I gave this book the top rating because I couldn't put it down. This is the first book in a long while that I couldn't wait to get home from work, get dinner over with and get to my comfy reading spot to get to reading this book. It flowed and keeps you engaged the entire time. Now all I really knew about Catherine de Medici was from watching the TV show Reign and from snippets on YouTube so being this is historical fiction I take what I read with a grain of salt but it is wonderful reading. So excited to start the second of a three part series on her. Loved this book! ( )

This one is about Catherine de Medici. It starts when she is a little girl in Italy, and follows her through the time her husband, King Henry of France, dies. Catherine is in love with her husband, but has to suffer the humiliation of Henry preferring a woman much older, and merely tolerating his loving wife. Catherine has learned throughout her life how to hide her feelings and do her best to sway situations to her advantage. No one realizes how very clever she really is…

I didn’t know anything about Catherine before reading this book, so of course, now I must go find something nonfiction, so I can find out what is true and what isn’t. It took me a little bit of time to get into the book, and I almost gave it 3.75 stars because of that, but in the end I decided I liked it enough to give it the full 4 stars. This was my first Plaidy book, but it won’t be my last. Not only that, Madame Serpent is the first in the trilogy about Catherine, and I do plan to read the others. ( )

This is an interesting character in French royal history and there are some well-written accounts of her. This is not one of them. Very tedious. ( )

All I knew of Catherine de Medici before reading this fictionalised account of her life was that she was a “bad” woman. I expected to dislike her character throughout this book, but despite a few “evil intentions”, I found myself on her side and making excuses for her whenever she went too far with anything.

This novel covers her time from the age of six through to thirty-nine. I had previously read an account of her after this period in a non-fiction work, namely a biography on Henry IV of France. In the bio she struck me as a nasty piece of work, whereas in this fiction-based-on-fact tale, she comes across as a more sympathetic character.

The author shows Catherine as an unloved person who’s treated badly or neglected by those who should care for her right from childhood. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, despite her occasional venomous deed or devious plan.

She also comes across as slightly barmy, which again evoked my sympathy, not mockery. She wastes much of her life by waiting for opportunities rather than accepting things as they are and looking for fulfilment elsewhere – I can’t be too specific here in case I gave anything away to anyone considering reading this book.

The plot is simple with little in the way of variation because of Catherine’s one-track way of thinking. This may be why many reviewers have given the novel average or poor ratings. It’s very much a character-driven tale, so if you don’t have patience for Catherine, chances are you won’t care for the story.

I always prefer books that are more focused on character interaction rather than complex plots full of twists and turn. I also prefer lots of dialogue and minimal descriptive passages. These are the reasons why this tome has appealed to me so much. I was engaged from the opening chapter and never grew bored.

A superb read. ( )

This is the first of three novels about Catherine de'Medici and her family. This one covers her childhood in Italy and her marriage to Henry II of France. The majority of the story covers life, love and intrigue at the French royal court in the 16th century. It is really enjoyable and easy to read, Catherine is neglected by her husband who favours his mistress and Catherine is frequently humiliated by his actions. History has painted Catherine de'Medici as a witch and a sorceress although this fictional account portrays her more as a woman desperately in love with her husband and willing to resort to any means to have him away from his mistress. I'll be reserving the follow-up to this next time I'm in the library. ( )