The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie

I am the first to admit that I am not a fan of history.  It was the only subject that I did poorly on all through school.  I admire people who can talk endlessly about world wars and kings and queens.  I thought I was doomed to being ignorant about history, until I discovered historical fiction.  Some of you may scoff there can be a lot of fiction and just a little bit of history in historical fiction, but I don’t care.  I can come away with a general idea of what happened and that for me is just about right.

Take The Sisters of Versailles: A Novel (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy) by Sally Christie.  I really enjoyed it.  Without it, I would have never known that the French King Louis XV actually had 4 sisters as his mistresses!  The sisters of Versailles are the Nesle sisters: Louise, Pauline, Hortense, Diane, and Marie-Anne.  The story is told from their various points of view.

I enjoyed reading about the events of that time.  About what was available for women, what were their options.  How being a King’s mistress could immediately elevate a woman and her family.  I don’t know how true to character the sisters are.  The author admits that there is very little written about them.  So, she filled their characters and created what they might have been.  I’m fine with that, it’s fiction.   She didn’t make them all the same or even likable.

A light, easy read with a glimpse into the French Court in the early 18th century.

I received a copy for review - all opinions are my own.