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Jan 29, 2012

Jing rated it:

When I finished the book, I sat and stared out the window, and just replayed the whole story in my head. Gulland's writing really made me connect to the character, Petite, or Mademoiselle de la Valliere. I love this book so much, and I fell in love with Petite, her morals and strength, characteristics I want to remember and try to live up to.

The story follows the life of Louise, a mistress of King Louis XIV. From her childhood where she demonstrated her courageous character through her More...

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Oct 10, 2010

Jean Marie rated it:

I probably love this book for two reasons. One the story is brillantly written and the emotion of the mistress, Louise, is channeled perfectly, almost as if she herself had written this tale. The other reason I love this book is it was the book I was reading during my move away from home and during the part of the story where Louise moves away really touched me during the upheaval of my life.
The story is about Louise de la Valliere who was one of the many mistresses to Louis XIV of France More...

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Mar 07, 2011

Shanna rated it:

Overall I enjoyed this. However, I did not find that there was anything overly unique or profound about the story, but perhaps I just wasn't in the right type of mood to read a novel of this nature. One thing I found both amazing and frustrating was the authors highly detailed descriptions of various things within the novel. The author goes in to great detail about how the characters dressed, how rooms and houses were decorated, and even into some of the medical techniques. What I found frus More...

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Apr 13, 2011

Maia rated it:

This book has an excellent premise, is set in a marvelous time period, and is full of mystery, intrigue, and...obviously...love. Lots of it. And yet it falls flat.

Petite and Louis's romance seems more based on sexual attraction than love. They don't talk to each other that much - mostly he pressures her into spilling other people's secrets (at least once) and they thrash around in bed, on the floor, outside... The two of them do not seem particularly well-matched and Petite seems to ha More...

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Apr 23, 2009

Toni rated it:

This is the compelling love story of Louise de la Vallière (known as Petite) mistress of King Louis X1V of France and the struggles she faces while living in a court where gossip is prolific, privacy is rare and fidelity is nonexistent

Living in the royal court in her late teens, Petite falls under the king’s magical charm becoming his hidden mistress. After becoming pregnant, the reality is shocking, she is sent into seclusion in order to protect her reputation. Their children are re More...

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Jun 02, 2008

Teddy rated it:

I just finished this very good work of historical fiction. Here are the links to my review:

Amazon.ca (Please vote if you feel so inclined):

http://tinyurl.com/6pf4oq

My Blog (I would love to hear about the books you have read on this
topic or books by Sandra Gulland):

http://tinyurl.com/3ut8wu

Teddy
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/

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Feb 24, 2009

Elisabeth rated it:

I have to admit, I was actually somewhat disappointed with this book. I really enjoyed the Josephine B. trilogy, and have read it a few times, and had really expected more from Sandra Gulland's second work. I felt that the characters were rather undeveloped --many of the characters felt very one-dimensional, despite opportunities to really flesh them out.

Also, the plot felt very patchy and unevenly paced. I didn't really care for the entire first section of the book, where I think th More...

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Jun 05, 2009

♔ Jessica Marie rated it:

This book is set in one of my all time favorite historical eras; the court of the Sun King. I was immediately attracted to the main female character, Louise de la Valliere or as she's better known as, Petite. The book follows the life and the loves of Petite, which is constantly changing except for two things ... her infatuation of horses and her fear of the devil.

I absolutely fell in love with Mistress of the Sun. The characters are so well portrayed that you cannot help but become More...

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Jul 21, 2010

Susan rated it:

I enjoyed this book but, perhaps unfairly, compared it all the way through to Gulland's Josephine Bonaparte trilogy. Few books can surpass that masterpiece I guess. This was a typical fiictional novel based on historical fact, unlike the trilogy, which was written in the form of Josephine's diary, a very effective method of historical story-telling. It really seems as though you are inside the head of the diarist, and feel everything experienced. So, 'Mistress' was good, historically very ac More...

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Feb 28, 2010

Carol rated it:

I listened to the audio of this book and I was not thrilled with the narrator. I did find however a very interesting and detailed portrait of 17th centory France especially the lives of women. The focus was on Louis XIV the Sun King and his mistress Louise de la Vallière. The novel follows Louise from childhood to her love affair with Louie, her children by him and Madame Athenais the woman who competes with Louise for Louie's heart. Louise ultimately chooses a route to "save her soul" More...

