Customer Reviews

To Dance With Kings: A Novel of Versailles

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the three reigns of Louis' XIV, XV & XVI as the backdrop, Ms. Laker tells a wonderful epic of four women, of the same lineage, who overcome all the adversities that many women experienced during this time period -- love, heartbreak, marital abuse, political strife, poverty... overcome by courage, self-respect and dignity.

Ms. Laker creates superb imagery and historical accuracy of 17th & 18th century France, right down to the architectural details of the Palace of Versailles, as well as the political & social goings-on of these respective periods.

If the historical accuracy of this book doesn't capture your attention, the romantic storyline certainly will.

5 Years ago I checked out a book from the library for a comfortable read - instead I was treated to an astonishing journey through time!

Our journey commences in the early part of Louis XIV's reign when the nobility of France descend on the quiet country village of Versaille to enjoy a grand fete held by the king at his father's hunting lodge. Four young noblemen, due to lack of accomodation stay in the home of a humble peasant. She gives birth to a daughter whom one of them names Marguerite. Augustin Roussier promises to return in 17 years to court the newborn baby.

It is this master stroke which enables Ms Laker to give us a full view of life at the time. We learn of the hardships peasant life, Marguerite working as a fan maker from as young as five, making her the strong independant woman she eventually becomes. At the same time we are given lavish descriptions of Augustin's life as a rich coutier in favour with the king. We not only read about the transformation of the hunting lodge into the largest palace in the world, but can almost see it happening. We feel geniune emotion as the relationship between Marguerite and Augustin develops sharing in their happiness and heartbreak and at times even betrayal. We share in the dangers faced by the huegenots and turn the page almost before completing it to see what happens next.

We follow events to the end of Louis' reign when he is suceeded by his great grandson. Marguerite's daughter Jasmin takes us on the next stage of our journey. We learn of the neglect of France at the expense of Versaille. We envy her loving childhood and feel both her pain and her suffering during her life at Chateax Valverde. Like her we experience compassion for the desparate plight of the poor. During this time we are learning of the court of Louis XV. We are introduced to Madame de Pompadour and other historical charachters who become our friends and our enemies. We are also briefly know Violette, Jasmin's wild and beautiful daughter enraptured by Versaille and willing to take any chance for what she wants from life.

The final stage of our journey takes us through the reign of Louis XVI up to and including the revolution. We get to know Marie Antoinette as a friend. Our tour guide is now Rose the fourth generation of the family and in my opinion the least loveable. However although I never feel personally close to Rose the wonderful descriptions of events and frightening experiences she has during the revolution kept me enraptured to the end.

Throughout the whole novel we are treated to colourful descriptions of changing fashions so not only do you read about the charachters you can almost see them. Should you visit Versaille after reading this book they will be forever in your mind.

I finally managed to buy To Dance with Kings on Amazon - it will not find its way back on the web - it will be treasured for the rest of my life.

I first read this novel in high school after a friend gave it to me. It was as if from any dream I had dreamt before. Absolutely beautiful, well-written and the description of every detail from the colors of the gowns to the scenery was amazing. I ended up having the book stolen. I bought it at a local bookstore about 3 years after that, read it again, then gave it to my sister to read. She loved it just as much as I did, however whe moved and lost the book in the process. Then not too long ago, after endless searches in bookstores, I found it was no longer published. I then searched this site and found it, FINALLY, bought it again and have enjoyed reading it for the third time! I personally find it to be one of my favorite books, if not my favorite. I recommend it to any one who finds the French and the time of the revolution to be intriguing. I know you will love it!

This is kind of an embarrassment to admit but, when I was younger, in the deep dark on the night, on very rare occasions-I used to read Sweet Valley High books. Not the ordinary ones, but these four or so books which were about the romantic lineage of the main characters, showing how their ancestors on both sides had twined lives constantly but never come together until the parents of the main characters did. I liked these books, which spanned about four hundred years each. When I started reading "To Dance with Kings" I was reminded very much of those books-right down to the little half cover which has various scenes underneath it of men and women kissing, undressing, dancing...ect.

"To Dance with Kings" is a story of four generations of women and the destiny they have which entwines their lives, in one way or another, with the palace of Versailles. When Louis XIV, the great sun king, invites the court to visit Versailles, then a simple (but royal) hunting lodge, the village of Versailles is overwhelmed with nobles who rent out space from the peasants in which to sleep. Augustine Roussier and his four friends witness the birth of a fan maker's daughter-and christen her Marguerite. A drunken Augustine promises the mother that he will return upon her seventeenth birthday and pay her court. The mother takes the promise to heart and educates Marguerite so she will make a fitting mistress for the noble man.

But plans change when on Marguerite's seventeenth birthday both parents die. She starts her own fan making business but Augustine, who has forgotten his promise, meets her through chance and is bewitched by her strange beauty-and drawn out of a long funk caused by a secret love for his best friend's wife. Soon they come together but political strife interferes.

The rest of the book is devoted to Marguerite's daughter Jasmin, her daughter Violette and her daughter Rose. Eventually the "flower women" are all drawn to Versailles in some way or another-exploring al of its facets, dark and light. Eventually Marguerites and Augustine's love will come full circle during the turbulent and dangerous terror following the French revolution.

This isn't exactly high quality literature, more like a romance with a ton of historical detail, but it is an extremely fun book to read and great in its own way. I only had two problems with it:

1. The title. At no point does Marguerites mother say her daughter will dance with kings or anything like that. She just thinks her daughter will be the mistress of a wealthy noble man. The book needs a different title.

