Angelique and the King

Of the first 5 books in the Angelique series, this is my favorite, because it portrays so many different facets of human nature. This book ravishes you with emotion, especially referencing to Philippe, as well as Luis XIV, both of them being so desperately needy. This book is riveting in its accounts of the court of the Sun King, the the plotting and scheming, the power plays, the decadence and the glory. Each scene grabs you and holds you as you breathlessly read on, hoping the book will never end.

I loved the first part of the book. The Golons have an incredible talent for incorporating historical and fictional characters. The reign of Louis XIV is my favorite period in history and thus I was eager to see how he and other members of his court were portrayed. The King's portrayal was wonderful and very true to his character. Angelique's interactions at the Court were very well written and the intrigues were in the spirit of one of my favorite novelists, Alexander Dumas. However, not everything worked. Philip's transformation came a little bit too quick and without much explanation. His infatuation with Angelique was apparent in the first book but he seemed to have mellowed in the middle. This change came too unexpectingly and overcame him completely. What happened to the gradual and slow change in emotions, so masterfully done with Angelique's feelings toward Count de Peyrac in the first book? Of course, Philip is a different character who is quite complex but the Golons did not capitalize on his complexity. The ending was a little bit weak but very rewarding for the fans of the series. The first part is tramendous. The rest has a few bumps but is still great. It is better than "The Road to Versaille" but not as good, on the whole, as the first book.

As there is no provision for Angelique and the Sultan (or Angelique in Barbary as it is known in some English translation versions)to be reviewed separately, I have decided to enter it in this section as it is the sequel to Angelique and the King. At the end of that book, Angelique decides to pursue an unknown destiny - she has part of the key to the lock, but not all of it ... at the start of Angelique and Sultan she discovers ever more tasty morsels. Well, actually those morsels are for us the reader - eager to know more, but even with the surprises and little hints that we get we are still left with not a bowl of water to quench our thirst, but a colander with the water slowly yet inexorably seeping away! Aaaah! yes, it's all worthy of a scream of frustration - the desire to know more, the carrots being dangled. Then peace and tranquillity dawn once more, the authors weave their magic by taking us away from the frustrations and thrusting us into the peaceful and romantic nature of calm sea waters and blissful colours and smells emanating from the mysterious near-east - until that is the new adventure begins. We have to put our clues on hold and follow the madness with which our heroine has become entangled - we fear only for her safety, everything else can wait. But we get a few more clues at one point - clues which are so obvious we decide not to set too much store by them as they are obviously red herrings! This book, like its successors, speeds you along wanting to get to the next chapter of this overwhelming adventure that has a long way to run yet.

I looked forward to reading this book again, knowing now that I would have the opportunity of "reviewing" it on this page. That made me think a bit more (my first 2 reveiws were spontaneous and without much pre-thought)about why I have always considered this book one of my favourites of the series. As I started to read I felt, once again, a certain frustration in the turnaround of events; in that Angelique had to pursue her beautiful big cousin and finally blackmail him into marrying her (instead of him falling at her feet like so many others did). My memories of previously reading this were that she was almost betraying the memory of Joffrey, whatever her motives - this time I felt more in tune with her motivation - perhaps because I too have re-married (with no blackmail on my part let me add in haste!) This relationship is doomed from the start, although Phillipes' demise is ironical considering his need to primp himself and at all times consider his exterior image. I have a tinge of regret for Angeliques loss but can't help feeling a bit relieved that it had to happen - otherwise how else could the rest of the series have been written? In this relationship Angelique had the sort of teasing and testing of her emotions that at a similar stage of her relationship with Joffrey had never come into play - the authors brilliantly interweave conflicting emotions in two separate relationships. Angeliques star becomes ever brighter after the death of Phillippe with the continued help of devoted servants and her allies from the days of the Court of Miracles, some of whom like her are at Versailles. She succeeds in not only preventing her own death and that of her remaining son Florimond, but manages to overpower the machinations of Montespan and put paid to her threats for the immediate future at least. The short episode of Cantor (where we meet him as a real person for the first time) was sensitively dealt with - the fact that Angelique asked for Phillippes' involvement (here, he was, for once not such a resentful adolescent himself for a change) in the decision making process made his ultimate capitulation to her all the sweeter. Angeliques memory of herself at that age also brings up another query in previous translations of these books. She refers to an incident in Marquise of the Angels when she herself had wanted to leave home - this episode is not evident in all translations. So finally - I can reveal why this book is one of my favourites - in it we are given news that we had not dared hope for, a little like Oscar Wilds "the love that dare not speak its name" - yes, I know this refers to something more specific, but the poignancy of the words evoke strong and powerful emotions. Angelique (and therefore we) are told that the King had pardoned Joffroi, that he had arranged for him not to be burned at the stake and in the course of the transfer from pyre to prison Joffroi had disappeared ....... I, the

The sequel to "Angelique: The Road to Versailles," begins with Angelique's complex relationship with her second husband and cousin, Philippe du Plessis-Belliere, and ends with her ascendency to the title of favorite of King Louis XIV. Her relationship with the King is clouded with the knowledge that Louis years before had ordered the execution of her first husband, Joffrey de Peyrac, whom she loved dearly. I will not give away the story, as the climax is one of the great scenes in the entire series. Here again, Anne Golon's talent for mixing history and fiction shines through. The court of Louis XIV is portrayed with vivid accuracy. The reader ends up feeling that he or she really gets to know the characters, be they historical or fictional. This book has been out of print for decades, and is a real treasure for anyone's collection.