Rated of 5
by Amy H. (Benbrook, TX) Positively Scandalous!
C.W. Gortner's historical novel of Catherine de Medici was wonderful! Interesting and fast-paced, this tale was a well-written piece of a fascinating character in history. Gortner does a phenomenal job of portraying a very complicated era in French history and making it interesting to the reader. Catherine does, eventually, become a lovable character, and I felt great empathy for each of her losses and failures...and there were many. I recommend to any who adore historical fiction. Well done!
Rated of 5
by Carol N. (Indian Springs VIllage, AL) Catherine de Medici in her own words
I fully enjoyed this book of historical fiction about the life of Catherine de Medici. I have not read any books about her prior to this but it has piqued my interest in both France and Italy. I read a lot of historical fiction about England and this book compares favorably to the authors I have read before. I think anyone interested in this period of French history would enjoy the book, especially because of the first person narrative which makes it more interesting to me. I will be looking for other books by this author as I liked the style of writing.
Rated of 5
by Joyce W. (Rochester, MN) Intrigue and Politics in the 16th Century
C. W. Gortner crafted a believable historical novel of Catherine De Medici's life. He takes the reader behind the castle walls and weaves a web of jealousy and manipulation. It is a fascinating portrayal of marriage between royal families to create alliances between countries. From the bedroom to the board room, life is never dull.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
read more
U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
Full Story
of 5
by Amy H. (Benbrook, TX) 
of 5
by Carol N. (Indian Springs VIllage, AL) 
