Yours Truly

Yours Truly
Janet Fauble at home

Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Shadow Queen by Sandra Gulland

In Sandra Gulland's latest release, The Shadow Queen, our young heroine is Claude des Oillettes, an attendant and confidante to Louis XIV's mistress Madame de Montespan.  Through this carefully researched novel on the Ancien Regime and its theatrical companies, we come to meet with the actors , actresses, and playwrights of the 17th century as well as a few members of the Sun King's court.

The novel is divided into five acts, in which we follow Claude and her family through tumultuous times in the life of the theatre and the court.  Claude was born into a theatrical family so that early on she is trained in the skills of the dramatist, the art of  set designs, and the tricks and secrets of the actors and actresses.  Her mother is a gifted actress whose early successes enable her to continue her craft long after her husband is deceased.  She is the "star" of the family upon whose talents they manage to survive.  However, unfortunately for the family, the Catholic church considers the world of theatre to be a tool of the devil so that they do not gain respect or recognition from the clerical world.  They are shunned and despised as if they are evil participants against the rules and laws of the Church and its interpretation of a Christian life.  That meant that when her father had passed, he was not given a proper Christian burial. In order to receive such an honor, one had to renounce his trade and his work as an artist.

During the travels of the theatrical group, Claude meets a young woman by the name of Tonnay-Charente, a young aristocratic woman who is desiring to kill her governess with a spell of some kind. She asks Claude to help her by giving her a spell or enchantment, and Claude due to her poverty and her station in life, quickly offers to help her.  Naturally, the spell does not work, but the two women have met so that when chance brings them again later due to the theatre, they pick up where they left off and become friends of a kind.  This begins an entirely new chapter in Claude's life in which she must give up living with her mother and younger brother to move to live with Tonnay-Charente who has adopted the name of Athenais.

Athenais has quite an influence on the young Claude who has skills and talents that Athenais can use to her benefit, and soon when Athenais's own star has risen high enough, Claude is taken with her as her confidante and attendant to cover for her when she is acting as mistress to the King.

Claude has become a captive of the temperamental, dominating Athenais so that she does everything as she is told since she is being rewarded and paid so well that Claude can pay all past debts, and provide sustenance and aid for her family.

We are taken through the world of theatre, the world of witches and witchcraft, potions and poisons, and we even meet the famous Sun King who in this situation is seen only as a power symbol for Athenais who desires to be Queen.  Unfortunately for Athenais, she is married to another, and thus is committing adultery, a grave sin in the Catholic faith, and as the King is likewise married, both are committing the sin of double adultery.  Because the church fathers are opposed to their relationship, they must end their relationship so that a house (Clagny) is built for Athenais. She must leave the court.  Claude follows her, but Athenais is greedy and goes a step too far, and loses Claude forever.

The business of poisons being used is soon discovered which rocks the boat of the court, and both Claude and Athenais are implicated but a trial ensues that sets them both free.  Claude is taken to a jail where she is said to be identified as having bought poisons from the witch but she denies her role in the affair as she had always gone disguised and had used a false name. How could anyone know her or identify her is what she is left to wonder.  A motive is a supposed vendetta against Athenais.

Because she had earlier had an impromptu forced relationship with the King, she has become pregnant and has borne a child, a girl who is said to look like the father.  She threatens to expose this if she is forced to go to trial to tell her story to the court.  She has a friend who delivers this message to the king so that she is sent from the court never to return with a payoff, a bribe, or just a gift, and is freed from any possible scandal involving her and Athenais.  The King thus learns of his bastard daughter and that may be the cause for the huge sums of money paid to her.  At any rate, she is able to pay off all debts, buy herself a house, and be free and independent to live her life as she chooses.

I enjoyed reading this book because there is so much loving, tender care demonstrated towards certain key characters in the book.  Sandra takes on a high moral tone in the telling of the story so that one can only sympathize with the theatrical players, with Claude herself, and even with the playwrights who are competing with one another.  The character of the young "simple" half wit brother whose name is Gaston is very intriguing and encouraging since he is a loving, gentle child who gets himself into trouble without really knowing why.  Claude is portrayed as a practical and responsible young woman who has sacrificed everything in life for the well being of her family, and one can only admire and like her for that.  Her family is very endearing as is the old playwright  Pierre Corneille who is being replaced by the young Moliere and Jean Racine.

The character who is most intriguing is Athenais, the great Madame de Montespan, herself.  She is drawn very carefully and well by the author.  Athenais is a difficult woman to understand, but in this novel which appears to follow history well, she is crafty, cunning, intelligent, wise, charming, and very human in her fits of temper and haughty attitude.  She is a strange woman who believes in herself so much that she is reduced to using potions and amulets to get her own way...which belies her so called confidence and self assurance.  But her character is very likable despite doing some very despicable things.  

The Sun King is portrayed in a very poor light as seen through the eyes of Claude.  Claude has been forced to substitute herself for the King's "relief", a sex session at an appointed time, since Athenais has reason to abstain from her usual entertainment.  The King does not appear to be very pleased with the fact that he has to use Claude instead of Athenais but the union is so successful that Claude eventually realizes that she has become pregnant with his child.   Twice Claude has to do the bidding of the formidable Athenais when Athenais is unable to perform her royal function for the King's pleasure.  We only meet with the king again on another occasion when Athenais insults and humiliates him in front of Louvois, his military general but the King behaves in a gentlemanly way while giving in to both the offended mistress and the stricken general as well.  This incident may be the reason that Louvois later singles out both Athenais and Claude in the scandalous poisons business.

During all this time spent, Claude has made many friends.  At her mother's funeral service, all the world of theatre pays homage to her, demonstrating their admiration and love for her and her family.  Claude finds help for her brother Gaston through a Christian monastery that is truly behaving in the way of Christ and thus hope wins in this novel of great contrasts.  The rotten soiled dirty side of Paris is as vivid as the luxurious, opulent splendor of chandeliers, gold gilt ceilings, and sparkling diamonds scattered about on gowns and jackets.

It is a charming book, well written with vivid descriptions of countryside, riverside, and newly constructed chateaux.  Through the use of Claude as narrator, we see Louvois as looking like a pig with his beady eyes,  Athenais as a blue-eyed blonde with hanging curls,  and the tall Claude with big feet and small breasts dressed to look like a man in disguise.  Neither the Widow Scarron or the small Spanish Queen appear but simply to be mentioned in this novel.  It is all about the world of theatre, of witches and poisons, and of the luxurious Athenais and her confidante held captive, Claude.  Claude who had once played the role of a dog at last finds her own freedom and her own home.  For her, there is peace in the valley.

I recommend The Shadow Queen as the best book that Sandra has written to date.  I liked it the best.  It has a lot of heart, and tender loving care.  It is a touching and warm read.




No comments:

Post a Comment