34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intriguing portrayal of a controversial queen, July 21, 2009
Catherine de Medici learned the ugly realities of power politics, Renaissance style, while she was still a child. When her family is deposed from power in Florence, Catherine is first imprisoned in the city's convents, and then is denied the chance to return to govern the city of her birth. Instead, her uncle, Pope Clement, sends her to France as the reluctant bride of an equally-reluctant Henri, duke of Orleans, the second son of the king of France, Francois I. This novel follows her life from her first encounter with the astrologer who helps her understand her destiny and helps her shape it, Cosimo Ruggieri, to their final days as allies at the French court, which Catherine now rules as Regent and mother of the king.
Kalogridis tackles the most controversial aspects of Catherine's character head-on. Catherine is an unusual girl, to say the least; she is far more interested in astrology (along with philosophy and mathematics) than in the more orthodox subject of religion. Ironically, religious conflict comes to dominate her life, as the clashes between France's Catholic majority and the Huguenots become increasingly grave. While Kalogridis does a good job in tackling the complexities of the looming religious wars and the power politics of the era, she devotes a lot more time to exploring Catherine's controversial relationship with Ruggieri. Catherine may love only her husband (who, in turn, has eyes only for his much-older mistress, Diane de Poitiers) but her strongest and longest-lived relationship, in Kalogridis's view, is with Ruggieri. In her cause, he indulges in some pretty nasty stuff -- with Catherine's tacit acquiescence. (No spoilers here, but there's a lot of explicit sorcery aimed at consolidating Catherine's power.)
To Catherine, it has been clear since childhood that the ends, however bloody, justify the means. (She seems to learn this lesson rather rapidly, in Kalogridis's narrative.) The author does a solid job of portraying hte impact of a long series of abandonments, betrayals and losses on Catherine; even when I recoiled at some of Catherine's actions, I could understand her motivation. The reason I couldn't give this book five stars (and came close to rating it 3.5 instead of 4 stars) is the degree to which the author's need for drama sometimes damages both plot and character. Sometimes, the pace of the narrative is so rapid that Catherine's emotions never felt convincing. Characters disappear abruptly, never to reappear, or to reappear only in abrupt or implausible ways. Sometimes, the author's hand is pulling her characters' strings too visibly. One particular problem I had was with Catherine's love for her husband. While the roots of this are laid out early in the plot, never really felt convincing to me -- it was presented for me to accept. Lust or passion, sure; but love? It was also hard for me to see Catherine, as a strong and independent character, being as apparently vulnerable to the plotting of those nearest and dearest to her late into her life. Could she really have seen herself, as Kalogridis portrays her viewing herself, as being "drawn and tortured and dazed by guilt" after some of the apocalyptic violence in the final chapters? It's unclear to me whether this was Catherine being disingenuous, or whether the author really believed she felt this way.
At its best, this is a nuanced and intriguing portrayal of one of the 16th century's most controversial and intriguing rulers; and the book is at its best about 2/3 of the time. That makes it worth reading for anyone interested in a dramatic, fast-paced historical novel. While not a revisionist history of Catherine -- she never emerges as someone that you'd enjoy having a cosy chat with -- it does make her appear more human and shows clearly what factors turned her into the ferociously determined monarch that she became. In this novel, Kalogridis has thankfully dialed down the over-the-top and occasionally irrelevant explicit sex scenes that distracted me from the plot of her novel about the Borgias; there's more sex than romance here, but it all fits into the plot in this case.
This will appeal to historical fiction readers who value both lively, fast-paced reads and historical accuracy -- a rare combination. It's also a pleasant change to read a novel that isn't set in the Tudor or Plantagenet courts! (It's still manageable for readers without any knowledge of the period; those familiar with Mary, Queen of Scots, will find her cameo appearance and Catherine's perception of her to be intriguing.) But anyone looking for historical romance should steer clear; Catherine has little charm or beauty, few feminine wiles and resorts instead to Machiavellian stratagems and a bit of sorcery on the side.
Those interested in Catherine can also turn to a less-sympathetic and more prosaic trilogy by Jean Plaidy, beginning with
Madame Serpent. Personally, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for another novel featuring Catherine due out early next year by C.W. Gortner, author of
The Last Queen: A Novel, a writer with a knack for turning historical lives into pulse-pounding fiction without descending quite as far into melodrama as Kalogridis sometimes does.
