REVIEW: Médicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois

A novel by Sophie Perinot

Opening in 1564, Médicis Daughter recounts the early life of Marguerite of Valois, the last surviving member of the French House of Valois. The daughter of the infamous and calculating Catherine de Médicis, Princess “Margot” is eager to be an obedient daughter, dutifully preparing for marriage and a future as Queen of Navarre. However, Margot finds herself increasingly drawn to the Duc de Guise, a compelling and powerful figure at the court, and an enemy of her formidable mother. As Margot wrestles with her feelings, torn between love and filial duty, the nation is plunged ever deeper into the Wars of Religion raging between Catholics and Huguenots. Margot begins to suspect that her marriage to Henri of Navarre, intended as a symbol of peaceful reconciliation, is actually a cover for more sinister plans, as the wedding festivities explode into the violence of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Sophie Perinot’s latest novel will appeal to fans of Philippa Gregory, Sarah Dunant, and other historical fiction set during the late Renaissance.

 — Darcy Coover, Main Library, Charleston, S.C.

Find this and similar titles at Charleston County Public Library. To learn more or to place a hold, visit www.ccpl.org or call 843-805-6930.