings joy back into his life. And it’s extraordinary, because it’s unheard of for someone from the lower classes to become mistress to the king. Usually that is a station reserved for the nobility. Even Madame Pompadour, the king’s former mistress, was at least bourgeois. It’s a clear sign that times are changing for France.
Adelaide, on the other hand, is super religious and judgmental of her father’s bedroom habits. She’s extremely upset about Jeanne, but slowly comes to the realization that she is no longer the lady of the court. And through her eyes, we get to see the arrival of the king’s son’s new wife, Marie Antoinette. The portrayal of Marie Antoinette was largely sympathetic–she was married at 14 and was still a child, completely unprepared for court intrigue. And as she matured and started realizing the political climate of France, it was too late, and she had to make the best of a bad situation.
While I didn’t like Adelaide as a character, I did understand why her perspective was important. She has a closer relationship to Marie Antoinette than Jeanne did (which was basically none at all), and it was important to see that both the conservative and more free-living factions of the court fell into the exact same trap and were blinded to the excess of the court while the people of France were starving. Adelaide fought back against what she saw as sexual excess, but didn’t have any understanding of the excess that is jewels and servants and fancy food and gowns and parties that cost exorbitant amounts of money. Because Versailles was so insulated from reality and from non-nobility, nobody saw the revolution coming in any faction of the court. People got really good at surviving and even thriving in the narrow society of Versailles, and that’s all they saw. It was an interesting perspective, especially in light of more modern discussions of social media silos, where people tend to interact mostly with information that confirms their own viewpoints or identities.
I’ve enjoyed this trilogy so much, and greatly enjoyed learning about the women of the French court that you don’t learn about in your average history class. Sally Christie brought Versailles to life, in all its wit and beauty and venom.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2017/03/14/blog-tour-giveaway-the-enemies-of-versailles-by-sally-christie/
The Enemies of Versailles is the third book in Sally Christie’s Mistresses of Versailles trilogy. But don’t worry–you don’t have to read either of the previous books to be able to understand this one. Each book in the series focuses on a different mistress of Louis XV of France, and their stories are fascinating.
The Enemies of Versailles alternates between the point of view of Adelaide, Louis’ frumpy daughter, and the Comtesse du Barry. Of the two, I found du Barry much more compelling. Jeanne was born in poverty. After working for a time at a fashionable shop, she became mistress to Barry, who in turn started pimping her out to the nobility. But Jeanne is independent and used Barry to propel herself all the way to Versailles as she becomes the king’s mistress and companion. By this point, Louis is already pretty old, and Jeanne brings joy back into his life. And it’s extraordinary, because it’s unheard of for someone from the lower classes to become mistress to the king. Usually that is a station reserved for the nobility. Even Madame Pompadour, the king’s former mistress, was at least bourgeois. It’s a clear sign that times are changing for France.
Adelaide, on the other hand, is super religious and judgmental of her father’s bedroom habits. She’s extremely upset about Jeanne, but slowly comes to the realization that she is no longer the lady of the court. And through her eyes, we get to see the arrival of the king’s son’s new wife, Marie Antoinette. The portrayal of Marie Antoinette was largely sympathetic–she was married at 14 and was still a child, completely unprepared for court intrigue. And as she matured and started realizing the political climate of France, it was too late, and she had to make the best of a bad situation.
While I didn’t like Adelaide as a character, I did understand why her perspective was important. She has a closer relationship to Marie Antoinette than Jeanne did (which was basically none at all), and it was important to see that both the conservative and more free-living factions of the court fell into the exact same trap and were blinded to the excess of the court while the people of France were starving. Adelaide fought back against what she saw as sexual excess, but didn’t have any understanding of the excess that is jewels and servants and fancy food and gowns and parties that cost exorbitant amounts of money. Because Versailles was so insulated from reality and from non-nobility, nobody saw the revolution coming in any faction of the court. People got really good at surviving and even thriving in the narrow society of Versailles, and that’s all they saw. It was an interesting perspective, especially in light of more modern discussions of social media silos, where people tend to interact mostly with information that confirms their own viewpoints or identities.
I’ve enjoyed this trilogy so much, and greatly enjoyed learning about the women of the French court that you don’t learn about in your average history class. Sally Christie brought Versailles to life, in all its wit and beauty and venom.
nissahh's review
4.0
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
The whole Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy was made for me to be honest. I love historical fiction a lot, even though I don't read it that much. For one I'm obsess with royal history, I don't know why, it's my favorite type of historical fiction to read. Also, they're told in the prospective of the mistresses of King Louis XIV and I haven't heard of any books like that, though I'm sure there is some out there.
I had never read a book bout Madame du Berry. Heck, I didn't know much about her besides her being a mistress of King Louis. This book dives into her history, on her childhood and how she became who we know her as.
Not only do we get Du Berry's POV we also get one of the King's daughter POV as well, oh and I didn't like her one bit, though I can see why she's angry, but still. I felt so bad for Du Berry even though I didn't care for as much.
This was a strong ending for this amazing series and I'm so sad to see it end. I can't wait to read more of this author works in the future.
The whole Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy was made for me to be honest. I love historical fiction a lot, even though I don't read it that much. For one I'm obsess with royal history, I don't know why, it's my favorite type of historical fiction to read. Also, they're told in the prospective of the mistresses of King Louis XIV and I haven't heard of any books like that, though I'm sure there is some out there.
I had never read a book bout Madame du Berry. Heck, I didn't know much about her besides her being a mistress of King Louis. This book dives into her history, on her childhood and how she became who we know her as.
