The exchange of princessesg ggc
This read confused and then it didn t But overall it seems bizarre regardless Not just in the reality of the history but in the method of its telling It has rather an identity crisis in its very form And because of that weird mixture of narrator voice to historic detail encompassed in sections of 21st century sarcastic rant upon early 18th century sensibilities It just created the effect of a strange weird bizarre combo But it was a combo that made its point I m just not sure that point is valid in this form Described as historical fiction well I am not so sure Yes the fiction was just that true most of this was pure surmise But it still became like a portrait of impressionist imagination placed in a non fiction framework of reference that is stark modern Something is way off but certain angles for the view may be ok So why did I give it 3 stars Well up until the 1 2 way point I would have given it 2 But somehow the outcomes for those princesses and the formal reveals to their last travels It certainly made a point So I rounded it up instead of down 2. The exchange of princesseskirt The style of disdain in tone that I give a 1 star I m not a fan of such bias intruding upon the historical in any form fiction or not This is not a psychological treatise submission but marketed as fiction a tale. The exchange of princessesdale cast This would not be a book I would recommend to anyone trying to understand politico or the history of such alliances in Europe Nor would I recommend it for pleasure reading either It s translated to English from French but I don t believe that would make much difference in this strange slant to eyes or narrator This book defines little girls in the 1722 25 period in 2010 2015 context to girlhood and childhood And because it does I am surprised at myself for giving it that 3rd star I hope my natural red flags to unfair comparisons for such cross era judgments aren t going half staff on me Chantal Thomas tre une princesse d antan signifierait beaucoup de choses Elles devaient pouser des monarches r gnants pour assurer la paix entre le pays d accueil et la patrie de le jeune pouse Elles devaient dans la pluspart des cas donner naiisance un h ritier m le pour assurer la continuit du r gne Elles devaient par contre supporter tr s souvent les infid lit s de son conjoint royal et se taire Fr quemment on les exp diait l tranger trop jeunes et au nom de la consommation du mariage elle taient bon et bien viol es car l ge de nubilit d autrefois c tait les treize ans accomplies En plus elles devaient oublier leur langue ne jamais revoir leur patrie y renvoyer les personnages et domestiques qui leur rappelaient un brin de nostalgie du pays o elles avaient t n es sauf le confesseur car on ne badine pas avec son salut qui doit tre fait dans la bonne et due forme Il n y a dans ce programme rien d app tissant qui pourrait inciter n importe qui se jeter dans les bras de leurs augustes maris Et pourtant Le sujet de ce livre mi documentaire mi roman est justement tel Anne Marie Victoire de Bourbon branche cadette devenue h riti re de l Espagne et la plupart de son empire colonial apr s l extinction des Habsbourg de Madrid infante d Espagne et Louise lisabeth d Orl ans Mlle de Montpensier et fille de Philippe d Orl ans fils de la Palatine et neveux de Louis XIV qui s en m fiait taient consid r es comme des pions de la paix entre les deux pays On n pargnait rien et les questions du protocole taient nombreuses compliqu es et presque sans solution L Espagnole devenait l infante Reine de France tandis que son homologue la princesse d Asturies et plus tard la reine d Espagne Les jeux taient alors faits C tait cela au moins que tout le monde a pens Mais la vie joue selon ses propres r gles et non pas selon ceux des humains Il suffit de dire que les deux taient en sortaient bris es Et que les deux parties de la m me famille se ha ssaient plus que jamaisLa curiosit de ce livre est son style Chantal Thomas utilise les documents historiques des archives des lettres pour la plupart in dites et pour le reste son imagination d crivain Cette derni re a parfois t franchement gauche et maladroite C est bien comprh nsible car sans cela le livre d une longueur de quelques 330 pages serait encore plus court Je le recommande quand m me parce qu il introduit le lecteur la p riode de la R gence et des premi res ann es du r gne de Louis XV une poque qui chappe souvent et aux auteurs aux historiens et aux lecteurs Chantal Thomas A friend of mine recommended me the film L change des princesses but when I realized it had been based on a book I opted for the latter. The exchange of princessesk kcd2 The exchange or princesses This is the account of a symmetrical hymenean and political arrangement whereby a French princess Louise lisabeth d Orl ans born 1709 was to marry the heir of the Spanish throne Don Luis born 1707 and eventually become the Queen of Spain while a Spanish Infanta the half sister of the Spanish heir Mariana Victoria born 1718 was to marry the young king of France Louis XV born 1710 This marvellous and perfectly balanced arrangement was concocted during the Summer of 1721 by the scheming Regent of France Philippe II d Orl ans It was accomplished formally in January 1722 and the four royals were aged as follows Don Luis fifteen Louise lisabeth thirteen Louis eleven Mariana Victoria five Don Luis de Borb n y Saboya. The exchange of princessesb be Louise lisabeth d Orl ansLouis XV de FranceMariana Victoria de Borb n y Farnese By offering the throne of France though this was not for him to offer as a bait to the Spanish monarchs the French Regent would place his own daughter in the future throne of Spain and continue to hold control of the young French king We have to remember that these two royal families were cousins on a double count Bourbons and Savoys Felipe V of Spain was the uncle of Louis XV and the mothers