Love and Louis XIV

Any nonfiction account of royalty can be tricky--complex family trees and complicated names of people and places can be stumbling blocks for readers. Happily, the audio version of Antonia Fraser's study of Louis XIV is in the capable hands of Rosalyn Landor, whose brisk, efficient reading makes short work of a long history. True to its title, this history chronicles the lives of the Sun King's female influences, from his mother to his mistresses. Landor's resonant, precise enunciation easily navigates Louis's lineage and delivers any name with aplomb. Hers is an animated, pleasant voice for a nonfiction text, and, combined with Fraser's trademark skill with language, the history unfolds with grace. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine