The Lost Duchess

The Lost Duchess by Jenny Barden

The Last Duchess by Jenny Barden is a wonderful descriptive novel of early tudor England and the very different conditions encountered by the early settlers at Roanoke Island in the New World. The story follows the adventures of Emme, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I and an adventurer sailor, Kit, who has decided to make a new life in the New World.

This novel gives fascinating insights into the times of Elizabeth I and the many courtiers and famous characters from history who surrounded the Queen during these eventful years e.g. Lord Burghley, Sir Francis Walsingham, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and Christopher Hatton.

Emme and Kit are the main protagonists and the story follows their adventures and romance closely. It is a wonderful tale of beauty, mystery and also courage.

In this story there is an account given of the mystery surrounding the early settlers of Roanoke Island and what may have happened to them. The story is also peppered by real life characters of the times who were engaged as governors , botanists and scientists amongst the early settlers.

This book is well recommended. I found this book wonderful. It is educational, historical and also fascinating to read about these earlier times in the history of England and USA. The story is quite compelling and quickly draws the reader into the narrative.

I found reading this story and learning of the early days of settlement in the New World , the dangers and hardships incurred and also the strength and resilience of the early settlers to be a beautiful story.

Angelique and the Ghosts

Angelique and the Ghosts

I love reading the Angelique series of books because they seem so real.

The wonderful settings and beauty of prose give these novels

a dimension which is magical. Once again, following on from

the adventures and misadventures of Angelique and Joffrey de Peyrac,

I loved reading

Angelique and the Ghosts by Sergeanne Golon, which also gave an understanding

of the goals which Joffrey de Peyrac was setting for himself.

Joffrey has given assistance

and passage on his boat to people who are agents of the government of France, also

the governor of one of the provinces, Ville d'Avray, who again makes an appearance with his

quite welcoming and also

sometimes (for Angelique) over the top personality. However, he proves as always to

be a good companion. Joffrey also assists traders with their goods.

Joffrey hopes to meet with officials in Quebec, and hopefully one day

would wish to return to France. He has explained this to Angelique. He does not

always wish to be an exile from his country of birth. Angelique was also made

to understand this. Even though they had a new life in Canada, it was important

that one day they would be able to return to France and their children would also

be able to return. It was a dream on the horizon.

From the beginning of this novel, acting on intuition, Angelique rescues Joffrey

from a trap which endangered his life. Joffrey had given Angelique a set of

very finely crafted pistols at the end of the last novel, “Angelique and the Demon,”

which came into good use so early in this new adventure of “Angelique and the

Ghosts.”

Angelique and Joffrey de Peyrac travel the St Lawrence river en route to Quebec,

stopping at various small towns and communities on the way. Angelique befriends

 Marguerite de Bourgeoys, a nun who was renowned for the work she did for

setting up schools in early Canada.

Angelique had a talent for helping people with

cures for their ailments.

For early colonial history of the New World,

these books of Angelique are well worth reading and would serve as excellent study

guides in an educational forum for early history of the time and also literature.

Angelique reminiscences about her early days in Paris, the Court of Miracles (which

was the Paris underworld and best forgotten as Angelique moved on from these

troubled times) and her acceptance at the glittering court of Louis XIV at Versailles

as Madame la Marquise, Madame du Plessis-Belliere,

after her marriage to a distant cousin, the Marquis, Philippe du Plessis-Belliere.

How far Angelique had journeyed in life since these

early days!

She has not forgotten her poet, who had such a great fondness for Angelique. She had

met him early one morning on a river barge on the River Seine, when she did not have a home.

Unfortunately, perhaps as being a poet it may have been inherent in his nature to write of

truth, which in seventeenth century France may have been upsetting certain persons in

authority and her poet paid the ultimate price for his truthfulness and bringing misdemeanours

and crimes to attention in the gutter press.

This is a fictional novel, though the story is quite

believable which is set in “Angelique- The Road to Versailles” which was one of the earlier books of Angelique's

adventures and a magnificent novel to read.

