I am so excited to share my review of Shadows of Versailles by Cathie Dunn. Thank you so much to The Coffee Pot Book Club for your invite to take part in this tour.
The Shadows of Versailles
An Affair of the Poisons Book One
By Cathie Dunn
When Fleur de La Fontaine attends the court of King Louis XIV for the first time, she is soon besotted with handsome courtier, Philippe de Mortain. She dreams of married life away from her uncaring mother, but Philippe keeps a secret from her.
Nine months later, after the boy she has given birth to in a convent is whisked away, she flees to Paris where she mends gowns in the brothel of Madame Claudette, a woman who helps ‘fallen’ girls back on their feet.
Jacques de Montagnac investigates a spate of abducted children when his path crosses Fleur’s. He searches for her son, but the trail leads to a dead end – and a dreadful realisation.
Her boy’s suspected fate too much to bear, Fleur decides to avenge him. She visits the famous midwife, La Voisin, but it’s not the woman’s skills in childbirth that Fleur seeks.
La Voisin dabbles in poisons.
Will Fleur see her plan through? Or can she save herself from a tragic fate?
Delve into The Shadows of Versailles and enter the sinister world of potions, poisoners and black masses during the Affairs of the Poisons, a real event that stunned the court of the Sun King!
I know my reviews are usually a little jokey, and sarcastic, (sarcastic? Me? Never...) but this novel left no room for my usual jests. Let me start first by saying that The Shadows of Versailles is one of the most depressing books that I have ever read which, before the author's mouth drops to her stomach, isn't actually a bad thing. This novel is dark, and I mean really dark, the protagonist goes from one despairing situation to the next. It is as if her story came out of the pages of a classic Russian novel rather than one set in France. I know France has a bloody history, but there is always an element of hope. There is no hope in this novel.
So the story is set at the very beginning of l'affaire des poisons. The novel opens with the execution of Marie-Madeleine d'Aubray, Marquise de Brinvilliers. After torture, she confessed to poisoning her father and two of her brothers because she wants to inherit their estates. But this is not her story. It is a story of a young woman whose life is destroyed by the two people who should have had her best interest at heart - her mother and her lover. Unfortunately, as with all tragedies, when she is dropped by the lover, she turns to her mother for help. It would have been better for everyone if Fleur had made her escape, become a seamstress and put the whole messy affair behind her. But how was she to know, as young as she was, the lengths her mother was willing to go to cover up a scandal.
Sophie, Sophie, Sophie, was the hell was wrong with that woman? I kinda get the whole, I am bitter and therefore my daughter must pay, but who in their right mind would do something so wicked and take pleasure in doing it? Fleur is certainly justified in her grievance with her mother, but I am not sure that the path she chooses is necessarily the right one because, at the end of the day, Sophie still wins. You will have to read this novel to find out what I am talking about.
Running alongside the story of Fleur is that of Jacques de Montagnac: spy for La Reynie who is an investigator in l'affaire des poisons. Due to certain events, he ends up rescuing Fleur from a dreadful situation, but he cannot save her, although he tries. If only, if only, if only... But Fleur must choose her own destiny and it does not include Jacques, although how I wished it had.
As I have said, Jacques rescues Fleur from a despicable situation but it is Claudette Arnauld and owner of a brothel that nurses her back to health. I thought the care and attention Fleur received from a woman who would have been looked down upon by those who had abused the tortured Fleur both physically and mentally (the nuns in The convent of the Carmelites), was very telling. But Claudette's actions, her care and her compassion made her far closer to God than the nuns could ever hope to be.
This novel also deals with something called the black masses. I had no idea what this was so I had to Google it and then wished I had not. Although from the story, I understood that babies were being stolen for sacrifice, the fact that it was holy men and women that were involved was truly horrifying. I felt physically sick to my stomach when I realised exactly what the black mass was.
The story is intensely gripping, but sometimes I did find myself rather befuddled. I couldn't understand why so many wanted to help Fleur seek revenge. It seemed like they listened to her story and said, okay we will risk our lives to help you. We will get you close to the king so you will be above suspicion. I was left wondering why? Why would anyone do such a thing for a stranger? The other little niggle I had with this book was the ending. It was really rushed as if the author had run out of time or was reaching her word count and did not want to go over.
As I have said, this novel is depressing, but the characters were very real in the telling and the story was gripping. I thought the author did a marvellous job of portraying what life must have been like at Versailles, and I also thought she contrasted Versailles with the poorest parts of Paris very well, showing exactly how differently the rich and the poor lived and behaved. This is a novel that I certainly enjoyed but I think it is one of those books that I will only read once. Saying that however, I am looking forward to reading book 2. I know, I am a mass of contradictions.
I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club but you can find yours at Amazon. It is also available on #KindleUnlimited
Cathie Dunn
Cathie has been writing for over twenty years. She studied Creative Writing, with a focus on novel writing, which she now teaches in the south of France. She loves researching for her novels, delving into history books, and visiting castles and historic sites.
Her stories have garnered awards and praise from reviewers and readers for their authentic description of the past.
Cathie is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
After nearly two decades in Scotland, she now lives in the historic city of Carcassonne in the south of France with her husband, two cats and a rescue dog.
Social Media Links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads.
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