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Review: "Before Versailles" by Karleen Koen

From Goodreads:  Before Versailles is the luscious, sweeping story of the young Louis XIV in his first year as king of France. Told in the alternating perspectives of the young king and his first love, the woman who would become his mistress, Karleen Koen's newest weaves a portrait of court and country in turmoil with the legends of this colorful period in history, including that of the mysterious man in the iron mask.

My Thoughts:  I know I have been a downer with my reviews lately so I apologize for another negative review.  I have read several of Karleen Koen's books and really enjoyed them which I was why I picked this book up.  I thought the story sounded okay but I figured that if Koen wrote it then it would be good.  I was wrong.  The story is supposed to be about the first year of Louis XIV's reign but the story is told by multiple characters' perspectives and I feel like Louis got lost in the mix.  The story seemed to be more about the intrigue at his court than about him coming to power and learning how to rule and the main point of the story got terribly lost.  The ending was abrupt, to say the least, and if there had not been an author's note, I would have had no idea why she chose to end the big in that way.  Needless to say, if you are not well versed in the history of Louis' reign, you, like me, will be super confused as to why the events at the end of the book are so important.  2 stars.
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  1. Emily HSeptember 18, 2011 at 10:31 AM

    After reading your review, I'm so happy I set this one down after about a hundred pages! Like you, I love Koen's other books - especially Through a Glass Darkly! But this one just didn't feel like even the author was interested in the story. I was disappointed.

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