One of my all time favourites is “Angelique and the

King” as there are so many wonderful depictions of the court of Louis XIV at Versailles and

references to many of the people at the court at the time, including Louise de la Valliere, Madame de Montespan (who Angelique has an altercation with) and Madame de Maintenon who acts as a

peace-maker between the two women.

(There is a reference to an altercation between Madame de Montespan and Madame des Fontanges in one book I was looking at on google books of the history of the court of Louis XIV.

Perhaps Madame de Maintenon may have been a peace -maker in such a situation.)

The scenes

of court life, decorations, dress and etiquette described in the book seemed to ring with authenticity.

In “Angelique and the Ghosts” Angelique also recalls her good friend, the police inspector,

Desgrez, who has come to her assistance in the past. Perhaps it is difficult for Angelique

not to think of the many good people from her past as she travels on her new path in life with her

husband.

Angelique and her husband also save good friends from a depraved captain as they had been taken

prisoners on the river. Angelique also looks out for her good friend and his bear, who decides to hibernate

for the winter at an inconvenient time.

All in all, a marvellous read. Full credit to Anne and Serge Golon for another magnificent story.

The next three books in the series have not been translated into English at this time.

I look forward to reading “Angelique in Quebec” when an English translation becomes available.

The Temptation of Angelique

Camellia Japonica from wikipedia:

The Temptation of Angelique by Sergeanne Golon

Once again the magnificent writing skills of Anne and Serge Golon

make for a wonderful story of adventure and intrigue set in the New

World of the seventeenth century, early pioneering days.

From descriptions of beautiful lakes, wild ocean, virgin forests and the

ever increasing presence of hostilities from different sectors,

setbacks and miscommunications

which seemed to beset

Angelique and her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac, “The Temptation of Angelique”

is an unusual story, yet fascinating and so inspiring.

The characters of the novel as ever breathe real life into the story and imaginings

on the pages of a not so distant time in our recent past. Joffrey de Peyrac, ever so

noble and serene at one time did lose patience with Angelique and he along with

many other people of the community of Gouldsboro believed the worst of Angelique,

which was unfortunate for Angelique. Angelique, as ever determined,

and not about to be displaced from her position by the prejudices and judgements of others continued

with her work of rememdies for the ailing, seemingly unperturbed by the course of

events. Angelique had been looking forward to the summer at Gouldsboro.

As events panned out, the summer season was not as Angelique had imagined. Joffrey and

Angelique had been separated. Angelique was believed to have succumbed to the

attentions of Goldbeard when she was taken aboard his yacht. Goldbeard was previously Colin Paturel, King of the Slaves, from Angelique's time when she had been a

captive at the Sultan's harem in the Mediterranean.

“Angelique in Barbary” or by another title of “Angelique and the Sultan” describes in vivid detail the adventures of Angelique at the Sultan's harem at Meknes. This book is full of wonder, marvellous surprises and is also interspersed with the ancient wisdom and philosophies

of the Sultan's chief advisor and Grand Eunuch, who held a special place in Angelique's heart as she

befriended this man during her time as a captive and benefitted from his friendship.

Colin Paturel had been a life saver for Angelique at the

time, had journeyed through the desert with her and his place as King of the Slaves

during their ordeal had

signified to her his own hardships in captivity and strengthened a special bond with Angelique. However, this bond certainly was

tested in this story and it was unfortunate for Angelique that many of the Huguenots, who had previously been

her friends, believed unsubstantiated rumours. Angelique's innocence is eventually established,

and Angelique hopes to heal the rift with her husband concerning such matters. The bond with

her husband, Joffrey, was found to be the stronger and Angelique realised her great love for Joffrey.

