The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

Catherine de' Medici, great granddaughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was born for greatness, and she fulfills her destiny as Queen of France, as well as regent and advisor for her three sons, each of whom later becomes king. Cassandra Campbell tells this fictionalized account of Catherine's life with little embellishment in the dialogue or accents of those who surround Catherine. But it is Catherine's story, and Campbell focuses her attention on the depth of Catherine's character and her development from the Italian girl who arrived in France to marry the king's second son. Campbell imbues her voice with determination and maturity as Catherine learns the ways of the court and its politics. Later, we hear harshness in Campbell's tone as Catherine sees herself losing everything that reminds her of the girl she used to be. E.N. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2010
Catherine de Medici uses her natural and supernatural gifts to protect the French throne in Gortner's (The Last Queen
) portrait of a queen willing to sacrifice happiness and reputation to fulfill her family's royal destiny. Orphan Catherine has her first vision at age 10, and three years later is betrothed to Henri d'Orleans, brother of the sickly heir to the French throne. She heads to France with a vial of poison hidden among her possessions, and after negotiating an uneasy truce with her husband's mistress, she matures into a powerful court presence, though power, she learns, comes at a price. Three of her sons become king in succession as the widow Catherine wields ever-increasing influence to keep the ambitious de Guise clan at bay and religious adversaries from murdering each other. Gortner's is not the first fictional reinterpretation of a historical villainess—Catherine's role in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, for instance, is recounted in a way sympathetic to her—but hers is remarkably thoughtful in its insight into an unapologetically ruthless queen.