Review ⟶ Enchantress of Paris: A Novel of the Sun King

[Sparrow]

TITLE: Enchantress of Paris: A Novel of the Sun King’s Court

AUTHOR: Marci Jefferson

RELEASE DATE: August 4th 2015 by Thomas Dunne Books

GENRE: Historical Fiction

TAGS: Historical Fiction, 17th century, France, King Louis XIV of France (“The Sun King”), Louis XIV of France, Anne of Austria, Cardinal Mazarin, The Fronde, Mancini Sisters, The Mazarinettes, Royal Mistress, Maria Theresa of Spain, Gaston (Duke of Orléans), Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans (Duchess of Montpensier/”la Grande Mademoiselle”)

RATING (1-5): ★★★★★

This book was provided to me, free of charge, by the publisher. It has in no way impacted the content of this review.

“Conscious that freedom is the richest treasure in the world and that a noble and generous spirit must stop at nothing to acquire or recover it after having lost it, I applied my efforts once again to obtaining it.”
-Marie Mancini


Enchantress of Paris was the novel I most anticipated this year, and it did not disappoint. A fictional rendering of the life of Marie Mancini, and her tumultuous rise (& eventual descent) to fame as mistress to Louis XIV of France (the Sun King) told in first-person narrative, the novel begins with an aging Marie, and moves seamlessly back to her youth, and the beginnings of her story. Battling her way through mother, uncle, competitive sister, and an ominous astrological prophesy that says she will one day bring shame to her family, she is initially relegated to a nunnery. When her mother falls fatally ill, she is given a brief reprieve from convent life to say goodbye, and to hopefully convince her mother to overlook the aforementioned prophecy. Unfortunately, she misses her moment, and her fate is placed squarely into the hands of her grasping & greedy uncle, Cardinal Mazarin. Chief Minister to the King & defacto ruler of France, alongside the King's mother, he is both the key and the lock to remaining free and to her relationship with the King.

Having read Jefferson's previous novel, “The Girl on the Golden Coin”, I knew going in that she occasionally diverts from the historiography. I don't recall the exact details, but there was definitely some creative license taken with the Duke of Buckingham and someone's paternity in the other novel, which put me off, but I stayed the course and in the end, enjoyed it a great deal. Questionable coupling and secret children are a part of this one too, but the twist wasn't as jarring to me this time, since I'd come to expect it. Outside of that deviation, she sticks pretty close to the mark, and breathes life into a known, but fictionally-sparse love affair between Marie and King Louis XIV. Passionate, independent, and well-read, Marie falls in love with the King and sacrifices much along the way to help King Louis extrapolate himself from the grip of his mother & Mazarin's power over him, so that he can one day rule independently of them.

Jefferson does a marvelous job of fleshing out the many side players in the story; from the domineering Queen mother, the greedy, callous, manipulative cardinal Mazarin, down to Louis's brother Philippe, and Marie's sisters, each of whom were well written and entirely different from one another. King Charles II, still in exile, makes several appearances. The backstory & history of the Fronde & Louis's slow rise to independent power is the momentum of the book, but it's Marie's relationships with everyone else that are the heart of it. It's difficult for an author to give life to so many different characters, and make each of them memorable and distinct, but Jefferson absolutely does the job well. Perhaps most impressive though, is the fact that Jefferson focuses on such a small, less-visited period of both Louis & Marie's individual lives, yet the book felt jam-packed with detail and history. It never drags, and it never feels as though the author has to drag things out for plot lines. The Sun King's reign- and his many, many mistresses- are a particular favorite of mine, as are Charles II of England & his harem of lovers- and I've read more books than I count on both of their reigns ; yet both Enchantress, and her previous novel, Girl on The Golden Coin, felt completely fresh, and brought something new to a table that has been done many, many times before. . That Marie's life only got more interesting after the novel ends was bittersweet, but leaves me hopeful that Jefferson might one day return to her life post-France. My only complaint was with the cover- it looks nothing like a 17th century courtesan, but most authors have very little control of covers, and given Jefferson's thorough knowledge of history, I have to assume this was the case here. So, as always, don't judge this book by it's cover. A thoroughly enjoyable novel for readers who want more than a bodice ripper; if you haven't read either of her novels, you're definitely missing out.

[GandalfTheFey]

Great review, and well formatted. It's not even my normal genre but I will take a peak at the Amazon sample. Thanks!