Emily

Emily is on page 155 of 382 of Edge

Edge
by Koji Suzuki

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Edge
by Koji Suzuki

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Emily voted on a poll

EReader users: do you highlight?

She voted for: No, I never highlight.

Emily rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge
by Eleanor Herman

recommended to Emily by: Husband
recommended for: History buffs, Nerd Alert

read in August, 2012

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I have read Herman's Sex with the Queen, so naturally, I was inclined to pick up this one since SwtQ was so. good. I think I've read it cover to cover five times.

I want to get the bad parts out of the way first: homegirl needs new descriptions when i...more I have read Herman's Sex with the Queen, so naturally, I was inclined to pick up this one since SwtQ was so. good. I think I've read it cover to cover five times.

I want to get the bad parts out of the way first: homegirl needs new descriptions when it comes to detailing the mistresses. Words like "sparkle" and "wide (smile)" need to be retired, hon. I was also a little disappointed it focused mainly on France's mistresses. France's court was known for being *ahem* high class and the mistresses there were probably the most well-documented because of courtiers keeping track in their diaries and gossip, but I would've loved to read more about the ladies from other kingdoms. Their appearances in the book were too short.

Onto the good! I was recommended this book because I was devouring everything I could when I was reading about Jeanette d'Étiolles (nee Poisson), or Madame de Pompadour. Her life was fascinating to me, and how she managed to keep King Louis XV of France enthralled for so long was by no means an easy task. Mistresses had to be vigilant, align themselves well to keep up-and-comers away from their kingly prize, and it was a vicious game for everyone involved. Madame de Pompadour even arranged a harlem of common women to sate Louis' appetite when she could not give him the physical love anymore. Competition was always fierce and the mistresses, out of everyone in court, knew how it was. Even if the king were to give you a swollen belly and a lot of children, you still could be dismissed at the snap of golden fingers.

Bastard children had a great amount of time in the book too, but that was by no means horrible. It's also funny to think royalty, by generations of inbreeding, thought to keep their bloodlines pure, but ended up missing a few pieces instead, making them inferior to the commons they tried so hard to put themselves distance between. But keeping the bloodline "pest free" made a lot of insane, deformed children, but that was relegated to witchcraft. Children born from mistresses were usually beautiful, mild mannered and a little more intelligent than their preening half siblings, and that was put as "relationship made of love." The sad thing about reading about the bastards was they would usually sideline their mothers when she fell out of favor.

Not only did a lot of mistresses lose the love of their king and children, but a lot of them were subject to poverty once their ex-lover passed away. Sometimes, even sooner than that. Currency in the form of jewels, plate and cloth were preferred over land and houses since those were taken away if the break-up just didn't go so well, or when the new ruler came to power. The new king had zero love for the mistress since she took away his father's time and longing glances which so rightly belonged to his queen mother. Sometimes, the mistress had to leave with whatever she was wearing, as so happened to the case of Lola Montez, Ludwig I of Bavaria's much disliked mistress.

But I am getting ahead of myself! I don't want to give everything away in its own subsection, because I might ruin your bawdy adventures through the gilded halls of the foreign courts yourself!

Herman covers all subjects and spends great care on each of the women she touches on. It was obviously a huge passion for her to put their stories to light and do a little bit of good PR work in the process on some of them. It's definitely not a book to be missed out on if you want to read more about court life in the years following up to the French Revolution and the quelling after. After the Revolution, mistresses took a quiet backseat like they did before the 1300s when Edward III's mistress, Alice Perrers, fought to get lands and jewels back when she practically bankrupted the treasury during her time, and certainly Agnes Sorel, Charles VII's courtesan in 1403, who had her portrait painted as the Virgin Mary with Christ Child.

The scandal of it all!(less)

Emily is on page 150 of 304 of Sex with Kings

Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge
by Eleanor Herman

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Emily added

Tales of Moonlight and Rain
by Akinari Ueda

read in June, 2012

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Emily added

Vittorio: The Vampire (New Tales of the Vampires, #2)
by Anne Rice

read in July, 2012

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Emily made a comment in the group ONTD Book Club — Books for May? topic

"Out. I admit, I only heard about it via a very recent book thread on ONTD, but I think this book would be a perf palate cleanser for 50 Shades of ~~Ball~~...more "

Emily is now a fan of Goodreads Author Neil Gaiman

Emily rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Haunted America
by Michael Norman (Goodreads Author)

recommended for: Anyone that wants ghost stories but still wants to go to sleep

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Haunted America by Michael Norman and the late Beth Scott is a collection of ghost stories and legends from America's fifty states and Canada's provinces. The other books in this collection are Haunted Heartland and Haunted Wisconsin, all exceedingly...more

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Emily is on page 155 of 382 of Edge Edge by Koji Suzuki progress:	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 03, 2012 07:47am · like · see status
Emily is currently reading Edge by Koji Suzuki	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 27, 2012 04:03pm
Emily voted on a poll EReader users: do you highlight? She voted for: No, I never highlight.
Aug 25, 2012 10:46am · like · take the poll
Emily rated a book 4 of 5 stars Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge by Eleanor Herman recommended to Emily by: Husband recommended for: History buffs, Nerd Alert read in August, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I have read Herman's Sex with the Queen, so naturally, I was inclined to pick up this one since SwtQ was so. good. I think I've read it cover to cover five times. I want to get the bad parts out of the way first: homegirl needs new descriptions when i...more
Aug 25, 2012 10:41am · see review
Emily is on page 150 of 304 of Sex with Kings Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge by Eleanor Herman progress:	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 13, 2012 11:58am · like · see status
Emily added Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Akinari Ueda read in June, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 13, 2012 11:57am
Emily added Vittorio: The Vampire (New Tales of the Vampires, #2) by Anne Rice read in July, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 13, 2012 11:57am
Emily made a comment in the group ONTD Book Club — Books for May? topic "Out. I admit, I only heard about it via a very recent book thread on ONTD, but I think this book would be a perf palate cleanser for 50 Shades of ~~Ball~~...more "
Apr 16, 2012 02:50pm
Emily is now a fan of Goodreads Author Neil Gaiman
Apr 15, 2012 08:39am · like · see all of Emily's favorite authors
Emily rated a book 2 of 5 stars Haunted America by Michael Norman (Goodreads Author) recommended for: Anyone that wants ghost stories but still wants to go to sleep	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Haunted America by Michael Norman and the late Beth Scott is a collection of ghost stories and legends from America's fifty states and Canada's provinces. The other books in this collection are Haunted Heartland and Haunted Wisconsin, all exceedingly...more
Apr 15, 2012 08:36am · see review

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