The King's Doll

This is a pleasant book which deserves at least one review. It is best read by a Francophile as Ms. Chater seems to have quite a few insights into the nuances of that culture. The sprinkling of French language was also a nice touch, although not all of them are translated for the reader. The tale is set at the very beginning of the Regency, or perhaps slightly before. A youngish French lady is sent with her mother to England to escape the Revolution which is just starting in France. The idea is for her to marry an English nobleman so that she will be adequately provided for. King Louis, the former "patron" of her widowed mother, sends the two of them to the English Duke of Landsdale hoping that he will sponsor them and see them comfortably settled. They stay with his mother and the young girl end up falling in love with the Duke. The mother's romance is a bit surprising and wholy incomprehensible (she fell in love just by seeing her gentleman?) but nonetheless sweet. Some of the writing seemed a bit stilted the first couple of times I read the book, but I believe that the overarching tone is one of irony. If you keep that in mind and enjoy the French, you will probably enjoy this book. My only complaint about this particular publication of the book is that the cover picture looks nothing like the description of either hero or heroine. The characters are more suitable for the mother and her love interest. In any event, the book is charming and worth a read.