Colin Paturel, King of the Slaves, had been Angelique's devoted friend in the desert at a time when

the scorching sun of the Moroccan desert beat relentlessly down upon them and they journeyed far for their freedom. By the quick witted actions of Colin Paturel, Angelique had survived a venomous snake bite.

tea rose from wikipedia:

Joffrey de Peyrac was Angelique's soul mate. From the moment when she believed that there was

a glimmer of hope of finding him again, Angelique had been on a quest to find her beloved husband. It was this very quest which had brought her to the shores of the Mediterranean in the first place.

Joffrey de Peyrac, in his nobility, showing his strength of character at an uncertain time

in his life, as regards Angelique, promoted Goldbeard to the position of Governor of the

province. This was quite unexpected, but also clearly within his keen character and judgement skills. He recognised Goldbeard's many talents, that Goldbeard was at one with the people,

whereas, he himself, he reflected, may hold the people fascinated but he was not one of them as

Goldbeard was. Colin Paturel, arriving in the guise of Goldbeard, the pirate, was officially in

the New World on the king's business and was commissioned to set up a colony in the area.

There was also Jack Merwin, the Jesuit priest, whom Angelique befriended, another person

whom Angelique had to accept as with a changed identity from the dour and surly sea captain,

who had saved her life in the ocean; also countless

other individuals whom Angelique respected and admired as she journeyed to meet her husband again. I am constantly amazed by the twists and turns of plot and the unexpected and often unpredictable happenings and often unpredictable characters in the Angelique series of books.

It was a harsh time in history and

often the story does reflect some of these harsh aspects of life at the time, their joys and sorrows.

Also the goodness which always does shine through of Angelique and her husband, attempting to

relocate a little girl with her family, always trying to be peace-makers amongst the diverse elements

of society, understanding a different culture and way of life, their humanity and compassion for

fellow pioneers in this unsettled land of wide horizons and great opportunity.

This book certainly was different and almost of another genre from the previous Angelique books as

there was the unexpected arrival of Goldbeard in perhaps a moment of Angelique's uncertainty and weakness and with also the difficulties which Angelique had to resolve with her husband. It was uncanny and so

unexpected for Angelique to be faced with a person from her other life in another place in the

New World where she was now living with her children and reunited with her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac. The writers describe these

events with empathy and beauty. Joffrey de Peyrac plays a significant role in this story, not always

to Angelique's liking, though he became unsettled, believed Angelique had destroyed everything,

and was most likely relieved to finally realise that Angelique was innocent. The love which Angelique has for her husband, Joffrey, and the love which Joffrey has for Angelique is something beautiful and their love story is quite magical in the books. Love over the years, even though they were separated, had brought them together again and this is a wonderful component of the story, the romance and

adventures of Angelique and Joffrey.

My best wishes

Angelique and the Demon by Sergeanne Golon

Angelique and the Demon by Sergeanne Golon

Once again the writers of the magnificent series of

Angelique books which follows

the romance and adventures of Angelique and her

husband, Joffrey de Peyrac,

in the New World create magic.

“Angelique and the Demon”

leaves me spellbound and in awe of great story-telling,

with the wonderful prose and descriptions of the beauty

of the scenery of the coastal regions, the Gulf of St Lawrence

and Arcadia (the Coast of Maine.) There is an old map on

the inside covers of the book

which details the settings in the story.

The magnificent artistic drawing of Angelique and Joffrey de Peyrac

with a sailing ship in full sail in the background is illustrated on

the front cover of the book.

The colourful characters, the reality and sometimes

unreality of a situation were so well described which gave

an air of credibility and reality to the unusual set of

circumstances which Angelique found herself to be in.

Herein lies a talent of seeing things so clearly and

of expressing thoughts, ideas and philosophies of life

so succinctly on the written page.

The mystical enchantment of Angelique as the Lady of

the Silver Lake seems to evoke memories of Camelot,

as perhaps the town of Goldsboro, may very well

have been similar to Camelot,

where Joffrey de Peyrac was founding a settlement

on the shores of Maine.

Angelique and her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac, had

broadened their horizons by escaping the narrow

confines of the life of Versailles and all which life in the Old World

signified for new beginnings in the New World, and were therefore

more ready to accept new customs and ideas which may have been

anathema in the Old World.

