Le Confessioni Di Caterina De' Medici (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Lo ammetto, a me gli storici non mi hanno mai appassionato, questo è stato un regalo da un caro amico, allora mi ci sono voluta buttare dentro.Inizio non molto convinta, eppure questa ragazza mi prende ogni giorno di più, e ogni minuto mi addentro dentro di lei come se quello che stesse passando le stessi passando anche io. Non è la donna che racconta la storia, quella sanguinaria che uccise innocenti solo per prediligere una regione, ma é una donna non forte come vuole far sembrare, molto insicura delle sue scelte e con un cuore grande.Non posso dir altro, se no rovinerei il sentimento che proverete durante questa magnifica storia.Assolutamente un libro da leggere, pieno di segreti mai rivelati. I picked up this book in a charity shop alongside two others and I'm glad I did as I really did enjoy this book. I will be the first to admit that I did not know much about Catherine De Medici apart from that she was a very predominant figure in French history and I was looking forward to learning more about her. But Catherine De Medici is the mother of the last two Valois kings of France and also the last legitimate line of the De Medici line of descent. Catherine marries Henri the second of France at a young age and provides him with two sons.However, her husband showed no real interest in her and purely used her in order to get children from her and showed more interest in his mistresses throughout the course of their marriage. When her husband dies, Catherine decides to seize power for her two sons. Throughout the course of her reign in power, Catherine has always been refined by her acts such as the St Bartholomew massacre which gave her the nickname La Sepente and The Black Queen. However, Gortner challenges this perception of her throughout the course of the novel but by showing that there are two sides to every story and to her personality. There is no denying that she did some pretty awful things especially when dealing with issues such as religion in France during her reign. But it is this evil that she shows during her reign that allows to see that she is brave and strong and she is willing to do what she has to do for herself and her country and keep the throne going in her family as well. Alongside this, we see that she sacrifices her own happiness and even her own heart to do her duty to the best of her ability. Overall, Gortner does an astonishing job to show and portray Catherine in a different way and provide an alternative perspective on her. It is beautifully written and it feels like you are having a conversation with her as she recalls what happened to her during her life.For me, this quotation sums up the book perfectly, 'The truth is, none of us are innocent. We all have sins to confess.' And this is what Gortner has achieved with this novel and it is what makes the audience believe and enjoy the novel. A great read!
What do You think about Le Confessioni Di Caterina De' Medici (2011)?
An interesting point of view and many aspects revealed about a misunderstood and unfortunated queen.
—max
Well researched, absorbing and easy to listen to as an audio version.
—Bethanym94
Not as good as his other books but still worth the read.
—snoopy
