Patti Flinn tisse avec délicatesse la misère et les atrocités vécues par les enfants enlevés à leurs parents africains ou issu de l'Inde colonisée par les Brittaniques, au XVIII° siècle.
"The Greatest Thing" est le premier livre d'une saga qui retrace la vie sous Louis XV et Louis XVI à Versailles en France, vu par les yeux d'un tout jeune garçon destiné à devenir le Page de la favorite du Roi, Madame du Barry, juste avant la célèbre Révolution de 1789 qui détrona la royauté définitivement.

En faisant parler ce garçon noir des Indes brittaniques, en proie à la misère mais soucieux d'apprendre le plus possible de ses "adoptants" royaux, l'auteur nous offre un fantastique roman jubilatoire et drolatique, tendre et electrisant, qui nous éclaire sur la vie à la cour du Roi en France, mais aussi sur ses dérives et les punitions, cruelles et humiliantes.

Une fresque lumineuse et puissante, qui dévoile une vérité méconnue sur les dessous de la vie à Versailles, l'emblématique demeure des Rois de France !
Merci pour cette lecture, enrichissante et originale, qui m'a conviée à Versailles ! ( )

"I lost my name somewhere on the way to France."

A well crafted and expertly written novel, Flinn depicts the social and racial standings of the citizens of 18th century France.

The character of Zamor was written well, and his development from a young child into a young man was well done - each age being depicted in a way that I felt was accurate, especially with his trauma and upbringing in mind.

Zamor's relationship with the Madame du Barry was one that intrigued me, and I felt that the complicated nature of it was portrayed skillfully.

One thing that I was not a fan of, however, was the inputs from Zamor through his notes that appeared every few chapters. The format of this book is as a fictionalist biography, so inputs from the 'author' as an older man reflecting on his life are to be expected, but I found that they were often confusing and unneccesary, frequently telling the reader something obvious that could have been shown instead.

Overall an excellant read that I could not put down. I cannot wait to explore the rest of Zamor's life in the following books.

I revieced this book via LibraryThing and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this story, well crafted and written, easy to read. Based on a real person and real events in France’s history, the story flowed well and the characters generously portrayed and easy to understand.
I look forward to the next two books about the Favorites Page. ( )

This is the author's take on a true story.

A young boy is taken from his family and given as a gift to Madame du. Barry the mistress of King Louis XV. He is too young to know much about what is happening and is given a new name.

His life appears perfect with lavish meals and clothes but as time passes he becomes increasingly unhappy and longs for freedom.

This is a book which could be very dry and wordy but is anything but. The reader is transported to Versailles and can really feel as if you are there.

I knew very little about this time in french history and this book has gone a long way to correct that.

I look forward to reading his next adventures. ( )