Tag: Marguerite de Valois

Book Review: “The City of Tears” by Kate Mosse

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Weddings are supposed to be happy occasions to unite two families through the bonds of love, at least in our more modern sense of the ceremony. However, in the past, weddings were ceremonies that would unite families through contracts to create powerful alliances—hardly a romantic endeavor. One of the grandest weddings of the 16th century was meant to unite France, which led to bloodshed between Catholics and Huguenots. Minou Joubert and her family are invited to the wedding of Marguerite de Valois and Henri of Navarre in Paris, but the decision to attend the lavish event leads her family on a path full of tears and heartbreak. The story of the Joubert family’s struggle to fight for the faith they strongly believe in and to unite their broken family is masterfully told in Kate Mosse’s novel, “The City of Tears.”

This is a book that I found when I was going used book shopping one day. I had heard about Kate Mosse and her novels, so I wanted to give them a try. I didn’t realize that it was the second book in a series until after I brought it home, but the premise of this novel was so intriguing that I couldn’t wait to read it. So I decided to read the books out of order to see if this would be a series that I would enjoy reading.

We begin our tale with one of the Joubert descendants from the 1800s going to the house that her ancestors lived in in Amsterdam. I am not sure where this particular storyline will lead, but I am excited to find out. We then join the family Joubert in the year 1572 as they are debating whether or not to go to Paris for the royal wedding; even though it is a great honor to receive an invitation, the problem is that the Jouberts are a Huguenot family. Their mortal enemy, Vidal or Cardinal Valentin, is always looking for a way to harm Minou and her husband Piet no matter what, even if it means sending assassins to hurt those closest to them. Even with the danger and the tragedies that befall them before the journey, they still choose to take a risk and go to Paris.

Paris was one of the biggest cities of its time and with big cities comes excitement and risks of danger. On the day of the wedding, everything ran smoothly, but three days later, on St. Bartholomew’s Day, a massacre of the Huguenots happened on the streets of Paris and the Joubert family lost their precocious daughter Marta and Minou’s brother Aimeric in the midst of the chaos. Now, Minou and Piet must take their remaining family members and flee with Cornelia van Raay to her native Amsterdam. What they did not realize was that religious change was also brewing in Amsterdam, which they also had to navigate. To top it all off, the life they left behind in France decided to rear its head as reunions and plots against the Jouberts were afoot. The Jouberts must face every challenge head-on if they have any hope of seeing a brighter future.

I enjoyed reading this novel. It may have taken me a moment to get into the story as this is book two in a series so getting used to the characters and their background, but once I did, I became super attached to them. I found it extremely fascinating to read about France and the Netherlands during the 16th century in historical fiction because even though France features pretty commonly in this era’s historical novels, the Netherlands is a new area to explore. I was so enthralled by this novel that I bought the first and third novels in this series and I am looking forward to reading more books by Kate Mosse. I would suggest if you want to start this season, start with the first book, “The Burning Chambers.” If you have started this series and want to see what happens next, I highly suggest you read, “The City of Tears” by Kate Mosse.

Book Review: “Heroines of the Tudor World” by Sharon Bennett Connolly

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Heroines of the Tudor WorldThe world of the 16th century was full of change and equally colorful characters. Most of the dynamic figures of this century were women, who were willing to fight in their ways for what they believed in, whether it was family, faith, or their country. They were heroines in different ways, and each had a story to tell. Each woman had to deal with her obstacles to reach their desired goal, no matter what her station was, from queens and great heiresses to nuns, and even a pirate. Sharon Bennett Connolly has decided to include a handful of these stories in her latest book, “Heroines of the Tudor World.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have been a fan of Sharon Bennett Connolly’s books on medieval women, so when I heard that she was going to tackle the 16th-century and the Tudor world, I knew I wanted to read it. I wanted to see what stories she would select and how far into the Tudor world she would explore.

Connolly begins her book by explaining how the 16th century differed from the medieval times as records about women were becoming more accessible. It was also a time of transition, reformation, and the discovery of the “new world.” Each chapter focuses on a different kind of woman; from the ideal to martyrs for their faiths, scandalous heroines, those who were disinherited, pawns in the bigger game of life, warriors, captives, and survivors. Although it can be difficult to place certain tales of women in just one category, Connolly gave her readers a thrilling look into the 16th century.

It was the stories of these extraordinary women who made this book an exceptional read. There are the typical women who are featured heavily in these kinds of narratives; Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort, the wives of Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and Catherine de Medici. However, Connolly decided to include lesser-known women. We have mistresses like Diane de Poitiers and spies like Margaret Dymoke, Lady Coffin. Some great heiresses were disinherited like Claude of France and Elizabeth Fitzgerald, as well as pawns like Marguerite de Valois and captives such as Lady Katherine Gordon and Honor Grenville, Lady Lisle. Of course, some women decided to take matters into their own hands and fight for what they believed in, such as Isabella of Castile, Jeanne d’Albret Queen of Navarre, and Grace O’Malley.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the heroines that Connolly included in this book, but my only complaint is that it was not a longer book. There are so many interesting women outside of the European world in the 16th century and I wish she would have highlighted them. Maybe Connolly will write a sequel book to this one to include even more Tudor heroines. If you have enjoyed Sharon Bennett Connolly’s previous books and you are a Tudor nerd, I highly suggest you read, “Heroines of the Tudor World.”