(Note to the editors: it would be great if someone could clear up the errors in the French phrases. They aren't over used and are always appropriate -- but "ma fils"? Argh...)
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An evil queen brought to life?, August 28, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Review of the CD: Jeanne Kalogridis' novel of Catherine de Medici, "The Devil's Queen," is skillfully read by Kate Reading in this five disc collection. In Reading's capable hands, the story of Catherine becomes a compelling one. Kalogridis' historical novel, which at times borders on melodramatic, allows the often vilified French queen to tell her own story. And quite a story it is.
Catherine is famous as the wife of one French king and the mother of three others; she is infamous as the architect of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of French Protestants. And history has further condemned her close relationship with the astrologer Cosimo Ruggieri.
Was Catherine an evil queen of epic proportions? Kalogridis attempts to purchase a little compassion for Catherine by explaining her tumultuous background and her compelling mission to both protect her husband and to ensure the continuation of his line. Surely she was a strong queen who faced adversity - whether in the form of revolting French Protestants or her husband's much beloved mistress, Diane de Poitiers - with courage and élan.
Did she rule through witchcraft? The French people seemed to think so, and Kalogridis shows her making her deal with the devil.
The novel itself is dramatic and fast paced; Reading's presentation is compelling. But it is not a happy story; not only is Catherine not a sympathetic figure, but also the novel itself can be rather graphic and heavy handed.
Three and a half stars: It will appeal to many listeners but is too melodramatic for serious readers and not romantic/sympathetic enough for those looking for a good historical romance.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I learned early that I was capable of murder.", July 21, 2009
History can be dry and uninspiring, but Kalogridis infuses Catherine de Medici's life from 1527-1572 with the unique characteristics of a Medici and the unfolding events of history, the melding of politics and superstition. Although it is impossible to include all the nuances of these turbulent years, the author focuses on Catherine's life from her imprisonment in Florence to her regency in France and the gruesome St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572. At eight, Catherine witnesses her dreams demolished, her future in Florence traded in an expert move by her uncle, Pope Clement VII, that delivers her to the French court of Francis I and marriage to Henri, the Duke d' Orleans. Having cut her teeth on political intrigue during her years of incarceration, Catherine is an astute observer of the changing tide of history and the machinations of the powerful. Yielding her future to Clement's designs is the first of many painful betrayals Catherine will face.
Catherine is not of a religious temperament, attracted rather to the study of astrology and the casting of spells. Through a long association with Cosimo Ruggieri, Catherine calls upon the dark arts to control the bloody fate that fills her dreams, hoping to snare the forces of evil in her favor. Arriving at the French court, Catherine is welcomed by her father-in-law, Francis I, and eventually the affections of her own husband, Henri (Henry II). A childless marriage does little to calm her fears, but Kalogridis interprets Catherine as a resourceful character, a Medici whose life is in mortal danger in her own country, the tenuous nature of her claim as Henri's barren wife and her increasing dependence on magic to quell her nightmares. Determined, Catherine seduces Henri from the arms of his mistress, bearing him sons after ten years. Her real nightmare begins with the reigns of her sons, Francis II, Charles IX, deeply flawed men. And as life delivers each new blow, she counters, taking whatever action will secure her safety, even the death of innocents.
Religious wars plague France, Catholics vs. Huguenots, violence escalating throughout the country, Catherine at the center, cajoling, plotting, humiliating herself when necessary, calling upon the dark arts. The hubris of those who would war in the name of God is matched only by the misdirected hubris of a regent queen who would harness evil in the pursuit of protection of the throne. The author's beleaguered protagonist is riddled with nightmares and false interpretations of what she has dreamed, a prisoner of the terrors she seeks to avert. Facing overwhelming odds, Catherine's dependence on the stars cannot save her from the most painful betrayal yet to be endured. The Devil's Queen is a rich tapestry, pitting the passions of zealots against an astute regent queen beset by betrayals and disappointments, the ultimate clash in Paris and the charnel of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572,Catherine only victim, never ruler of her fate. Luan Gaines/2009.
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