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Sep 13, 2009

Colleen rated it:

This is one of the best stories I have read all year. I was throughly engrossed in the whole story. I liked the idea of having a hand-madien to help you get dressed and other things that seem to get in the way of just having fun.

Being a member of the Royal Court in the 1600's was no easy job. I can't believed how much they did without all the modern conveniences. I had such a good reaction to this story that I just have to assume that I was once a member of a Royal Court sometime More...

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Jul 30, 2011

Janet added it

This book kept me interested from start to finish. If you love historical fiction, you will love to read about King Louis' elaborate court. The main character had a lot of depth, a strong character that maintained very human characteristics: fiery, honest, educated, independent, devout, and of course experiences her share of sinful behaviour that weighs on her conscience. A character you will love and respect after you have read the last page. I have fond memories of reading Sandra Gulland More...

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Jun 16, 2010

Kylin rated it:

This was a nice distraction while handling the chaotic mess of moving, but it fell short of the promise offered in the first few chapters (the promise being some witchy magic in seventeenth century France.) The plot wandered as if the author didn't quite know where it was going. The author excelled at weaving historical details into the story, never making such details feel encyclopedic. I do wish I had noticed the glossary tucked away in the back before I finished the book, though, because I wa More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Lisa rated it:

When I first took a peak inside this novel, I was concerned for the fact that it was written in the epistolary style, specifically, diary entries. I thought it would cause the plot to not flow well, but was I ever wrong.

In one day I completed half the novel and still anticipate going home each night to read some more. This is perhaps one of the most well-written novels about the French revolution that I have read and has given me a new character to emanate: Joséphine de Beauharnai More...

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Jul 27, 2009

Jill Basinger rated it:

I picked this historical fiction story because of my interest in reading about the lives of women in different time periods. In this case it is the seventeenth-century. I liked the main character, Petite, who was an early mistress of Louis XIV. She loved horses (I couldn't identify with that) and was a "tom boy" (I could identify with that). Petite shared an interesting insight about marriage. Even the most powerful women (those born into nobility) lacked the power to choose who the More...

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Feb 23, 2010

Erin rated it:

Mistress of the Sun, by Sandra Gulland
One of the best historical fiction writers out there today, Mistress of the Sun is another shining jewel in Gulland's formidable crown of literary accomplishments. We are immersed in the complicated world of the royal life of Louis XVI, and the many, many lives dependent upon his crown. Petite, the main character, is a woman of character, but of little station. Her passion for horses, hunting and honesty win her favor in court and in love. I am biased More...

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Mar 20, 2009

Karen rated it:

I found this book a bit disappointing. Having devoured the Josephine trilogy, I was so looking forward to the same kind of read. This does not hit the mark. The research is great, but the characters just do not come to life in the same way. And the plot-the symbols--the metaphors--became too predictable. For that reason, the reader doesn't come away with the feeling of how the characters are formed by the forces bearing on their lives that was so profoundly realized in the other books. Disap More...

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Jul 29, 2011

Martine rated it:

Hmmmm.... I actually found this book when I was browsing thru the library looking for something to keep me until my next book came in, but I'm glad I did choose it. This book was very good, very believable and very captivating. It reminded me a bit of the Boleyn girls movie- which is a hint to say I would love to see this in movie form. I liked reading Sandra's comments at the end of the book, and how she revealed who she left out and who she embellished. Now that she's on my radar I can look up More...

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Sep 14, 2010

Nisha rated it:

By Sandra Gulland

HarperCollins, 381 pages, $30

Reviewed by Nisha Tuli

ONTARIO author Sandra Gulland made her reputation with a trilogy of historical novels about French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's mistress.

The Josephine B. books were released from 1999 to 2000. It has taken Gulland years of research, but she is back with another historical title about a kept woman, this one also set in France but in an earlier era, that of King Louis XIV.

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Aug 07, 2010

Erika rated it:

“The astrologer present at Petite’s birth had written…that her ‘affective sensibility tended to overheat,’ concluding with the warning that her mild manner veiled a voraginous passion. Petite had yet to discover what voraginous meant, but because of a line in the Aeneid (“Neptune came upon them, with all his vorages and his waves full of scum”), she thought it might have something to do with a whirlpool.” (Chapter Eight)

Mistress of the Sun, by Sandra Gulland, was published in the sp More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Jane rated it:

Historical fiction based on the true lives of Louise de la Valliere, mistress of Louis XIV. The story takes you back to Louise's childhood, her encounter with King Louis and their relationship through the years. Petite's (Louise's) life is filled with love for her King and lover Louis, but also her struggle with admitting and living the life of a courtesan. Petite survives the death of several of her children, the "sharing" of her lover with another woman, the wish to help her famil More...

