Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley
The Sisters of Versailles is the first book in Sally Christie’s Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, and, more notably, her debut novel. Rather than writing about well-known historical figures, Ms. Christie chooses to take a different road, telling the story of the five Nesle sisters, four of whom were mistresses to Louis XV. I found this to be a refreshing change, as these women were completely unfamiliar to me.
Seven years after he takes the throne, members of King Louis’s court begin to notice that his Polish queen isn’t holding his attention the way she once did, and, with that realization, the race is on to find a suitable mistress for the monarch. Louis’s ministers decide to pressure the young and beautiful Louise, the oldest of the five Nesle daughters into the king’s bed. Against her better judgement, Louise gives in, and is soon well-loved by the king.
The Nesle family is aristocratic, but a bit down on its luck. After the death of their mother, the sisters are scattered, and life is never the same for any of them. Each of the women is irrevocably changed by the attention of the King, even Hortense, the one sister who escapes his bed. Married to a kind man, Hortense spends her days far away from court intrigue and frowns on Louise’s relationship with Louis, sure it will damn her to Hell.
There is something about the Nesle sisters that King Louis can’t seem to ignore. He finds it impossible to content himself with Louise’s quiet beauty. Instead, he sets out to woo her sisters, and, over the coming decades, Diane, Pauline, and Marie Anne each find herself entertaining his Majesty.
The synopsis sounds quite fascinating, and, for the most part, it is. I do admit to being a bit bored by the lengthy descriptions of French food and fashions. I also felt Ms. Christie glossed over Marie Anne’s time in the king’s bed, giving that part of the novel a rushed feeling. Even so, I’m glad I took the time to read this.
Elizabeth Wiley is quite an accomplished narrator. I first listened to her in Kate Quinn’s Mistress of Rome, and, ever since then, have kept my eyes peeled for new titles. Unfortunately, The Sisters of Versailles doesn’t suit her as well as some other things I’ve listened to. She doesn’t use anything resembling a French accent, something that jarred me out of the story a few times. Granted, I’d rather a narrator choose not to do an accent if they don’t do it well, but, at the same time, I can’t help but think it might have been better if someone else had been chosen for this book. It is, after all, set in France, and a good French accent would have added a sense of authenticity to my listening experience.
I did enjoy Ms. Wiley’s portrayals of the Nesle sisters. Diane and Pauline were especially well-rendered. Diane is rather dim-witted and vain, while Pauline is ruthless in her need to outdo her sisters and be first in King Louis’s affections. It isn’t that other characters weren’t well-voiced, but I was struck by the way Ms. Wiley depicted those two in particular.
All in all, I enjoyed The Sisters of Versailles. I’m definitely interested in reading the rest of the trilogy, but, if Ms. Wiley continues to narrate, I’ll probably grab them in print rather than audio format.
Shannon
Narration: C
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence Rating: Minimal
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Tantor Audio
The Sisters of Versailles was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for a review.
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