Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles
During the mid-1600s, Sylvienne d’Aubert spends her childhood in Amiens, France, attending convent school, going to the bakery, climbing trees and contemplating marriage to a talented young shoemaker. Everything changes in 1670 when, on her 16th birthday, she receives an invitation to attend the court of King Louis XIV.
Once the naïve country girl arrives in Paris and is introduced into the whirl of palace intrigues and royal excess, she’s assigned to serve the king’s favorite mistress—that is, until the king makes public his true relationship to the pretty teenager. And it’s much closer than anyone could have possibly imagined. The announcement is quickly followed by an unwelcome marriage proposal and even stricter limitations on every facet of Sylvienne’s existence, with greater difficulties ahead. For a brutal confrontation leaves her with only two choices, both of them dangerous, as her childhood fantasies collide with the reality of royal life.
Written from Sylvienne’s perspective, scenes in Courting the Sun unfold slowly—where she went, who she saw, what she did. Readers familiar with the period will appreciate the appearance of well-known historical figures, along with the mention of popular books, playwrights, and composers of the era. However, this is not a witty, exciting romp through the palace of Versailles, though Sylvienne does spend some time there. Rather, the author has crafted a coming-of-age story with a bittersweet ending that, nonetheless, leaves the main character hopeful as she faces an uncertain future.