of Don Luis and Louis were sisters Marie Luise and Marie Adelaide of Savoy The account finishes about four years later in May 1725 when the plan of the Regent crumbles Even though Louise lisabeth became Queen of Spain when Felipe V abdicated in favour of her husband she relinquished the throne X months later when her husband died unexpectedly She was packed and sent back to France Another death interrupted the Regent s perfect plan his own The circle of power of the Orl ans was substituted by the Duke of Borbon and as the young Louis XV had not taken too much interest in his young doll playing wife this marriage was dissolved She was packed and sent back to Spain At least the symmetry was maintained Between the design of the plan and its collapse we visit in alternating rhythm the two courts and their palaces Louvre Versailles with the cour des cerfs that Louis XV designed Meudon Fontainebleau and the Alc zar it burnt in 1734 el Retiro el Escorial and the new La Granja The opening and closing acts take place in the singular Pheasant Island in the middle of the Bidasoa river island under the joint sovereignty of France and Spain Since 1659 when the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed The island is administered by the two countries taking turns every six months. The exchange of princessesgate book The visits to these courts are highly entertaining They both competed in eccentricity In Spain we have a morose and pious king who does not like to reign even if a nasty war that lasted thirteen years and caused two million deaths had been undertaken for him to get that throne His second wife the indomitable Elisabeth Farnese who is hated by all and refuses to kiss the hand of his stepson the heir causing him a great upset The young French king escorted by death has develop a strange way of dealing with fear enjoying when it becomes a spectacle The little Mariana Victoria lives in her world of dolls and puppets but the prize for the greatest quirkiness goes to Louise lisabeth who will bathe quasi naked in one of the palace fountains and who will spend hours washing and washing handkerchiefs At the beginning I thought the main interest for me laid in the historical episode and thought that this would be an average read for me but gradually Chantal Thomas with a tone that wavers between irony and delicacy of observation held my attention It must be difficult not to be judgmental when portraying environments that are so aberrant to our current viewpoints This was then an enjoyable read I may still look for the film Chantal Thomas I found this one to be interesting in the story itself two princesses from France and Spain who are to marry either the King or Prince of neighbouring countries After an ceremonial exchange on the borders they struggle to adapt to new countries and customs The French Princess Louise Mlle de Montpensier is unruly spoiled and impossible while her opposite Infanta Mariana charms everyone acts appropriately and falls in love with her spouse Louis XV at once Given that Mariana is just seven no one is really expecting much of her Louise on the other hand is bored capricious and sexually adventurous while waiting for her husband Luis to get the hint Sadly the book is told in very brief chapters and while the research is very good there s just not enough substance here to really satisfy Just three stars from me Only somewhat recommended. The exchange of princessesh princessesel For the longer review please go here Chantal Thomas The author s careful attention to detail and the amount of research she did is very evident right off the bat The lush descriptions of Georgian court life and the extravagant world of the nobility comes to vivid reality I could almost hear the rustle of silk and clink of jewels in real life. Book the exchange of princesses I really enjoyed the subject matter explored in the book Not only the lives of royals in the Georgian era always a fascinating subject of historical fiction lovers The way that royal children were utilized as commodities to obtain peace and power was also an enthralling subject The author does a great job of making the reader feel for these youngsters as they re thrust into a world they re not prepared for and roles that seem daunting Yet I think this book has a severe identity crisis that kills the work overall At times this book would read as a historical fiction and at others it would read as a non fiction Alternately the reader would get into the character s heads and explore their motivations And then the next paragraph we would be given dates facts and figures interspersed with snatches of primary material More than once I was thrown from the narrative as we flip flopped from book style to book style so that by the end I just really wanted the book to be over with. Pdf the exchange of princesses summary So while there is some interesting material explored within and in vibrant life like detail this book ultimately fails for me as its flipping between book styles I actually finished the book in disgust wishing it would make up its mind on fiction or non fiction So maybe read if you re really hard up for reading material but I wouldn t go out of your way to find this one. The exchange of princesses book free pdf Note Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review Chantal Thomas
Before beginning I wanted to note I received this review from the publisher The Other Press which has no effect on my review This book is set to be released in the United States on July 7 2015 This does not affect my opinion or reviewThe Exchange of Princesses is a historical fiction by Chantal Thomas set in France and Spain 1720s The main characters of focus include Louis XV to become King of France and Luis I to become King of Spain and the princesses Mariana Victoria de Borb n to become the Queen infanta of France and Louise lisabeth d Orl ans to become Queen of Spain.
