17th Century Mills and Boon , 24 Nov 2008
Said to be the earliest French novel, this is a charming story of a virtuous married woman - the Princess de Cleves - at the 17th century French court of Henry II. She is wooed by the Prince de Nemours, the most charming man at court and remains faithful in body to her husband whilst falling in love with Nemours. Desperate to get away from temptation she confesses to her husband so that he will permit her to retire to the country but he erupts with fierce jealousy that ultimately leads to the ruin of their marriage and his death. Although theoretically free now to marry Nemours, the Princess retires instead to a nunnery to live out her life.

This is a terrific restrained love story and Lafayette brilliant plays the power of the lovers' emotions against their understanding of the conventions of society and their place in it. The second half of the book is very tender and draws the reader into the unfolding tragedy. However, the first half, setting up the scene, is very densely written and assumes a knowledge of the court, its characters and manners that a modern reader struggles with. I had to re-read much of this material in order to follow who was who and how it all fitted together. Some of this is simply background of the nature of gossip and does not directly relate to the matter at hand, although it does provide wonderful colour. I found the book a slow read even though it is a very short and I often had to put it down to take stock.

Overall, it is more of historical interest than ideal for a modern reader, what it really deserves is a modern retelling because the love story at the heart of the book is genuinely human.

Enthralling, glamorous, emotional, 28 Sep 2006
This is a great novel to read in French as it's not too difficult linguistically and there's a strong narrative which flows effortlessly and keeps you going. Written during the reign of Louis XIV, it's set in the court of Henri II and tells the story of Mme de Cleves, her marriage and her doomed love for the Duc de Nemours. It's elegantly written without being dense, and perfectly accessible for A level students.

17th Century Mills and Boon , 24 Nov 2008
Said to be the earliest French novel, this is a charming story of a virtuous married woman - the Princess de Cleves - at the 17th century French court of Henry II. She is wooed by the Prince de Nemours, the most charming man at court and remains faithful in body to her husband whilst falling in love with Nemours. Desperate to get away from temptation she confesses to her husband so that he will permit her to retire to the country but he erupts with fierce jealousy that ultimately leads to the ruin of their marriage and his death. Although theoretically free now to marry Nemours, the Princess retires instead to a nunnery to live out her life.

This is a terrific restrained love story and Lafayette brilliant plays the power of the lovers' emotions against their understanding of the conventions of society and their place in it. The second half of the book is very tender and draws the reader into the unfolding tragedy. However, the first half, setting up the scene, is very densely written and assumes a knowledge of the court, its characters and manners that a modern reader struggles with. I had to re-read much of this material in order to follow who was who and how it all fitted together. Some of this is simply background of the nature of gossip and does not directly relate to the matter at hand, although it does provide wonderful colour. I found the book a slow read even though it is a very short and I often had to put it down to take stock.

Overall, it is more of historical interest than ideal for a modern reader, what it really deserves is a modern retelling because the love story at the heart of the book is genuinely human.

Enthralling, glamorous, emotional, 28 Sep 2006
This is a great novel to read in French as it's not too difficult linguistically and there's a strong narrative which flows effortlessly and keeps you going. Written during the reign of Louis XIV, it's set in the court of Henri II and tells the story of Mme de Cleves, her marriage and her doomed love for the Duc de Nemours. It's elegantly written without being dense, and perfectly accessible for A level students.

17th Century Mills and Boon , 24 Nov 2008
Said to be the earliest French novel, this is a charming story of a virtuous married woman - the Princess de Cleves - at the 17th century French court of Henry II. She is wooed by the Prince de Nemours, the most charming man at court and remains faithful in body to her husband whilst falling in love with Nemours. Desperate to get away from temptation she confesses to her husband so that he will permit her to retire to the country but he erupts with fierce jealousy that ultimately leads to the ruin of their marriage and his death. Although theoretically free now to marry Nemours, the Princess retires instead to a nunnery to live out her life.

This is a terrific restrained love story and Lafayette brilliant plays the power of the lovers' emotions against their understanding of the conventions of society and their place in it. The second half of the book is very tender and draws the reader into the unfolding tragedy. However, the first half, setting up the scene, is very densely written and assumes a knowledge of the court, its characters and manners that a modern reader struggles with. I had to re-read much of this material in order to follow who was who and how it all fitted together. Some of this is simply background of the nature of gossip and does not directly relate to the matter at hand, although it does provide wonderful colour. I found the book a slow read even though it is a very short and I often had to put it down to take stock.

Overall, it is more of historical interest than ideal for a modern reader, what it really deserves is a modern retelling because the love story at the heart of the book is genuinely human.

Enthralling, glamorous, emotional, 28 Sep 2006
This is a great novel to read in French as it's not too difficult linguistically and there's a strong narrative which flows effortlessly and keeps you going. Written during the reign of Louis XIV, it's set in the court of Henri II and tells the story of Mme de Cleves, her marriage and her doomed love for the Duc de Nemours. It's elegantly written without being dense, and perfectly accessible for A level students.