Sat, 02 Sep 2006
Dumas, Women's War
Alexandre Dumas, The Women's War,
Penguin Classics
Brought to you by the maker of The Count of Monte Cristo,
and The Three Musketeers, this book was recently reprinted
to acclaim after years of neglect.
The subject is the civil war called The Fronde which took place
in France during the regency of Louis XIV. The women concerned
are Louis XIII's widow, Anne of Austria, and the Princess de Conde.
There are also Nanon de Lartigues who supports Anne of Austria and
the Viscountess de Cambes who supports the rebels. Needless to
say, on the way through, we have our share of swashbuckling and
romantic dalliance. At one level, you could say this was a
conflict between absolute monarchy and more liberal forces. In
point of fact it was mostly a conflict between factions when
one group felt they had been sidelined. All this paved the way
for the very absolutist monarchy of Louis XIV.
So, fun for fans of swashbuckling history here, and something
a little more meaty than the usual vacation reading.
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pre Dec 04 reviews are here