The exchange of princessesb bes The story is one of politics scandal love hope passiveness deceit and a touch of disease thrown in during this tumultuous time of history in the two countries The Exchange of Princesses started off so politically with the marrying off of children the two princesses one of whom was only four years old and the crossing of the border between France and Spain to exchange the two of them Overall I very much enjoyed this book The writing style took me a moment to adjust to but once I did I found it difficult to put the book down It was a tale of politics and arrangements differences in emotions and in how things can be unpredictable and be changed A full review will be posted 3 19 15 at playingjokers.
The exchange of princessesjue com Chantal Thomas 21 12 14Je suis encore loin d avoir fini ce livre mais je tiens faire quelques remarques sur des points tr s aga ants M me si le livre est plut t bon il fait des erreurs b tes Que l auteur arr te de parler de crinolines tout bout de champ Elles n arriveront pas avant 1842 En 1721 les femmes ont des paniers Le R gent parfaitement au point sur l Histoire de France sait qu avant lui il y a eu d j 6 Philippe r gner sur la France Avoir les m mes arri res grands parents ne fait pas de vous des cousins germains 1er degr mais des cousins issu de germains 2e degr.
The exchange of princessesh princessesel 30 12 14Maintenant que j ai termin je mets tout de m me trois toiles ce livre malgr ces d fauts L auteur se plonge bien derri re la grande Histoire pour tenter une interpr tation des motions des personnages et on sent qu elle a pour eux une grande sympathie.
The exchange of princessesfield Dommage que le livre reste assez superficiel sur de nombreux points et qu on y ait pas v rifi certains d tails Chantal Thomas la mort de Louis XIV c est Louis XV son arri re petit fils de monter sur le tr ne Mais ce dernier est alors trop jeune pour gouverner La R gence revient donc Philippe d Orl ans Celui ci aime la position de pouvoir qu il occupe et ne tient pas ce que cela s arr te Si Louis XV meurt sans h ritier c est au R gent que reviendra le pouvoir partir de ce constat il va mettre en place un plan diabolique Il propose un mariage entre Louis XV onze ans et l Infante Maria Anna Victoria 3 ans La menace d un h ritier est donc repouss e pour quelques ann es En outre le R gent place ses espoirs en la sant fragile du Roi Mais ce mariage arrang ne lui suffit pas il tient galement marier l une de ses filles Mademoiselle de Montpensier l h ritier d Espagne afin de renforcer son propre pouvoir L change s effectue en 1722 mais rien ne se passe comme pr vu et voil que quelques ann es plus tard l change se fait en sens inverse.
The exchange of princesses ebook download Difficile de mettre ce livre dans une case c est un roman historique certes mais il prend plus l apparence de ce que j appelle une biographie romanc e Le r cit la troisi me personne y contribue L auteur nous guide travers l Histoire et l histoire On observe les faits les v nements et l auteur taye ses dires d extraits de correspondances authentiques Ce qui rajoute beaucoup de cr dibilit l ensemble Apr s ce n est pas non plus une biographie au sens stricte du terme car ce livre revient seulement sur quatre ans de quatre personnages principaux le Roi deux princesses et l h ritier d Espagne Quatre ans d une grande importance.
