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The Confessions of Monsieur E by Jules Harper
“From a tiny French village to the glittery debauchery of 17th century Paris… Take a romp through the wicked court of King Louis XIV… Nothing is censored. Everything is for sale.” Does that caption intrigue you? Then dive into the world of Monsieur E. It is the time of Louis XIV and while the young King enjoys women and…
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Mademoiselle de Scudéri by E. T. A. Hoffmann
For some strange reason, I have never quite gotten to read E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Mademoiselle de Scudéri, A Tale from the Times of Louis XIV… but I had it in my mailbox the other day and read it thus, while I totally was not supposed to engage in other activities. Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was a Prussian Romantic author of fantasy…
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The Transvestite Memoirs of the Abbe de Choisy
François Timoléon, Abbé de Choisy, was not only a man of the church, but also France’s most famous cross-dresser of the 17th century. As kid, he played dressing up with Louis XIV’s brother. As adult, his love for opulent dresses carried on and he even lived as a woman for a while. The Transvestite Memoirs is an account on how…
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A Thousand Notable Things by Thomas Lupton
If you ever wondered what household tricks your ancestors might recommend, have a look at Thomas Lupton’s A thousand notable things, on various subjects; disclosed from the secrets of nature. It’s a vast collection of all kind of tips, tricks, advice on how to deal with illnesses or children and wives, how to keep the plague away and cure deafness,…
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Review: City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly Tucker
Holly Tucker, author of Blood Work and Pregnant Fictions, dived deep into the archives and into one of the most interesting tales of the reign of Louis XIV, the infamous affaire des poisons. “A TALE AS TWISTED AS ANY AGATHA CHRISTIE MURDER MYSTERY.” —Deborah Blum— Author of The Poisoner’s Handbook Her new book City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and…
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Versailles by Elizabeth Massie
There are many cases in which the book is better than the movie or show. Naturally, a book has more space for descriptions, while a movie or show needs to be more compact. In books many small details can be added to make the reader feel engulfed in the setting and not just that. A book, especially one set in…
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Charlatan by Kate Braithwaite
I had the extraordinary pleasure to read Kate Braithwaite‘s novel Charlatan pre-release. Charlatan is a captivating tale set in 17th century France. It takes us to the court of Louis XIV and into the chambers of Madame de Montespan, to the dreadful prison cells of the Chateau de Vincennes and the darkest corners of Paris, where sorceress and fortune tellers await their…
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L’École des filles – The School of Venus
Partly out of boredom, partly out of curiosity, and definitely while I was supposed to do a different kind of research, I have read L’Escole des Filles ou la Philosophie des dames. This scandalously naughty piece of work was written by an unknown person of French origin and first published in Paris in 1655 and caused quite the stir, figuratively and…
