Customer Reviews

Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV

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Koen has a unique talent for ferreting out the particularities of history in character and place, the result authentic and satisfying as a hearty meal. Before Versailles describes twenty-two year old King Louis XIV's early days on the throne of France. After the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661, hand-picked successor to Cardinal Richelieu, Louis breaks from the tradition of monarchs willing to forfeit the affairs of state to powerful counselors, giving much consideration to the men who aspire to be his advisors, particularly his Minister of Finance, Viscount Nicholas Fouquet, his brother, Philippe, Duke d' Orleans and Philippe's closest confidant, the Count de Guiche. None is privy to the quiet rebellion and political maturation of an extraordinary young ruler with an incisive intelligence and the patience to mold his kingdom into an absolute monarchy.

Fully-fleshed characters inhabit the young king's court, the secrets and passions, plots and assignations in service to winning favor or usurp power, deadly serious games where the future of a kingdom is at stake. Behind the frivolous façade of merrymakers at Fontainebleau, Louis newly wed to the Spanish Marie Terese, Philippe the proud husband of the delectable and fun-loving beauty Henriette, the serious business of governance is played on two levels, the gossip-riddled daily activities of the court and the quiet corridors of power, where deals and fortunes are made, Louis's relative inexperience pitted against the sophisticated machinations of a man whose pride rivals that of a king. Fouquet is a formidable adversary, Louis certainly his equal, a network of spies sharing information in exchange for favor, the laughing faces of courtiers hiding duplicity and malice, greed and corruption.

Louis is the center of a young court in flux: the Queen Mother's affiliation with Mazarin and the loyalties bred of that union; lady-in-waiting Louise de la Baume le Blanc, an anomaly in a jaded court; the malleable Philippe, made more vulnerable by his weakness; Jean-Baptiste Colbert, silent chronicler of the government's excesses; a mysterious boy in an iron mask; the enchanting Henriette, basking in admiration, tempted by a flirtation with the king; and the ambitious Louis XIV, still subject to the vagaries of his heart, betrayed yet resolute, carrying the weight of France's future on his shoulders. While the male characters are defined by ambition and the arrogance of entitlement, Koen's females are equally devious: a Queen Mother clutching her crucifix with an iron fist; the thwarted affection of Countess de Soissons; the claculated intrigues of the Duchess de Chevreuse; foolish Duchess d' Orleans, inhaling the heady air of celebrity, tampering with men's affections; and the kind-hearted Louise, her lack of guile a balm to a besieged king. With a delicate balance of threat and subterfuge, Louis's secret schemes come to fruition in a breathtaking climax as the dominoes fall in a swift yet delicate execution forged of patience and deliberation. Luan Gaines/2011.

I loved Karleen Koen's novels of the Restoration court of Charles II, Through a Glass Darkly and Dark Angels. It has been five years since she published a novel, so I was really looking forward to her latest, Before Versailles, Sadly, it was quite a disappointment.

Koen moves from England to the court of Louis XIV, the newly-crowned and very young French king. Various courtiers, including his mother and brother, are battling for positions of power and influence, and every woman at court is a little in love with the handsome king. He, however, only has eyes for his bisexual-with-a-strong-preference-for-men brother's new bride, and, later, for one of her ladies.

That lady, Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, initially seems to be the novel's focal character. She's a simple but spirited girl from the country with a talent for style-setting and a love of horseback riding. During one of her excursions into the woods near Fontainebleu, Louise encounters a small teenage boy in an iron mask who can only babble and rave as he is pulled away by his keepers. Louise is warned by the head of the king's guard, d'Artagnan, never to mention the incident or to ride this way again. But her curiosity gets the better of her.

So while Louis is comforting his pregnant wife, he's also chasing after his brother's wife. Fortunately, things never go too far, partly because of his mother's intervention and partly because he falls for Louise after he pretends to be in love with her to hide his growing affair with his sister-in-law . . .

Well, I think you can see already what one of the problems is. There's just too dang much going on! The book is all over the place. We've got Louise's bisexual cousin, who is also in love with her. Then there's the rumor that Louis's real father is Cardinal Mazarin, and the fact that, if true, there are men plotting to take his throne. Court affairs (with lots of sex) seem to pop up in every dark corner. Was Louis XIII really the king's father? Will Louis's pregnant wife find out about his lovers? Will he arrest the viscount? Will Louise be able to cure his sick dog? Who is the boy in the iron mask? It's all just TOO MUCH!

On top of that, Koen's research sticks out as research, and she repeats herself again and again as if she is quite impressed with herself for finding and comprehending historical tidbits, or she knows how long-winded she is and feels that the reader is not bright enough to remember everything.

Characters are another problem. You've heard that "clothes make the man?" Well, descriptions of their clothing accounts for 75% of their characters here. While Louis seems a decent sort and a promising king, many of the lesser characters were dull clichés, and Louise came off as, well, frankly, quite a bore, making it hard to believe that Louis would have fallen for her.

I can't recommend this novel, and I can only hope that for her next novel Koen returns to Restoration England, where she is obviously much more comfortable.

