Princesse of Versailles

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Juicy details about the domestic lives of the rich and famous in 17th-century France enliven this entertaining and instructive biography, which focuses on the doting relationship between Louis XIV and Adelaide, his grandson's wife and the mother of Louis XV. When this daughter of the Duke of Savoy was 10, Louis brought her to Versailles for a political marriage with the 12-year-old Duke of Burgundy, and over the years he grew to adore her company even more than he did that of his famous mistress, Mme. de Maintenon. Not skimping on homely details, Elliott, a first-time author, describes Louis's enormous meals, his levees on the chamber pot, Maintenon's complaints about his insatiable lust, Adelaide's sloppy dressing, daily routines, pregnancies, illnesses and medical treatment, as well as the Sun King's politics, wars and architectural fancies. The titillating mixture of gossip and history makes for a spicy read, as much about Louis in his roles as paterfamilias , lover of women and creative ruler as it is about Adelaide herself. Illustrations not seen by PW. (July)

Library Journal

The brief life of this Savoyard princess (1685-1712) provides a fresh and fascinating vantage point from which to observe the Versailles of Louis XIV. At the age of 12, for diplomatic reasons, Marie Adelaide of Savoy married the Duke of Bourgogne, eldest grandson of the Sun King. Her chief claims to fame were the impish wit that enlivened the royal court in Louis XIV's final decades and the fact that she was the mother of Louis XV. The author makes a few slips (e.g., in implying that Louis XIV's religious intolerance was abnormal for the period), but in general he has a sure grasp of the material and appears to have read all the important diaries and memoirs by persons who lived at the court. Many readers will be surprised to learn that Louis XIV could be a loving family man. This is highly recommended for academic and public libraries.-- T . J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., N.Y.