Product Description

This biography of the legendary mistress of King Louis XV of France offers insights into the life of one of the most enchanting, powerful and feared women to grace the world's stage. From her modest beginnings in early 18th-century Paris to her reign as the undisputed mistress of Versailles, this is the story of a remarkable woman whose astonishing rise confounded the most experienced and the most sophisticated of her contemporaries. The author weaves her narrative with authority, detailing the transformations that marked the life of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, from her early grooming to assume the role of a rich man's wife, her half-hearted marriage to a Parisian tax collector, her involvement with the financial elite of France and her eventual role as the mistress of the king. Although accustomed to the king's extra-marital liaisons, the court was shocked at the sudden ascension of the low-born Madame Poisson. The newcomer, however, wasted no time in establishing herself as the king's sole confidante and, ultimately, his indispensable partner in the affairs of state. Algrant takes the reader into the farthest and most exclusive chambers at Versailles, allowing us to glimpse the resourcefulness and the determination with which Madame de Pompadour deftly manipulated the factions at the court. She also illuminates her influence across the artistic and political spectrum of the day, including her relationships with the leaders of the French Enlightenment: Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #286784 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
'More than just a fine portrait, Algrant's Madame de Pompadour makes you hear the rattle of the tumbrels, just thirty years down the road.' Alistair Horne 'Historical drama related with great flair and knowing affection for the colourful characters' all-too-human foibles.' Kirkus Review '[A] riveting new biography.' Antonia Fraser, Mail on Sunday ' Mordantly witty.' Emily Eakin, New York Times Book Review

About the Author
Christine Pevitt Algrant was born in Lancashire and studied classics at Cambridge University. She has worked as a television reporter and publisher in London and New York, and now writes on the history of 18th-century France. Her previous book, Philippe, duc d'Orleans was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Customer Reviews

INCISIVE AND THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED
Remembered today in narratives of the past, heralded in poetry and song, Madame de Pompadour, born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in 1721, continues to be a fascinating and enigmatic figure.

The daughter of a mother noted for her beauty and high spirits, Jeanne inherited both of these qualities. In addition, a fortune teller predicted that the little girl would one day be the mistress of Louis XV. This foretelling Jeanne later told Voltaire "struck her with the force of a thunderbolt." And, it was a prophecy that the young woman seemed hellbent on fulfilling.

Christine Pevitt Algrant's comprehensive and cogent portrait of the woman who would, indeed, become the most potent force in the court of Louis XV is a welcome addition to the annals of history, as it includes a telling picture of a troubled France.

Courtiers were shocked when the humbly born Poisson became recognized as the king's maitresse declaree. After all, the king's prior inamoratas had all been members of the elite, born of royal lineage. However, it was one thing to become his lover, and quite something else to become his sole confidante and the power behind the throne. A title was purchased for her thus the transformation into Madame de Pompadour was complete. She was reviled by many, and obeyed by all.

With Versailles as her backdrop she became an important patron of the arts, nurturing such luminaries as Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and Boucher. It was she who masterminded the building of the Petit Trianon Palace at Versailles.

Yet as a part of the world continued to be torn her quest for power was unsatisfied. France and England were at odds, and she cast a pall over the treaty allying France with her hated Austria. She succeeded in removing her enemies from positions of influence, and replacing them with trusted friends. Her creation of an opulent court incurred public wrath, and her political maneuverings created foes in court.

Nonetheless, the king's trust in his paramour never waned.

Incisive and thoroughly researched "Madame de Pompadour" bursts with color and intrigue. It is fact even more fascinating than fiction.

Good at first.
As I have read about Marie Antoinette and her children I wanted to know a little more of what went on before the French revolution. I bought this book because I didn't know anything about Madame de Pompadour and the book does give a good insight into the childhood and early years of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson. But as we are taken into the life at court this insight gets clouded and Jeanne disappers to give way to an inpenetrable view of Madame de Pompadour. Madame is difficult to get close to and we are told more about the politics of France, the different politicians and the troubles of the king than we are of Madame de Pompadour. What we are left with is a woman who doesn't get along with the important men at the court and who seems to be vindictive. But the book does give a good indication of why things later went so bad for Louis XVI. It all started at the time of Madame de Pompadour. All in all the book is interesting and a fairly good read but expect a lot on politics.