2. There is almost nothing in the book about Violette. She's like the forgotten character and I would have liked to hear more detail about her life; instead of the little summery the book gives.

Other than that I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a fun read, there a lot of detail and historical tidbits about the royal traditions and Versailles, and hair and fashion-tons of cool stuff to learn. The romances weren't all that realistic, unless you believe in love at first sight, but as they evolve they seem a little more believable. Overall I really liked this book, would recommend it and plan to read more by the author.

Five stars.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. Laker illustrates Versailles so well that it is almost like another character. To Dance with Kings chronicles in epic porportions the rise and fall of Versialles.

Beginning when the little hunting chateau of Versailles is just starting to expand, it begins with the birth of the peasent Margurite. It follows her throughout her life as her social situation begins to rise. When her lover flees to England some years later, I cried, the characters become that endearing to you. She eventually marries a baron (who designed her lover's house, which she inherited) and has a child. Her child, Jasmin (all of the women in her family are named for flowers) becomes friends with the future Luis XV. When she is a teenager she agrees to become his mistress because they are in love. Luis's power-hungary advisers catch wind of this and force her into marrying a sadistic and cruel nobleman, and then thus are exiled from Versailles and into his ancestral estate in the French country-side. Her life is horrible with him and there is no love, and he rapes her repeatedly. He has her potrait painted, and she falls in love with the painter. She becomes pregnant with his child, and is forced to send her, named Violette, to the family of a farmer to keep her safe. The releationship between the two is that of distant reletavies that brings extravagant presents every so often. Violette become mad at Jasmin because she can not acknowlege her as her daughter. When she becomes of age, Violette disappears and makes her way to Versailles, where she becomes a prostitute. In the meantime, Jasmin's husband dies and she moves beck to Versailles to the house that she inheirted from her mother. Violette show up on her doorstep with a baby in her arms, announcing that she is to marry and Austrian nobleman, and move to Austria, but she can not thake the child with her. She also says that the child is Luis's. Jasmin takes the child in and names her Rose. Rose grows up in the speldor of Versailles to become a court beauty and a confidante of Marie Antionette. she falls in love with a rich Englishman, who we later learn is an ancestor of Margurite's lover. As they French revolution happens, Rose gets cought in the middle, torn between her loyalty to Marie Antionette and escaping with her love to safty in England.

Laker develops her characters so wonderfully that it has you wishing that the French Revolution didn't happen, and makes us incredibly sympathetic to Marie Antionette.As usual, she ends the book a bit quickly, but the rest is just so wonderful that it overrides it. This is the first of her books that I've read, and I fel in love with her books because of it. To Dance With Kings is still my favorite, though.

Rosalind Laker's " To Dance with Kings ", poses the question whether Marguerite and her descendants' lives are really fiction. Laker's writing is superb, as is her flair for romance and historical accuracy. One is left to wander, then if there weren't a Marguerite or Jasmine, or Violette, or Rose. These characters appear so real, that they stay with the reader long after the book is put away. Alongside the adventures of four women, the reader also explores the lives of Louis ixv, xv and xvi. The live of Louis xv is especially interesting, as there aren't many novels or biographies about that monarch on the market. Although Laker follows the traditional guidelines of romantic novels, especially with Marguerite and Augustin, she introduces, in the person of Violette, a very non traditional and more spirited model of heroine. The full cirlce of love, which achieves its end in the union of Rose and Richard is a nice touch. But Richard finding Marguerite's fan, and offering it to Rose, is a very moving and memorable moment. Laker also touches on the social issues which encompassed the ages of which she writes. We learn that not all aristocrats were selfish, as an example we are presented with a very humane Jasmine, who helps the poor after returning to Chateau Satory. But we also learn that not all commoners were savages out for a kill. Overall, " To Dance with Kings ", is a jewel in literature. Anyone, from the romance reader to a historian will be able to find something in the novel.

To Dance With Kings was the first Rosalind Laker book I read, and I have not stopped reading her books since. Set in the lavish courts of King Louis XIV, you can't help but be drawn into their world of lust, greed and granduer. All of that and you get a love story that spans generations and tugs at your heart. A must to read, as are all of Rosalind Laker's novel's.

Any history buff, romance reader, or basically anyone with a soft spot for enduring love should have a copy of this book in their home. I read it first when I was 13 years old, I am now 25 and still re-reading it each winter.

Anyone liking a bit of learning along with sheer enjoyment should read ANY Rosiland Laker book. To Dance with Kings rates right up there with Circle of Pearls and the Warrwyck sagas. You're always sad when the characters go. I definite 5 star.

The architecture and culture of Versailles is wonderfully brought to life in this novel.
The author has presented a brilliant portrayal of the elaborate building that took place at Versailles under Louis XIV, aswell as the extravagent lifestyle of the courtiers who lived at Court. Contrast this to the lives of the ordinary people who live around the palace, and you have a valid picture of why events leading up to the French Revolution occured.
This novel spans four generations of women, which means the narrative structure has substantial gaps in it at times, and yet this does not hinder the novel. The author has done a good job with this, as usually such lapses in time leave the reader feeling estranged from the novel. Yet in this novel the reader is able to see the consequences of actions taken in the past, which is unusual and yet refreshing.
I recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in the life of at the French court at Versailles, and the French Revolution.