Rating: 
Summary: generally good enough to spark appetite for broader readingi
Review: This, along with Voltaire in Love, were both used as background when I started, "A Visit From Voltaire," and I quickly moved on to original sources. I found Mitford's treatment of both love stories was accurate, but her need to keep the romance front and center stage, became unsatisfactory--the politics of the day, and the enormous intellectual changes just can't stay in the background of these stories. As entertainment and an introduction to the rich and highly complicated world of The Enlightenment, I can highly recommend this books, but they will, I hope, only open the gates to a deeper understanding of what was at stake for these colorful personalities--the survival of the Church was under threat, and the roots of the collapse of the French monarchy were sinking in. Mitford makes these points very well, but I needed much, much more--and eventually spending time with these people became an obsession, and finally found it's way into print, proof that one good book or two can lead to addiction!
Dinah Lee Küng, author
Rating: 
Summary: So-So
Review: To be a mistress to an 18th Century monarch is no sinecure. First and foremost, the king must be kept enchanted and amused at all times. Friends and enemies must be dealt with. Relatives must be cared for. Appearance must be perfect. Taste must be exquisite. Little Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson was not exactly born for the role; she was a bourgeoisie, rather than the aristocrat, which automatically made her a poor candidate for the King's intimate favors. She was not a sensual woman, and the Bourbon kings were known as lusty. She overcame all by her total devotion to the king, her kindness, savoir-faire, and brilliant taste in décor, art, and architecture. Luckily for the Marquise, Louis XV was a man of habit. Once he became fond of Madame, his eye might stray, but he saw no reason whatsoever to change his arrangements. Madame is Nancy Mitford's kind of girl. Her biography is affectionate and admiring while not being a puff piece. Her history is good and her style is light hearted and charming. Ms. Mitford gives us a vivid picture of Versailles at its apex, yet does not gloss over the hardships and realities of the day. Court society was sterile in that none of its members had anything to do but be amused by gossip and frivolity. Banishment from Court was a small death because their lives were engineered only by pleasure, and pleasure was only to be had at Court. This is a fine biography with an excellent contemporary view of the times. Highly recommended.
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