The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner

Synopsis from Goodreads:  The truth is, none of us are innocent. We all have sins to confess.

So reveals Catherine de Medici in this brilliantly imagined novel about one of history’s most powerful and controversial women. To some she was the ruthless queen who led France into an era of savage violence. To others she was the passionate savior of the French monarchy. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner brings Catherine to life in her own voice, allowing us to enter into the intimate world of a woman whose determination to protect her family’s throne and realm plunged her into a lethal struggle for power.

 The last legitimate descendant of the illustrious Medici line, Catherine suffers the expulsion of her family from her native Florence and narrowly escapes death at the hands of an enraged mob. While still a teenager, she is betrothed to Henri, son of François I of France, and sent from Italy to an unfamiliar realm where she is overshadowed and humiliated by her husband’s lifelong mistress. Ever resilient, Catherine strives to create a role for herself through her patronage of the famous clairvoyant Nostradamus and her own innate gift as a seer. But in her fortieth year, Catherine is widowed, left alone with six young children as regent of a kingdom torn apart by religious discord and the ambitions of a treacherous nobility.

Relying on her tenacity, wit, and uncanny gift for compromise, Catherine seizes power, intent on securing the throne for her sons. She allies herself with the enigmatic Protestant leader Coligny, with whom she shares an intimate secret, and implacably carves a path toward peace, unaware that her own dark fate looms before her—a fate that, if she is to save France, will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, her reputation, and the passion of her embattled heart.

From the fairy-tale châteaux of the Loire Valley to the battlefields of the wars of religion to the mob-filled streets of Paris, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici is the extraordinary untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen.

My thoughts:  "The truth is, none of us are innocent. We all have sins to confess."  From that very first line I was hooked. Upon starting the book I was ignorant as to who Catherine de Medici was.   I was never one for history class, but if the information had been presented like this story, I might have been a history major in college.  I was fascinated by the characters and the story from beginning to end.

We meet Catherine as a child, experiencing a lifetime of joy and sorrow right along with her.   Since finishing the book I've found myself searching for more information on Catherine and her family. I was intrigued by the customs described and the idea of the "political" marriages that were arranged when the children were barely out of the womb.  As a mother,  I understood the fierceness of Catherine's emotions when it came to her children. As a wife I understood how she could love her husband despite his numerous faults.  As a woman, I understood how she was able to do what was needed just to get the job done.

This is one of those books that makes your think about it again and again.   It is a book worthy of passing on to your friends and family. I've already passed it on to my mother in law who plans on passing it on to her friends as well. I absolutely recommend that anyone who enjoys historical fiction pick this one up. 

Other Works by C.W. Gortner:

The Last Queen:Released May 5, 2009
The Tudor Secret Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles: Tentative release date of January 2011.


Disclosure:  I received this book from the publicist in exchange for my honest review.