Mistress Of The Sun
A Novel
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From the author of the acclaimed and beloved Josephine B. Trilogy comes an enchanting historical novel that captures the drama, elegance and treachery of the court of Louis XIV of France. Louise de la Vallière, the brave and spirited child of minor nobility and an extraordinary horsewoman, falls in love with a wild stallion and uses ancient magic to tame him. This act shadows Louise throughout her life as she enters the court of the Sun King, where she captures—and then tragically loses—the King’s heart. Mistress of the Sun is addictive and alive. Sandra Gulland has filled this engaging narrative with glorious, meticulously researched detail, including notes on everything from courtly manners to Louis XIV’s favourite confection. Based on a true story of love and resounding with mystery, here is a novel that rewards readers with an irresistible glimpse into another time and another life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As she did for Napoleon's wife (The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.), Gulland skillfully blends fact and fiction to imagine the life of Louise de la Valli re (1644 1710), mistress to Louis XIV, France's Sun King. Louise loses her father early and spends her childhood in a convent run by her aunt, Sister Angelique. When Louise's mother, Fran oise, marries a marquis, she takes Louise home, where, by chance, she meets King Louis. As she secures a position at court about 100 pages in, the plot finally begins to bubble with intrigue: the king has married for political reasons, but, as a young and pious man, he has not kept a mistress before Louise. Their secret love eventually comes to light, but not without exacting a price. A supernatural element threaded throughout adds color to Gulland's vivid period imaginings.
