Love and Louis XIV cover art

Love and Louis XIV

The Women in the Life of the Sun King

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Love and Louis XIV

By: Antonia Fraser
Narrated by: Julia Franklin
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About this listen

Mistresses and wives, mothers and daughters - Antonia Fraser brilliantly explores the relationships which existed between The Sun King and the women in his life. This includes not only Louis XIV's mistresses, principally Louise de La Vallière, Athénaïs de Montespan, and the puritanical Madame de Maintenon, but also the wider story of his relationships with women in general, including his mother Anne of Austria, his two sisters-in-law who were Duchesses d'Orléans in succession, Henriette-Anne and Liselotte, his wayward illegitimate daughters, and lastly Adelaide, the beloved child-wife of his grandson.

© Antonia Fraser; (P) Clipper Audio Europe Middle ages

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Critic reviews

“A sparkling history which captures the giddy quality of the times.” (Sunday Telegraph)

“Vividly capturing 17th-century Europe's most extravagant court.” (Daily Express)
All stars
Most relevant  
Although I enjoyed the book I did not appreciate unfortunately the choice of narrator. Overall another great Antonia Fraser book though.

Fantastic Book

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A moving story of the different women Louis loved. He was ruthless in getting who he wanted and doing what he wanted. The narrator has a great voice.

The Sun King

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I thoroughly enjoyed this audio. I learned more from this than the programme which I also enjoyed. The narrator was easy to listen. I was never bored.

Educational

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Read by someone with impeccable French pronunciation, but I was often confused by the multiplicity of similar names (unavoidable I suppose). I was slightly familiar with all these women and was pleased to learn about them in more depth. But there was nothing exciting about this account, as apart from ‘one night stands’, Louis XIV had only 3 or 4 long term mistresses. I was more engaged by Antonia Fraser’s ‘Great Reform Act 1832’.

A narrative Lacking in excitement

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Time hasn't been kind to this account of Louis XIV's court. It is a long and sadly unengaging account, with little in the way of insight or even interest in the characters of the various women. The title is a little misleading - the subtitle is more accurate, since Louis' sister, mother and other female courtiers take up much of the narrative. It feels as if nearly all the research was done from secondary sources, so one doesn't hear very often the real words of the king or the women around him. In short, not a very interesting listen and for this reader at least, not worth a credit.

This is not Fraser at her best

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