Queen consort of Henry II King of France Catherine de - The rival queens: Catherine de Medici, her daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the betrayal that ignited a kingdom

What makes this account so convincing is not the evidence mustered but the intuition applied. Goldstone makes a great effort to understand the emotions of the dramatis personae. As a result, Margot, Catherine, Henry, and various villains jump from the page in living, breathing, fornicating reality. To be supplied with characters so fully formed is apt for this age when the political was indeed personal.

Gerard DeGroot, The Times (UK)

Tudor fans will be lured by this history set in Renaissance France.

Jocelyn McClurg, USA Today

Gripping. Lovers of Renaissance history will rejoice in this book. Goldstone wears her scholarship with flair; perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the story, which moves with the sharp characterization of a novel, is that it is entirely true.

Lisa Hilton, BBC History Magazine

What makes Goldstones biography so enjoyable is that she manages, thanks to the clarity of her presentation, to lead readers through this labyrinth with a sure and steady hand. She delights in unraveling the most drastic family entanglements in periods of violent insecurity. Goldstone sketches a very convincing portrait of Queen Marguerite.

Anka Muhlstein, New York Review of Books

Riveting.

Isabella Biedenharn, Entertainment Weekly

As Goldstone shows in her riveting new book, the beautiful, willful, and intelligent princess learned survival skills in the most elegant snake pit, the royal court at the Louvre. The conflicts between Marguerite, a woman of courage and compassion, and her mother, an enthusiastic dissembler, are the heart of this book.

Patricia Treble, Macleans

A gripping tale of royal feuds and divided kingdoms. Goldstone has lovingly restored the reputation of Marguerite de Valois, revealing her to be a woman of passion and drive whose fierce loyalties burned bright until the day she died.

Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire and Georgiana

A story of domestic rivalry taken to the level of scheming and conspiracy, treason and treachery. Religion is its battlefield; sex, tale bearing, and the withholding of maternal love its primary weapons. Deception, manipulation, and a ferocious royal power struggle: Mommie Dearest sixteenth-century-style.

Pamela Toler, Shelf Awareness

Just when you thought global politics couldnt get dirtier, Nancy Goldstone releases a dual biography of women who rocked the volatile sixteenth-century world with murder and mayhem; coups, blackmail, and treason; and crazy sexual escapades. The book belongs to Marguerite. Goldstone creates an empowering depiction of a tough survivor who could wear a tiara and negotiate a treaty with the best of them.

NLB Horton, Vail Daily

Engrossing, action-packed. A story of espionage, assassination, intrigue, and chicanery, but also one that poignantly reminds readers of the vulnerabilities faced by women of the age. Readers are sure to be captivated by the lush details of these womens lives.

Marie M. Mullaney, Library Journal

A thrilling tale packed with historical details and shocking revelations. Goldstone writes with cinematic clarity and vividly brings to life two indomitable women whose ambitions changed the course of European history.

Ivana Lowell, author of Why Not Say What Happened?

History brought to vivid life in the characters of these women of purpose. The author spins a tangled tale of rivalry, ambition, and, especiallyfor the rare women leaders of the timesheer self-preservation. Goldstone has a remarkable handle on these often byzantine royal machinations.

Kirkus Reviews

The author has an impressive talent for turning complicated history into a gripping story. Enough romance, murder, torture, possible incest, and mayhem to launch a miniseries.

Ellen T. White, East Hampton Star

A highly dramatic dual biography. Tudor struggles pale in comparison!

Brad Hooper, Booklist (starred review)

Engaging and swashbuckling. Goldstone is an exhaustive researcher and an engaging raconteur. Goldstone wants us to know that, no less than men, women in history could be powerful because of their courage and intelligence.

John K. Collins, Winnipeg Free Press

Goldstones witty comments make this historical family drama as easy to read as the best fiction, but its all the more tragic for being true. She upends conventional thought with this well-researched and well-written book.

Publishers Weekly

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