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My Beloved Talleyrand: The Life of a Scoundrel by His Last Mistress
I am first to admit that a woman, especially a young woman, does not attach herself to a brilliant, older, accomplished man without seeing some reward at the end. I may have been a master in the art of submission but I am not without self-respect. If Talleyrand were here with me now, he would agree that what began as a manipulation on both our parts, turned into a wonderful partnership.
Talleyrand s mistresses, intrigues, betrayals, and deceits were legendary, but only one woman could capture his his niece and mistress Dorothea, who records his life in the enthralling masterpiece My Beloved Talleyrand.
A debauched French aristocrat bishop, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord renounced the Church and his nobility in order to save France from self-destruction. He supported and then overthrew King Louis XVI, the leaders of the French Revolution, and finally Napoleon Bonaparte.
After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Talleyrand dominated the Congress of Vienna, determining the course of history for both Europe and America for the next one hundred years.
Talleyrand s mistresses, intrigues, betrayals, and deceits were legendary, but only one woman could capture his his niece and mistress Dorothea, who records his life in the enthralling masterpiece My Beloved Talleyrand.
A debauched French aristocrat bishop, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord renounced the Church and his nobility in order to save France from self-destruction. He supported and then overthrew King Louis XVI, the leaders of the French Revolution, and finally Napoleon Bonaparte.
After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Talleyrand dominated the Congress of Vienna, determining the course of history for both Europe and America for the next one hundred years.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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November 5, 2023
To anybody who has read biographies of either Talleyrand, or of his niece the extraordinary Dorothea, Dutchess of Dino, I heartily recommend you don't waste time or money on this poorly-written, excruciatingly bad "historical" novel. It is an insult to the memory of two incredibly complex and brilliant political people.
When an author fictionalises real characters, it should go without saying that they should do extensive research, get known historical antecedents correct, and have the characters act, react and speak according to their known biographical behaviours.
Piezenik fails utterly -- he can't even get Talleyrand's eye-colour, much less the background of the arranged (and unhappy) marriage between Dorothea and Talleyrand's nephew right.
The novel about the touching devotion of these two brilliant minds to each other (despite lovers on the side) for the last years of Talleyrand's life, is yet to be written.
When an author fictionalises real characters, it should go without saying that they should do extensive research, get known historical antecedents correct, and have the characters act, react and speak according to their known biographical behaviours.
Piezenik fails utterly -- he can't even get Talleyrand's eye-colour, much less the background of the arranged (and unhappy) marriage between Dorothea and Talleyrand's nephew right.
The novel about the touching devotion of these two brilliant minds to each other (despite lovers on the side) for the last years of Talleyrand's life, is yet to be written.
Displaying 1 of 1 review