Courting the Sun, a novel of Versailles by Peggy Joque Williams is one of the better historical fiction novels I have read this year.
It’s a beautifully written, evocative story of a country girl swept into the court of the Sun King. I felt immersed in the world of 18th century Amiens and later Paris and Versailles, as seen through the eyes of an innocent (but thankfully not stupid) young girl, Sylvienne. She was excited to experience life beyond her small town but I loved that she didn’t make any truly reckless decisions despite being completely out of her element at the Sun King’s Court. She acted more like a girl of the time period not a modern teenager and I deeply appreciated that veracity to history. The other characters were all well crafted as well, from King Louis and his mistress Athenais to the people of Amiens and Sylvienne’s friends in Amiens.
The descriptions of the clothing worn at Court were swoon worthy and so vivid. As you may remember, I LOVE fancy dress and this book has ALL the clothes. Yum.
I also loved that difficult emotional situations were resolved realistically with respect to both the characters and the society of the time. No hand waving magic fixes for romance here.
The book really took me back in time which was so much fun.
Truly an enjoyable read!
I received an advance review copy for free.
BJ Sikes, author 