One further caveat: Do not--I repeat, DO NOT--try to listen to the audiobook. I got about an hour into it and went to the hard copy. The reader has the kind of voice you'd expect to find reading a Mickey Spillane crime novel, not one set in the elegant court of Louis XIV. How did they made such a poor choice?

I devoured her first three novels and was eagerly awaiting this one which I regret to say was a disappointment. Though her grasp of the period (I am a decorative arts historian) remains strong and there are passages describing court life that are as vivid and lyrical as those in her previous novels, there seemed to be no driving plot or a single character's voice to engage or sustain the reader. It seemed more to be a series of linked vignettes with no one character fully developed. The beginning leads the reader to expect it to be about his affair with Louise de la Baume de la Blanc but that vanishes and doesn't appear again until halfway through the novel. The book ends with a lurch with no resolution for basically none of the other main characters. It's not that I expected there to be neat, tidy endings for all but it seemed as if there were too many ideas in this novel and it lacked focus. If I hadn't read her other novels, and I strongly encourage other readers who haven't to do so, I might have enjoyed this book more. I was left with the impression that Koen had an idea for a novel that halfway through became unworkable but she perservered regardless. She has proved that she can create vivid engaging characters and a plot that really draws the reader in but sadly this isn't one of them.

There are many interesting stories from this period which could have been the subject of a novel. Unfortunately, in this rather superficial work, the author has decided to do justice to none of them.

It is almost impossible to comprehend how such a unimpressive work could have resulted from one of the most interesting periods of French history.

Dull, uninspired writing, uninteresting characterization with no real development and a plot which slowly drags its way to an unsatisfying conclusion. My advise, if you want either French history or royal romance, you can do much better elsewhere.

I was kept from being entirely glassy-eyed while reading this book -- despite its glacial pacing and cardboard characters -- thanks to the endlessly diverting copyediting errors and the regular mild shocks I received from the bad writing. Crown, who the hell edited this train wreck? Who allowed "old time's sake" to slip by not once, but several times? Who failed to understand the difference between "farther" and "further"? Who allowed the title Marshal of France to be spelled with two l's? And who is to blame for encouraging publication of a book reducing one of the most interesting characters in the history of France to a one-dimensional nothing? I fear there is to be a sequel to this mess, if the final line in the closing notes is any indication.

Koen's latest book tackles a short period in the life of a young Louis XIV. Cardinal Mazarin is dead, and Louis is now in control of the government - a government seriously short of cash - although the Superintendent of Finances sure does have a pocketful of it. Louis is newly married to Maria Teresa of Spain, but at the moment he only has eyes for his brother's new wife, Henriette (sister to Charles II) and Henriette definitely reciprocates the feelings.

Meantime Louise de La Vallière, one of Henriette's ladies in waiting, becomes involved in the mystery surrounding a young man whose face is hidden behind an iron mask. What, if any connection is this young boy to the royal family, and why is someone so desperate to keep his existence a secret? Yep, there's a whole lot more to it than that but I'll not spoil, although if you are familiar with it all you know where Louise's story goes from here...

Despite a set of circumstances that promises a deliciously meaty, scandalous read, I found this rather underwhelming, especially coming from the author who gave us Through a Glass Darkly (on my all time favorites list). The characters were all rather flat and lifeless (even Philippe and de Guiche were not as hateable as they should be), and there was definitely not much chemistry between Louis and Louise. The repetitive sentences drove me seriously batty,

"The handsome young king of France was hesitant before her. The handsome young king of France desired her. The handsome young king of France loved her."

In the end, this isn't a bad book by any means, but it doesn't have the kind of punch Louis and his love life deserves. I have read the entire Musketeer series by Alexandre Dumas (part of which tells of the relationship between Louis and Louise as well as his own take on the Man in the Iron Mask), and I couldn't help comparing his take on the characters as opposed to Koen's, and Dumas definitely wins out. Library only, then buy it if you love it.

Interested in trying the Dumas books? Here's the series in order and they are available free on Kindle. Can't speak for the quality of the translation on these so enter at your own risk (they are free after all), but if you're looking for a dead tree version I'd recommend the Oxford World's Classics Editions.

The Three Musketeers

Twenty Years After

The Vicomte de Bragelonne

Louise de la Valliere

The Man in the Iron Mask.

I've always had a soft spot for the antics of the French court --- even more so than the English courts --- and I'm the type of person who can't turn down a story about the Tudors. In books revolving around the monarchy, whether French or English, one can't have a story without a mistress. Let's face it, that's what makes the story. Isn't that why these books are so much fun? Oh it is, and Karleen Koen doesn't disappoint.

Cardinal Mazarin, the French prime minister, is dead. Louis XIV, only 22 years old, is now king of France, and a king with power. That power is not yet firmly grasped, but he's intent on learning to yield it fully. Unaware of many of the financial arrangements his mother and the Cardinal made while ruling in his stead, he's in for a surprise when he finally takes it upon himself to investigate. Unsure of his financial minister's monetary affairs and how mingled they are with the crown's accounts, he has suspicions and employs a faithful counselor to help him sort through the courtly promises and financial advice being offered.

