The Suitors of Yvonne

by Rafael Sabatini

[...] Mazarin stood gazing at him with an eye that was eloquent in scorn, then bending down he spoke quickly to him in Italian. What he said I know not, being ignorant of their mother tongue; but from the fierceness of his utterance I'll wager my soul 't was nothing sweet to listen to. When he had done with him, he turned to his valet. "Bernouin," said he, "summon M. de Mancini's servant and assist him to get my nephew to bed. M. de Luynes, be good enough to take Bernouin's taper and light me back to my apartments." Unsavoury as was the task, I had no choice but to obey, and to stalk on in front of him, candle in hand, like an acolyte at Notre Dame, and in my [...].

Genres: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, British Literature, Historical

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English. " In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917).

Reviews

[Pushpa Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaston de Luyens is a soldier of fortune, nobly borne but untitled and without property. He is so close to destitution that when His Eminence Cardinal Mazarin hires him to toughen up his nephew Andrea de Mancini, he jumps at the opportunity. Mazarin keeps pulling the strings threatening Gaston’s existence at every possible turn. But when his charge is to make a trip to meet his intended bride, Gaston’s perilous existence alters dramatically. Love capriciously stirs the pot and presents him with challenges and disappointment. Sabatini in fine form but with less witty dialogue than some of his more famous works.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of books that I am led to believe are about swashbuckling, but actually contain very little swash or buckling (The Scarlet Pimpernel and--although I love it dearly--The Count of Monte Cristo come to mind). This book, however, actually has swashbucking! And it's pretty brutal, too. En garde!

[Pandora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vintage Sabtini. Though I was glad to have Dumas Three Musketeers and The Women's War so I knew more about the historical period.

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like The Three Musketeers, you’ll like this book. It is set in France, and it has duels, chivalry, disguises, intrigues, and even an evil Cardinal. But it isn’t just a rehash of that book; Sabatini tells his own story. Some of the plot points might be a tad too convenient, but I was having too much fun to care. And I really enjoyed Sabatini’s writing style; his books may not be great literature, but they will definitely expand your vocabulary.

[Thor The Redbeard · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Sathya Sekar · Rating 2 out of 5]

An enjoyable romp through about the first half. Then it petered into a rather boring affair. The characters that had charmed in the first half lost their shimmer in their second half and became caricatures. The prose was brilliant right through with memorable words. But you take that for granted with Sabatini. There are many better works to enjoy it. You can safely give this a miss.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Must have been one of him early books. Very formulaic.

[Kay Robart · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/...