Not only do we get Du Berry's POV we also get one of the King's daughter POV as well, oh and I didn't like her one bit, though I can see why she's angry, but still. I felt so bad for Du Berry even though I didn't care for as much.
This was a strong ending for this amazing series and I'm so sad to see it end. I can't wait to read more of this author works in the future.
javafenn's review
5.0
Where to even begin with this book! This was the perfect ending to a trilogy that was so well written! It's told from the alternating perspectives Louis XV's mistress, Madame du Barry, and his eldest daughter at the time, Madame Adélaïde. Du Barry is fun loving and care free. She loves the king and desires nothing more than to enjoy life and please Louis. She lives in absolute opulence and splendor in a world that is turning hateful towards their once beloved king. Adélaïde is a spiteful old crow who is so uptight about ettiequte and people's place in the world that you grow an intense hatred towards her. At one point, both women not only hate each other but hate Marie Antoinette who seems to spurn both for different reasons. They become quite ugly towards her but as the world turns on the queen they realize their mistakes. It's amazing that an author can make you despise someone so much like I loathed Adélaïde and yet make her so redeemable at the end. Sally Christie wrote this book specifically showing all that was wrong with the views of Louis XV and his daughters as well as the other nobility and royal family which created a humongous divide between Versailles and the everyday people of Paris and France as a whole. There was such a disconnect that Adélaïde completely embodies in this book. That disconnect, combined with the inefficiency and inexperience of the shy and indecisive Louis XVI led to a bloody end for du Barry, the king and queen, and many other royals and royalists in France during the horribly bloody French Revolution. Christie did and amazing job, so great in fact that I had hoped the story would turn out differently. Alas, history is already written and you cannot change the facts of the past. I definitely would recommend this series. They are juicy, full of delicious history, and easy to devour!
bookthia's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: my copy of this novel was an ARC, received for free from the publisher, through Goodreads giveaways.
The Enemies of Versailles was a fairly simple and entertaining read. It is billed as "historical fiction" and that is true. It is fictional, and it is set in a historical time period (18th century France, just prior to the Revolution).
The timeline and geneology line of the characters at the beginning of the book had incorrect dates for Marie Antoinnette -- I assume that has been corrected for the official printing. There were numerous typographical errors, often at the beginning of chapers. It seemed to be a font-related issue as it was almost always the first letter or sometimes first word of a paragraph that was missing. It was distracting, but again, I assume that has been fixed for the official printing.
This story is the third book in a trilogy, but I was able to read and enjoy it without having read the first two books. It is predominantly character-driven, and Christie creates characters that are interesting and believable.
The story is told in a first-person voice, alternating between two characters: one, Adelaide, a daughter of Louis XV; and two: Comtesse Du Barry, a mistress of Louis XV. There are many presumptions about the personalities of these characters -- that is what historical fiction does. An interesting note for me: DuBarry's character was often made out to be frivolous and silly in her dialogue, and clearly she was thought to be an intellectual lightweight by her acquaintances. But the chapters in her voice (first-person), use language that is just as intellectual and intelligent as that of anyone else in the story. So her dialogue doesn't match her "thoughts", if you know what I mean. I suspect that is me being overly picky.
One other comment: Christie does a good job of demonstrate the way the nobility thought about the poor and the bourgiousie. It was more than just "snobbish" -- the nobility of France (of anywhere really, at this time in history) truly believed themselves to be superior. Chosen by God. Too good to mingle outside of their rank. This is particularly clear in the final part of the book, when Louis XV is dead and Louis XVI and Antoinnette are ruling. It's an important issue for Christie to highlight because it gives some understanding as to how the Revolution took hold.
People who are history buffs, well-read and knowledgeable about this period in history might find the book too fluffy, but for the casual reader, it is a good yarn.
The Enemies of Versailles was a fairly simple and entertaining read. It is billed as "historical fiction" and that is true. It is fictional, and it is set in a historical time period (18th century France, just prior to the Revolution).
The timeline and geneology line of the characters at the beginning of the book had incorrect dates for Marie Antoinnette -- I assume that has been corrected for the official printing. There were numerous typographical errors, often at the beginning of chapers. It seemed to be a font-related issue as it was almost always the first letter or sometimes first word of a paragraph that was missing. It was distracting, but again, I assume that has been fixed for the official printing.
This story is the third book in a trilogy, but I was able to read and enjoy it without having read the first two books. It is predominantly character-driven, and Christie creates characters that are interesting and believable.
The story is told in a first-person voice, alternating between two characters: one, Adelaide, a daughter of Louis XV; and two: Comtesse Du Barry, a mistress of Louis XV. There are many presumptions about the personalities of these characters -- that is what historical fiction does. An interesting note for me: DuBarry's character was often made out to be frivolous and silly in her dialogue, and clearly she was thought to be an intellectual lightweight by her acquaintances. But the chapters in her voice (first-person), use language that is just as intellectual and intelligent as that of anyone else in the story. So her dialogue doesn't match her "thoughts", if you know what I mean. I suspect that is me being overly picky.
One other comment: Christie does a good job of demonstrate the way the nobility thought about the poor and the bourgiousie. It was more than just "snobbish" -- the nobility of France (of anywhere really, at this time in history) truly believed themselves to be superior. Chosen by God. Too good to mingle outside of their rank. This is particularly clear in the final part of the book, when Louis XV is dead and Louis XVI and Antoinnette are ruling. It's an important issue for Christie to highlight because it gives some understanding as to how the Revolution took hold.
People who are history buffs, well-read and knowledgeable about this period in history might find the book too fluffy, but for the casual reader, it is a good yarn.