To add another distraction, Louis has fallen in love with his brother Philippe's wife, Princess Henriette, a woman captivating not only the king but the entire French court. A man not used to being denied, Louis attempts to make Henriette his mistress against the wishes of not only his brother but also his mother, who believes it will be his downfall. He is married to a woman he greatly admires for her breeding and royal pedigree, but he doesn't truly love her and is looking for a distraction she can't provide. Louis knows it's the idea of passion and surprise that comes from his illicit affair with Henriette, but he can't help himself. To calm the court, Henriette suggests he flirt with one of her maids, a shy but very pretty young woman named Louise. Then something happens that he didn't expect --- Louis finds he might have fallen in love.

BEFORE VERSAILLES started slowly. It was almost as if it was waiting for Louis to find his footing as king; once he found his confidence, so did the story. While the affair between Louis and Henriette is more intense, his affair with Louise is completely the opposite (but, in a way, more satisfying). All the court intrigue requirements are met and then some. Oddly, the financial scandal is also quite good, adding a harder edge to what is mostly a love story. It's a nice contrast for Louis as he grows into his role as a king. What he's dealing with on the political level makes you see why he craves love in the quieter parts of his life.

In stories about kings and mistresses, politics sometimes gets pushed to the side and becomes background noise. That doesn't happen here, and it's refreshing. There is a small side story involving Louise that feels slightly out of place, but it's the only stumble in an otherwise entertaining book.

--- Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski

After reading Ms. Koen's previous books I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, it does not measure up. Maybe the problem is that she is writing a book about real persons instead of fictional characters. The characters are mostly one dimensional and the story is, well, just plain boring. She tried to bring in some of the Dumas stories of that period. D'Artagnan is there and so is the Man in the Iron Mask but their presence does absolutely nothing to make this book exciting. I really tried to finish the book but about half-way through I gave up.

Prior to reading this novel I had no idea that this book was about the king who would be known as The Sun King - and to that end, I didn't know anything about that man either! I had no idea what story I was walking in to, but I loved Dark Angels by Karleen Koen so I did not hesitate to jump on this one! The author made it easy for me to connect into this world because there were frequent references to King Charles II of England (the brother of one of the main characters) who I have read a lot about and always enjoy. This world of Louis XIV is just as interesting as the court of Charles II! All of the intrigue and romance and craziness!

The book started off a little slow for me and I think part of this was due to the frequent pauses to explain things that I didn't feel needed to be elaborated on. For example:

"And our little French dauphin" - the first son of the king was called the dauphin because three hundred years earlier a king of France had purchased huge territories that carried a hereditary title, taken from the dolphin on the coat of arms - "is going to teach you French" (pg. 32 of ARC).

In the above scenario, while the information was interesting, it added nothing to the story and really broke up the flow. This stylistic feature appeared to die out after the first quarter or so of the book and the narrative really picked up from there. A stylistic choice that I didn't mind as much but still felt was a little unnecessary, was the occasional reference of things that would happen in the future, beyond the scope of the book:

"He couldn't yet know the difference ten years would make, even five, couldn't yet know the temptations that would be thrown at him...He could not know that one day this girl, turned to woman, would weep before him, and he wouldn't feel a thing. But such was years away..." (pg 349 of ARC).

While some of the writing style bothered me, I felt that the content of the story was wonderful. There was a large cast of characters but they were all well developed. Even the periphery characters were developed enough that you had a solid feeling about who they were and substantiated their motives. I also loved that there was a great character list at the beginning of the book because I certainly needed it from time to time - especially given my unfamiliarity with the French court. Koen also brings the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask into play - and creates/supports a very believable scenario of who he may have been. Even this unknown character was well developed. I particularly enjoyed this plot line.

I very much enjoyed this book and can't wait to get the chance to read her other works that are on my shelf. The author has stated that Dark Angels is a sort of sequel to Before Versailles and knowing this, I was hoping to see Alice (main character in Dark Angels) pop into the novel before its end, as she was part of Madame's household. But alas, this was not to be - that would have made the ending more perfect for me.

I loved every word of this book, and could not put it down. Ms. Koen's novel takes place in the first few months of the young Louis XIV's kingship, when he is still unsure of himself and his future greatness. The setting is the fabulous palace at Fontainebleau, where the court is currently in residence. Beneath the glamorous and opulent facade of the court is seething ambition, jealousy, and endless intrigue. Into this steps warmhearted, shy Louise, a new maid of honor in a cynical and licentious court. No one suspects this shrinking violet could ever capture a king's heart. The author does a stunning job of characterization: charming Henriette, wife to the damaged and tragic king's brother Philippe; powerful, scheming Nicolas Fouquet; the gorgeous but treacherous Count de Guiche; the Queen Mother who hides a terrible secret, and so many more. All are vividly brought to life, as are the sumptuous chambers and gardens of magnificent Fontainebleau. Musketeers, dwarves, priests and cardinals, underservants, beautiful courtiers - all populate this gorgeous novel and bring the time and place to vibrant life. How I hope there will be a sequel - there is so much of Louis XIV's life yet to tell!