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Aug 05, 2009

Nightfalltwen rated it:

I finished this a couple of days ago and decided to hold off on my review because I wasn't quite sure what I thought about it. After some time away from the book and some time to mull over my opinion, I have to say that I didn't hate it, but I didn't absolutely adore it either.

I found the plot would speed up and slow down repeatedly which made the entire book read very choppily.

It's hard to review historical fiction when it's based on people who actually existed. You've More...

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Oct 15, 2008

C.w. rated it:

THIS REVIEW WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW:
In her first novel in eight years (following the international success of her Josephine B. trilogy) Sandra Gulland has chosen an enigmatic figure—Louise de la Vallière, mistress to Louis XIV and mother of four children by him. Louise has been overshadowed in history by her more glamorous successors and the flamboyance that characterized the later years of Louis’s reign, but in her captivating jewel of a novel Gulland offers a More...

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Sep 14, 2008

Ben rated it:

I quickly fell in love with Gulland's lively depiction of seventeenth century France and Louise "Petite" de la Vallière. For the first half of the novel, I received a brilliant glimpse into the life of the daughter of an impoverished nobleman and her ascension in the court of Louis XIV. Aspects I enjoyed: Petite's love of reading, her struggles with her mother and manoeuvring through the intrigue of court, and her time spent in the convent when she was a girl. My favourite part was More...

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May 07, 2009

Jess rated it:

I learn all of my history from historical fiction (and the occasional children's book or run to an encyclopedia). Thank goodness for people like Sandra Gulland, who write historical fiction that's engrossing and informative without slipping into soap opera or dry information. As with her Josephine Bonaparte trilogy, we follow the life of an ordinary French woman whose life ends up closely tied to a big figure in history. This way we get the details of ordinary life at the time - and the medic More...

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Apr 29, 2008

Monique rated it:

My book club had the opportunity to read this in advance of publication. We were asked to tape our discussion for the author to use for possible revisions. So, my comments are in regards to that first unpublished version. I haven't had a chance to read the published version.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Good historical detail. Obviously well-researched. I always delight in detail about women's lives from past eras. I am so tired of reading history from men's point of view --lots of wa More...

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Feb 11, 2008

Anna rated it:

Man, I am a sucker for historical fiction.

And I am super lucky that as I librarian I get to review books for Library Journal. My editor Wanda, sends me about 6 historical fiction books a year, and I get to read them. This was the latest.

While in the past I have mostly been enamored of Tudor history, I have read a few on the French Court. This particular book was one of the mistresses of Louis XIV, better known as the Sun King. This is the king who built Versailles, and ma More...

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Aug 28, 2010

Suze rated it:

Sandra Gulland is now one of my favorite authors. She puts heart into her writing and makes you imagine that you can feel what her characters felt. Her historical research is excellent as well.

I loved her books about Josephine, and this was just as good. The main character, Petite, is just so admirable, and has to deal with Kings and courts while remaining true to herself. It's not an easy path she had to follow, and is one I think most of us could identify with, even today.

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Aug 02, 2009

Holly rated it:

I loved reading about 17th century France, especially the King and his Court and Louise de la Valliere. The first half of the novel was excellent. I loved Petite -- she was a headstrong girl who loved reading and learning. Her ascension into the court of the King was interesting, as well as her internal conflict between her love for Louis and her devotion to God. Unfortunately, the second half of the book was not as compelling. Petite allowed events to guide her instead of the other way around, More...

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May 24, 2010

Trace rated it:

If you have not read Sandra Gulland's historical fiction trilogy about Josephine Bonaparte, you NEED to read it. It's amazing. I loved it so much that John bought it for me as a gift a few years back (which I HOPE I still have, come to think of it). And not only are they amazing, but Sandra Gulland is a local writer! I am really looking foward to reading this newer title from her!

UPDATE:
DONE! Great read! I still love her Josephine trilogy more, but this was quite good too

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