HISTORICAL
FICTION
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AUDIOBOOK
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Debbie
Wiley
Book Reviews |
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Catherine
de' Medici, wife of Henry II. of France c. 1555
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Portrait of Henry II by François Clouet.
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Painting by François Dubois of The Saint Bartholomew's Day
Massacre
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
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The Devil’s Queen: A Novel of
Catherine de Medici
by Jeanne Kalogridis
Fate
can be a fickle thing…and tempting it a dangerous one.
Catherine de Medici’s life changed in an instant the day she met Cosimo
Ruggieri, an astrologer with an interest in the darker arts. Catherine
dreams of a man soon after, a man covered in blood. She knows she must
do whatever it takes to prevent his death - even if it means delving
into things that could have her condemned for heresy. Jeanne Kalogridis
takes us into Catherine’s world, from her young years prior to marrying
Henry to the disastrous massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day. What
motivated this infamous woman to make the choices she made?
Jeanne Kalogridis provides readers with a context in which to frame the
hideous acts attributed to Catherine de Medici. Seen from her
perspective, the events make an almost horrible sort of sense as the
themes of fate and the consequences for using magic to try to change
fate are prevalent throughout the tale. Catherine’s character is
vividly drawn as we see her as both a devoted wife and mother. The
political intrigues of the time period add another dimension to her
character as well, as her actions are often shaped by forces outside
her control.
I both listened to the abridged audio and read the print version of THE
DEVIL’S QUEEN. While the narrator for the audio is excellent, I am not
a fan of abridgement as the stories generally seem to lack the flow of
a novel read as a whole. The print version provides a fuller context
and scope in which to better understand Catherine’s character.
THE DEVIL’S QUEEN is a fascinating look at a controversial figure.
While some of the assumptions are perhaps a bit on the exaggerated
side, one cannot dismiss the fictional imagination of Jeanne Kalogridis
for delivering such a vivid, encompassing tale. Bravo!
Publisher: Macmillan
Audio; Abridged edition (July 2009)
Format: Abridged Audio
Reviewed
by Debbie, Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
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