At the same time the harshness of life in the new land

and its many travails gave them

a strength and courage to define life as it really is and also gave them

inner strength to surmount all obstacles placed in their path.

There were traces of humour to be found in the book,

as after a serious discussion of demonology with

the Governor,

Angelique enquired innocently of the Governor,

“Were they both going mad?”

It was fortunate that Angelique did have loyal friendships

which proved to be invaluable in times of need and self

doubt. Self doubt at times even as regards the beauty of her love and strong bond

she shared with Joffrey de Peyrac.

There certainly were demons in the novel, but not so much to the extent that Angelique

and her friends would allow themselves to be thwarted by them. As in a scene

where a new arrival to a settlement along the coast, Tidmagouche, in which Angelique and her few friends were stranded, makes light of the situation by saying that there are no demons which cannot be overcome or put in their place. She draws attention to her children within the context of the demons, which is

also highly amusing, to say the least! This being

when the new arrival, Marceline-la-Belle, was informed by the governor that she should not have arrived because of the demons.

This incident was also amusing, as again the extraordinary circumstances of Angelique's

situation seemed to be overwhelming and threatening her very existence and also of the

few people who remained loyal towards her while living in an atmosphere of hostility.

During these pioneering days of early settlement there were narrow minded people

who could easily be persuaded by superstition and perhaps also fear. Angelique had

to show courage above all in such situations.

Angelique, who had encountered Madame de Montespan and the intrigues of

the Court of Versailles,

some of the worst elements of society in her earlier days, was

now confronted by a menace of evil which was hitherto unknown to her

and she herself even acknowledged at one point in the story to herself

that she may have allowed her own self guard to

lapse in the very different circumstances which she now

found herself in living in the New World with her husband.

A Duchess from France, a governor, Monsieur Ville d'Avray,

with the gift of the gab, who was also extremely

humorous at times and the different personalities and quirks of the characters ( Marceline-

la-Belle was renowned for her ability to open shell-fish in record time) certainly

do make this story compelling to read.

Angelique befriends interesting

and fascinating people from different backgrounds and religions. She also

inspires loyalty and true friendship with characters of the novel. There

certainly is depth in many of the characters whom Angelique interacts

with in her life and in the story,

(as for example a

Jesuit Priest who had rescued her from drowning in the ocean in the preceding novel

of the Angelique series,

“The Temptation of Angelique.”)

Angelique also inspires people with

her wisdom and zest for life.

A tame bear (Mr Willoughby) who performs tricks,

a kitten and a wolverine give warmth, charm and pleasure. Another facet

which gives interesting scope

to this novel which is set in this wild landscape of forest, hills, rivers and ocean.

With a mix of ship-wreckers, sailors, pirates, cod-fishermen from France,

early settlers, trappers and the king's girls

(who were being sent from France to Quebec to populate New France), people with different

ideas and also with the indigenous Indians in the novel, who were often portrayed in a sensitive fashion, I found “Angelique and the Demon” to be

educational, informative and entertaining. The book also includes notations of actual events which occurred in history during these unsettled times.

Anne Golon has recently been honoured in France at an awards ceremony last

year for literature. The Angelique books have been translated into many different

languages and there may be another film of Angelique to look forward to.

The Countess Angelique

The Countess Angelique by Sergeanne Golon,

Once again Anne Golon and Serge Golon have written a wonderful story of adventure and

turmoil amidst the hardships of the early pioneering days of the New World set in the seventeenth century. I loved this story for the sense of romance, an authentic setting in a time -frame of early America and the descriptive quality of the writing.

A wonderful book to be recommended and I now look forward to reading the next Angelique book

in the on going saga of Angelique. A magical story in many ways, full of wonder, hope and

inspiration.

