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Just published: The Black Tower, by Louis Bayard

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Sat October 3rd, 2009, 12:05 pm

I'm putting this one on my wish list. And Catherine, this summer I visited Paris and saw Versailles and the Conciergerie among other places and so I really want to re-read Mistress of the Revolution.
~Susan~
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Catherine Delors
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Post by Catherine Delors » Sat October 3rd, 2009, 12:37 pm

Great, Susan! I hope you enjoyed your trip. Nothing like seeing the real settings.

Did you see the Place de la Concorde, where several of my characters met an untimely death on the guillotine?

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Sat October 3rd, 2009, 2:58 pm

[quote=""Catherine Delors""]Great, Susan! I hope you enjoyed your trip. Nothing like seeing the real settings.

Did you see the Place de la Concorde, where several of my characters met an untimely death on the guillotine?[/quote]

Indeed I did, Catherine! I was never that up on French royalty and history, but I've become more interested since my trip.
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

Leena
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Post by Leena » Sat October 3rd, 2009, 3:06 pm

Hi Catherine,

Absolutely. Vidocq is one of the more unique characters I've seen in awhile. I've been meaning to do a little more research to see how close Bayard got to the real personality. I'm glad you told us this. I knew he was to some extent, but I wonder about his sense of humor and justice. I really liked his sense of humor! :)

This is one era of history that I didn't know much about. Post-Revolution, post-Napolean, so I'm glad to have picked this book up. I very nearly put it back on the table, but I thought 'time for a new era in History.' So much of what I've been reading lately has been about the late 19th and early 20th century.
Last edited by Leena on Sat October 3rd, 2009, 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me. " (Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey)

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Catherine Delors
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Post by Catherine Delors » Mon October 5th, 2009, 2:30 pm

Leena, if you are interested in Vidocq, I recommend his Memoirs. Not always truthful, to say the least, but a most entertaining read.

The film Vidocq by Pitoff, with Gerard Depardieu, is very good, if rather urban noir. I am not sure whether it was released in English version, but it gives an idea, not only of the real Vidocq, but also of the legend the man succeeded in creating around himself during his lifetime.

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Felicia J
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Post by Felicia J » Mon October 5th, 2009, 5:55 pm

I just checked this out from the library; it looks really good. I hope to get to it in the next couple of weeks. I have a few other library books to read first that are due back sooner!

The Lost King of France by Deborah Cadbury is an excellent non-fiction account of what happened to the Dauphin after his parents were guillotined. It covers the claims of all the various pretenders.

Leena
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Post by Leena » Wed October 7th, 2009, 11:44 pm

Felicia J, The Lost King sounds very interesting. Is it relatively new? I seem to remember seeing something with a similar title not so long ago. I love anything with a touch of mystery to it, so this should be interesting. Thanks for the rec.
"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me. " (Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey)

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Felicia J
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Post by Felicia J » Thu October 8th, 2009, 5:33 pm

Hello Leena. I think Lost King has been out for awhile. It features the results of DNA testing on a heart the doctor who performed the autopsy supposedly stole from the Dauphin's body. (Ick!)

One of the best things about this book is the concise, riveting account of what happened to the royal family when the revolution erupted. It is hard to read in places. Poor Louis-Charles suffered horribly at his captor's hands. But the book is really well written and gripping. I gave it an A+ on my blog.

Leena
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Post by Leena » Sun November 1st, 2009, 3:34 pm

Thanks Felicia. It sounds really interesting and would be helpful since I know so little about this era. I'll keep an eye out for it.
"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me. " (Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey)

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David Ross Erickson
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Post by David Ross Erickson » Fri April 1st, 2011, 1:56 pm

I read Pale Blue Eye and enjoyed it. How can you not love Poe as a character? I've been meaning to check out this author's other books, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

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