Before Versailles is historical fiction set in France in just six months, March through September of 1661, early in the reign of Louis XIV.  The book portrays the young king coming into his own to outmaneuver an advisor who has become too powerful.  The novel also provides a glimpse into the complex relationships between the king, his mother and brother, his brother's wife, and various government officials and members of the royal household - including many flirtatious ladies.

Karleen Koen's novel was quite interesting to me, but a bit hard to follow at times, because the narrative viewpoint shifts between so many characters.  I thought Grover Gardner was fine as the narrator.  The list of characters in the print book and on Koen's website was extremely helpful.

© Amanda Pape - 2017

[The e-audiobook, and an e-book for reference, were borrowed from and returned to public libraries.] ( )

Since Through a Glass Darkly I have been hoping for Karleen Koen to devote an entire novel to Louis XIV (I am a passionate fan of the Sun King). And now here it is!

The action of the novel is concentrated in a very short time, the few months that it took for the young Louis XIV to get rid of Nicolas Fouquet, the all-powerful superintendent of finances of France. In fact, the same period covered by Dumas in The Vicomte de Bragelonne. So, I was quite familiar with some of the scenes, which allowed me to enjoy even more the treatment they are given here.

There is also the story of the Man in the Iron Mask, revised and rewritten in a new – and quite touching – way.

Focusing on such a short time frame, however, also has some disadvantages: the main one is that the author sometimes has to intervene directly to foreshadow the future; every time this happens you have something like a voiceover anticipating things the characters cannot yet know, so the POV swings and blurs.

Some characters are well drawn. Others seem to be there just to advance the plot. Or was I just focusing my attention on my favourite characters? I liked Anne of Austria, Louis, his brother Philippe, and the latter's wife, Minette (Henrietta-Anne of England). I am quite a fan of Philippe, have always been, so I generally have no time for poor Minette. Still, I like the way she is presented here, I can almost understand her.

The novel has good pace, and could easily be converted into a script.

Overall, a pleasant book to read... and I hope for a sequel! ( )

I won a copy of this book through First Reads, and was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This novel was a great introduction to the historical fiction genre. The plot itself was not overly complex, and though initially there were a lot of characters very quickly introduced, each character was well developed and believable, making it a very easy and interesting read. The narrative and dialogue flowed naturally, and the descriptions and details given were just enough and did not distract from the plot. Overall, an interesting work of fiction I hadn't expected to enjoy when I picked it up, but has left me planning to read Koen's other novels. ( )

Before Versaille is a novel of King Louis XIV, who reigned for over 72 years in France. This book however takes place for four months early in his reign. This is a story filled with court intrigue, forbidden love affairs, mystery and a cast of characters, some real and some imagined. Ms. Koen's writing is the kind that pulls the reader right into the story and the reader can almost see the beauty of the women, the gowns and the palace's that are described. I have been a fan of Karleen Koen for many years since I read the first book Through a Glass Darkly and she did not disappoint me with this book. A historical fiction novel that will appeal to readers who love the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a copy of the book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review. ( )

I really loved reading Koen's tale of King Louis XIV and his court. Filled with intrigue and so many characters that I could hardly keep them straight, there are a number of character-driven stories going on at once. I've always wondered if the promiscuity of these monarchs was completely just due to their own personalities and appetites, or also driven by marriages that were made without their involvement at such a young age. When two young people are forced to marry, as a way of uniting two countries, who is to say that they know anything about love, romance, or the heart? It does seem like they are seemingly coached into romantic intrigue. It's just something I found interesting to consider, especially as we watch young Louis really only driven by relationships with women he met in the court around him. In other words, like we see today, he had a group of people he "hung out with" and then clicked with some of the women, who later became his courtesans. It's all very, very interesting.

There were many different characters to follow in this story, and I first had to establish who was supposedly "good" and who was "bad." That list was a bit static, but once I kind of knew the cast of characters, the story fell into place a bit more. Although the novel could have delved into even more about political and social issues facing France during his reign, this was a novel about relationships, conspiracy, and intrigue, all surrounding a need for power, attention, and control. Not really told from one point of view, we get a nice look at both men and women in this story, to get a truly interesting tale of King Louis XIV. I really enjoyed it. ( )