The Angelique books always

seem to add a new dimension to each and every book inspiring imagination and admiration for

Angelique and her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac, who against the odds, seemed to have an

uncanny ability to overcome the hurdles placed in their pathway of life, whether these be from the elements,

nature or people. The wonderful descriptions of the forests of the New World are also

quite magical. There is the beauty and also by contrast the harsh realities of the early existence

and battle for survival in these early pioneering days with so many variances of plot and characters

which are quite unexpected. There always seems to be something new and surprising to read as the story continues in each and every one of these books of Angelique.

I also enjoyed the book of “Angelique in Barbary” or the other title may be “Angelique and the Sultan” for the wisdom and

philosophies found in the pages when Angelique was in the east, in a desert and for a time at a harem.

This also brings to mind another wonderful book set in Old Constantinople, which today is Istanbul,

where the heroine of the novel was captured and taken to a harem. This was “The Aviary Gate” by Katie Hickman, set during the time of Elizabeth I, which I enjoyed reading last year. The beautiful love story always remained with me. This may also be the secret of the Angelique books, a unique and beautiful love story of the two main

characters, Angelique and her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac.

There is actually a loose thread in the story and I was slightly disappointed to read towards the end of the story that Joffrey

de Peyrac told Angelique that he could not risk a war with New France for the sake of a few

farmers' labourers, which did surprise me, as I remember from the book “Angelique in Revolt”

that Angelique took on the might of the French king, Louis XIV, to assist and give shelter to

persecuted Huguenots, and help them to escape from France. I hope to read more about

this incident in the next book, as from my reading, I cannot imagine that Joffrey de Peyrac would suffer

injustice and it would seem to be against his better judgement as he would wish to assist unfortunate captives. Angelique and her husband, with the assistance of another person did however, manage to prise away

one child who was relinquished to them, before the captors and their captives continued on their long walk through the forest, making their way to Montreal.

I will need to start reading the next book in the series to follow this quite compelling story,

which gives a wonderful insight into the lives and times of people from an earlier era.

My best wishes,

Sandra

p.s. the cover of the hard cover edition which I read was of a quite glamorous Angelique,

wearing brightly coloured beads and a colourful gown, with distant characters, one in long white

evening cloak, as though a bishop or priest,  and which evoked a 

different time and place.  Even the cover of this particular edition which I read was quite

spell binding, with a picture of a cavalry and horses included on the back cover.

Angelique in Love

I have recently finished reading the book "Angelique in Love"
by Sergeanne Golon.

What a wonderful story!

Full of romance and adventure.

Angelique sets off for the New World to start a new life,
free from the prejudice and oppression of the old.

This is a cover of the story from amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0553126466/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books


The book cover which I read had an exciting cover of Angelique
and a swash buckler in elegant fancy dress of the times. The depictions
on the covers of the books must vary occasionally

The link from amazon.com is also interesting to read
for the customer reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Angelique-Love-Book-Sergeanne-Golon/dp/0553126466

This is the sixth book which I have read in the Angelique series.

The first being, "Angelique, Marquise of the Angels" which encompasses Angelique's childhood,
growing up in provincial France, where she came from an old, noble and impoverished family
and her subsequent marriage to Joffrey de Peyrac, a Count of Toulouse.

This story was also wonderful to read and depicted the times of seventeenth century France
extraordinarily well.

The third book, "Angelique and the King" was also magnificent to read for the descriptions of court life
during the time of Louis XIV.

Anne Golon has a descriptive quality to her writing which is quite unique and magical.

Wonderful story telling! Anne Golon was recently at a Fantasy Book Fair where she was signing
books.

There is a beautiful romance in "Angelique in Love" and also a sense of adventure,
where she is taken aboard a pirate ship.

The time spans of the romance bring to mind another wonderful romance story of "Katherine"
by Anya Seton, of which I will post a review as I have recently finished reading this book
also for a second time.

Concepts of new beginnings in the New World,
the colours, scenery and pictures and unimaginable
endings combine to make this story a wonderful
magical read.

I hope that you like this review and will post another shortly,

Best wishes Sandra