History the exchange of princesses book J ai eu du mal au tout d but avec le style de l auteur Sa fa on d crire me donne l impression de suivre le fil de sa pens e Lorsque l on ne s y attend pas c est surprenant et donne une impression de confusion mais on s y fait tr s vite Les chapitres alternent entre ce qui se passe la cour de France et la cour d Espagne Il m a sembl que le plus souvent on suivait l Infante au d triment de Mademoiselle de Montpensier mais peut tre est ce parce qu il y a plus de choses dire sur l histoire d amour entre Maria Anna Victoria et Louis XV.
Pdf the exchange of princesses summary Justement parlons de l Infante J ai vraiment eu beaucoup de mal avec ses comportements Elle a trois ans au d but mais elle se comporte comme une adolescente voire m me une adulte Elle est perdument amoureuse du roi trois ans Elle offre sa souffrance Dieu pour expier les p ch s de son p re C est perturbant et peu cr dible notre poque mais sachant que l ducation n tait pas la m me et que les enfants tant vus comme des adultes inachev s n avaient pas d enfance proprement parler c est plausible bien que surprenant Malgr tout cela reste une enfant charmante et charmeuse qui on s attache assez vite On ne peut s emp cher d avoir de la peine pour elle lorsqu elle d couvre les vicissitudes de la cour du Roi de France un jour elle est adul e le lendemain elle n existe presque plusMademoiselle de Montpensier quant elle est propuls e dans une cour trang re dont elle ne sait rien dans une famille qui l accueille avec froideur et dans le lit d un jeune homme empress mais ignorant La pression qu elle subit de toutes parts lui fait perdre moiti la t te mais n mousse pas son esprit de r bellion et sa r sistance J ai aim sa combattivit m me si cette poque elle ne sied gu re une dame Car bien entendu une femme doit tre docile et soumise son mari ou encore son p re son fr re etc M me quand le mariage a t arrang ce qui implique la plupart du temps qu on a donc t chang comme une vulgaire marchandise.
The exchange of princesses book free pdf Au final ce livre a t une excellente d couverte et m a permis d apprendre beaucoup de choses L auteur ma trise le sujet et le traite avec beaucoup de rigueur et de clart Ce roman se d vore tant il est passionnant Chantal Thomas Bien qu on se doute que Marie Leszczynka n tait pas un premier choix comme pouse de Louis XV et Reine de France j ignorais totalement que le successeur de Louis XIV avait t fianc pendant quatre ans une petite infante espagnole C est pourtant cette trange histoire que raconte Chantal Thomas dans L change des princesses Comment l id e vint au R gent pour tenter de conserver la g rance du royaume le plus longtemps possible de marier le jeune Roi une petite fille Comment il osa imaginer de proposer sa propre fille Louise lisabeth en change au prince des Asturies Comment le duc de Saint Simon intrigua pour tre ambassadeur extraordinaire aupr s du Roi d Espagne et lui pr senter cette requ te Comment se d roula l change des princesses Et ce qu il advint de chacune de ces enfants dans des Cours qui leur taient totalement trang res.
Kindle the exchange of princesses summary En 1721 Marie Anne Victoire infante d Espagne a quatre ans lorsqu elle part pour la France en qualit d Infante Reine appellation qui ne fut jamais utilis e que pour elle Louise lisabeth dite Mademoiselle de Montpensier est g e de douze ans Si l ducation de Marie Anne Victoire fut rigoureuse l image de la Cour d Espagne celle de Louise lisabeth fut quasiment inexistante Leur destin aussi diff rent que possible par leur ge et leur environnement familial offre pourtant une singuli re sym trie quatre ann es de solitude que l auteur d roule devant nos yeux en alternant les chapitres sur les deux princesses La petite Infante doit faire face la froideur puis l indiff rence de Louis XV de huit ans son a n Louise lisabeth livr e elle m me malgr l affection de son mari multiplie les caprices les coups d clat et se rapproche dangereusement de la folie Elle devint pourtant Reine d Espagne lorsque Philippe V d cida de remettre la Couronne entre les mains de son fils Mais ce dernier fut incapable de gouverner par lui m me et l ombre du couple royal men d une main de fer par la seconde pouse de Philippe V lisabeth Farn se plana longtemps sur les deux adolescents.
