In the Mood for: Opulence

Something about this time of year brings out the girly side of me. It could be the music, the emphasis on tradition, or the fact that I tend to gym less and eat more sweets. I seriously spent the last half hour on Etsy looking at Marie Antoinette-style shoes and wishing I had enough money to buy a pair - its a problem. With this in mind I thought I would do a wee post on books that I am desperate to read at the moment in order to indulge my more opulent, feminine side...

Madame de Pompadour - Nancy Mitford

Madame de Pompadour is one of Nancy Mitford's non-fiction series (which also includes my personal favourite Voltaire in Love) and chronicles the life of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson who became famous in France after become the mistress of King Louis XV during the 18th Century. Mitford's retelling of Poisson's life bridges the gap between fiction and non-fiction, not because of the content itself but rather because Mitford recounts real-life (as far as I am aware, though admittedly this particular area of history is not my strong suit) in prose that reads as fiction. Mitford captures the world of Louis XV very well in the novel and her language and portrayal of Poisson is evocative and enthralling (much like Madame de P. herself, some might say). This is a great option if you're wanting to read a biography from the time but are too scared by overly academic texts or too great a length as Mitford's text is more concise in size.

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The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette - Carolly Erickson

Erickson's foray into French history is, I think it is fair to say, less fact-based than Mitford. The Hidden Diary is a fictional retelling of Marie Antoinette's life rather than non-fiction biography or actual hidden diary. The narrative details the life of Marie Antoinette from her childhood to her marriage right through to her death. It is rather light reading and is more of a popular beach-read than a serious, in depth retelling of her life. I would recommend this book as long as you keep in mind the level of literature that you're reading.

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Viper Wine - Hermione Eyre

Full disclosure: I have yet to read this, it just arrived in my letterbox earlier this week and am currently reading something else (see the next blog post if you're interested in this). From what I can tell its set in the court of Charles I and details the marriage of notorious beauty Venetia Stanely and her alchemist, time-travelling husband Sir Kenelm Digby. From the reviews I've read Eyre's text is thoroughly post-modern and blends anachronistic details into her narrative, blending fiction and non-fiction together. I just can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

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The White Queen - Philippa Gregory

To be honest any Philippa  Gregory would fit into this category, The White Queen is simply just the last one that I've read. I do have a secret soft-spot for Gregory who fictionalises the lives of her subjects, they are incredibly easy books to read whether you agree with her 'changes' or not. The White Queen (which has also been made into a miniseries - equally as addictive) follows the marriage of Elizabeth Woodville to Edward IV. What I found particularly interesting about this particular story - and indeed the series that it belongs to as a whole - is the way that she writes about the politics of the Lancaster-York-Tudor dealings. Though it is not as in-depth or historically accurate as an academic text Gregory does write with a terrific amount of knowledge and creates a real sense of intrigue.

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Suskind

A bit out of left-field, I know, but for some reason the novel seems to fit. Suskind's novel details the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in 18th Century France. Jean-Baptiste is a rather interesting figure in literature, he was born with an amazing sense of smell and following his passion for smells he becomes an apprentice perfume maker. Things get a bit weird when he becomes obsessed with creating the 'perfect' sent by trying various methods in order to extract different smells from young virgins he comes across on his travels. Trust me, it may not be 'opulence' but it is so, so very good and if you're interested in reading any one of the above books you will love this.

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Bonus: Anything by William Shakespeare

What kind of books are you in the mood for at the moment? Let me know!

Chat soon,
xo

*this post is not sponsored. Images are not mine, source links are in text.