Princesse of Versailles: The Life of Marie Adelaide of Savoy - Hardcover

Drawing on such popular histories as Nancy Mitford's The Sun King (1966), Elliott, a San Francisco writer, weaves through an informed and absorbing history of Louis XIV's court at Versailles the cloying story of little Adelaide, the ``perfect princess,'' betrothed at age ten to the king's grandson and sent to court to be groomed as the future queen. Traded off by her father, the Duke of Savoy, to secure a fitful peace, brave but ``merry'' Adelaide won the heart of the aging king and his secret wife, the wise Mme. Maintenon. They doted on Adelaide, amused her with hunts, masquerades, and fireworks while she learned the ceremonies and intrigues on which the opulent court functioned. ``Gay,'' ``reckless,'' ``irrepressible,'' briefly addicted to gambling, often ill-natured, mischievous, and demanding, Adelaide at age 14 married her moody, austere, and eccentric prince. As the ``18th century dawned over Europe,'' bickering over the Spanish succession turned into a long and costly war (1702-13), conducted only in the spring and summer under strict rules of decorum that guaranteed the dignity of the warring royals, all of whom were related. The war, however, was merely an unpleasant interlude in Adelaide's repeated attempts to produce an heir. Along with many miscarriages, she had three sons: One died in infancy, another at age five, and the last--orphaned as a toddler when both Adelaide and the Dauphin died of measles--grew up to become the ill-fated Louis XV. For those who like to read about the domestic life of royals, this is a rich tale. For the sake of Adelaide, though, it trivializes the marvelous French court, and turns the powerful and fearsome Louis XIV into an aging Maurice Chevalier singing ``Thank Heaven for Little Girls'' as he ogles his grandson's wife. (Sixteen pages of b&w photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

The brief life of this Savoyard princess (1685-1712) provides a fresh and fascinating vantage point from which to observe the Versailles of Louis XIV. At the age of 12, for diplomatic reasons, Marie Adelaide of Savoy married the Duke of Bourgogne, eldest grandson of the Sun King. Her chief claims to fame were the impish wit that enlivened the royal court in Louis XIV's final decades and the fact that she was the mother of Louis XV. The author makes a few slips (e.g., in implying that Louis XIV's religious intolerance was abnormal for the period), but in general he has a sure grasp of the material and appears to have read all the important diaries and memoirs by persons who lived at the court. Many readers will be surprised to learn that Louis XIV could be a loving family man. This is highly recommended for academic and public libraries.
- T . J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.