The Devil's Queen

May 11, 2009
In this soap opera rendition of 16th-century power and politics, the ruthless and manipulative wife of France's King Henry II, reviled for her role in the civil and religious wars that roiled France, is conned into a deal with the devil. After her arranged marriage to the future French king, Catherine de Medici dedicates her life to protecting her husband and his reign, bartering away her soul to ensure that she provides heirs. Seasoned historic novelist Kalogridis (The Borgia Bride
) nails the palace intrigue and lush pageantry of the Renaissance, but can't get a grip on her heroine's slippery, troubled heart. Catherine confesses to a core of evil, and history certainly supports that view, but Kalogridis suggests that the real trade-off of Catherine's Faustian bargain was to become a royal doormat, swallowing her courage and pride to become a dutiful and ignored wife and mother. For all her passion and attention to detail, however, Kalogridis doesn't quite bring the powerful, tortured figure back from her historical purgatory.

Jeanne Kalogridis creates a new and improved picture of Catherine de Medici, the wife of King Henri II, a queen much hated by the French people. Whether or not you're convinced of the author's perspective of the queen, you'll be captivated by Kate Reading's narration. She eases us into Catherine's character with fluid pronunciations of Italian and French and a flow that sweeps us into her story. Reading's strong, emotive tones encourage listeners to care about a woman who loves her husband and children so dearly that she's willing to participate in murder to ensure their safety and secure their futures. Reading portrays forceful mystics of the period as Kalogridis suggests that Catherine was swayed by predictions made by Nostradamus and the intuitions of the medieval psychic Cosimo Ruggieri. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine