Mistress of the Sun: Book summary and reviews of Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland

Mistress of the Sun Summary

The author of the internationally acclaimed Josephine Bonaparte trilogy returns with another irresistible historical novel, this one based on the life of Louise de la Vallière, who, against all odds, became one of the most mysterious consorts of France's Louis XIV, the charismatic Sun King.

Set against the magnificent decadence of the seventeenth-century French court, Mistress of the Sun begins when an eccentric young Louise falls in love with a wild white stallion and uses ancient magic to tame him. This one desperate action of her youth shadows her throughout her life, changing it in ways she could never imagine.

Unmarriageable, and too poor to join a convent, Louise enters the court of the Sun King, where the king is captivated by her. As their love unfolds, Louise bears Louis four children, is made a duchess, and reigns unrivaled as his official mistress until dangerous intrigue threatens her position at court and in Louis's heart.

A riveting love story with a captivating mystery at its heart, Mistress of the Sun illuminates both the power of true and perfect love and the rash actions we take to capture and tame it.

Mistress of the Sun Reviews

"Gulland skillfully blends fact and fiction to imagine the life of Louise de la Vallière (1644–1710), mistress to Louis XIV, France's Sun King. ...A supernatural element threaded throughout adds color to Gulland's vivid period imaginings." - Publishers Weekly

"Teeming with the rich period details that make historical fiction so rewarding, Gulland’s dynamic and nuanced portrait of Louis’ notorious reign thrums with page-turning expediency and deliciously seductive machinations." - Booklist

"[T]his is a fine telling, bolstered by the strength and sensitivity of Gulland's characterizations." - Kirkus Reviews

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Sandra Gulland is author of the Josephine B. Trilogy, internationally best-selling novels about Josephine Bonaparte, now published in 14 countries. Her website is at sandragulland.com. Mistress of the Sun, presently published in 7 languages, was first published in hardcover in June 2008.

Read Sandra's blog entry at BookBrowse.