The exchange of princessesk kingdom come Philippe V tant le petit fils de Louis XIV et l oncle de Louis XV les quatre enfants taient cousins germains Mais les liens familiaux ne compt rent pour rien dans ces alliances qui sacrifi rent sans m nagement deux princesses la raison d tat L auteur a cependant choisi une narration double niveau l un relate les faits et s en tient l On se croit d abord dans les M moires de Saint Simon puis dans les nouvelles la main qui tenaient compte jour apr s jour des d placements paroles et attitudes des princes L autre tente de percer l intimit des princesses le coffre poup es de la petite infante ses envies de plaire au Roi les lubies de Louise lisabeth ses rapports orageux avec son mari Mais le contraste qui en r sulte est trop fort et aucun de ces deux choix narratifs ne m a convaincue Chantal Thomas I recently started writing full time and one of the really sad side effects is that I can t seem to enjoy historical fiction any my genre and I find myself too analytical when reading it It really sucks and I m hoping it s just a phase I m going through.
Pdf the exchange of princesses summary All this to say I knew I had to make an exception for The Exchange of Princesses as it deals with Louis XV my main man and is about an incident in his life I d heard of and was curious to know about I loved this book and for the first time in a long time I had something to read at bedtime that I was actually looking forward to It is such an original book the prose is crackling and electric and unexpected and funny and sweet I just devoured it and fell completely in love I read another review of this book in the HNS and they compared it to a work of art I agree Merci Chantal Chantal Thomas Philippe d Orl ans the regent of France has a gangrenous heart the result of a life of debauchery alcohol power and flattery One morning in 1721 he has a brilliant idea to further appease his thirst for power he decides to marry eleven year old Louis the XV to the daughter of Philippe V of Spain who is only four This Orl ans hopes will tie his kingdom to Spain s But it could also have a duplicitous effect were Louis XV to die without begetting an heir the likeliness of which is greatly increased by having a child Orl ans himself would finally be king In exchange Orl ans tosses his own daughter into the bargain the 12 year old Mlle de Montpensier who will marry the Prince of Asturias the inheritor of the Spanish throne.
The exchange of princessesk kingdom come The Spanish court enthusiastically agrees and arrangements are quickly made The two nations trade their princesses in a grand ceremony in 1722 making bonds that should end the historical conflict between them Of course nothing turns out as expected In a novel that reads like a fairy tale Chantal Thomas chronicles a time in French history when children were not children but pawns in an adult s game The Exchange of Princesses

Chantal Thomas born 1945 in Lyon is a French writer and historian Her 2002 book Farewell My Queen won the Prix Femina and was adapted into a 2012 film starring Diane Kruger and L a Seydoux.
The exchange of princessesfield Thomas was born in Lyon in 1945 and was raised in Arcachon Bordeaux and Paris Her life has included teaching jobs at American and French universities such as Yale and Princeton as well as a publishing career She has published nineteen works including essays on the Marquis de Sade Casanova and Marie Antoinette.
Book the exchange of princesses author In 2002 Thomas published Les adieux la reine Farewell My Queen The novel gave a fictional account of the final days of Marie Antoinette in power through the perspective of one of her servants It won the Prix Femina in 2002 an Chantal Thomas born 1945 in Lyon is a French writer and historian Her 2002 book Farewell My Queen won the Prix Femina and was adapted into a 2012 film starring Diane Kruger and L a Seydoux.
The exchange of princesses book summary Thomas was born in Lyon in 1945 and was raised in Arcachon Bordeaux and Paris Her life has included teaching jobs at American and French universities such as Yale and Princeton as well as a publishing career She has published nineteen works including essays on the Marquis de Sade Casanova and Marie Antoinette.
Ebook the exchange of princesses pdf download In 2002 Thomas published Les adieux la reine Farewell My Queen The novel gave a fictional account of the final days of Marie Antoinette in power through the perspective of one of her servants It won the Prix Femina in 2002 and was later adapted into the 2012 film Farewell My Queen The film stars Diane Kruger as the titular queen and L a Seydoux as her servant Sidonie Laborde Thomas co wrote the screenplayand it opened the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival Helen Falconer of The Guardian called the work a well written slice of history with evocative observant prose but criticized it for creating a narrator who merely provides us with a pair of eyes to see through rather than capturing our interest in her own right While disagreeing in its classification as a novel Falconer did however add that Farewell My Queen generates in the reader a real sense of being a fly on the wall eavesdropping on the affairs of the great and the not so good,
The exchange of princessesh princesses Thomas is currently the director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research from Wikipedia site_link..5 star would be the exact measure.Cela me fait grincer des dents