PUYB Blog Tour for "The Confessions of Catherine De Medici" by C.W. Gortner

The Confessions of Catherine De Medici by C.W. Gortner is absolutely amazing! I'm not sure I can say much more except.......WOW!

First of all, to my readers, please note that this is not a Christian Fiction title. This is a novel about a real life historical figure. I review a lot of Christian books, but I also like to step out of the box once in a while and read other books. This one caught my attention because it's about a real person, Catherine De Medici, who lived 1519-1589. She was Italian born and sent to marry a future King of France.

The book is written as if Catherine were telling her own life story. It is absolutely riveting. I had been told that C.W. Gortner is an incredible author, but I hadn't read anything of his, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was completely hooked from page one. I was so immersed in Catherine while reading this book that I feel as if I know her. When it was over I was so sad to say good-bye.

I certainly can't say that I agree with everything she did during her lifetime. I know many times I read things that historical kings and queens did and it just seems awful! I can't even imagine. The author lets us walk in Catherine's shoes beginning when she is just a young girl. We can't understand the things they did because they lived in a whole different time and we can't imagine unless we walk in their shoes. I feel as if I got a glimpse of what it was like to walk in her shoes. I know we can't know everything, but I feel as if I know and understand her better. And, believe it or not, I found myself caring about her and my heart went out to her. The things she went through in her lifetime, I cannot even imagine!

If you are a history buff, as I have become, I think you will love this book! I really loved it and I think it's simply amazing! The writing is exquisite! I was glued to this book, and felt as if I had been sent back through time and space and allowed to get to know this amazing historical figure. The author did a LOT of research and although it's written as a novel and a few details that he mentions in the Afterward have been changed for the purpose of the book, but mostly it is what he believes is accurate based on his research.

I have been told that his other books are equally amazing. I am now a fan and plan to get ahold of more of C.W. Gortner's books!


Book Summary:

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.


Watch the video trailer here.

Read more about the book on the author's website here.

Buy this book here.




Author Bio:

C. W. Gortner, half-Spanish by birth, holds an M.F.A. in writing, with an emphasis on historical studies, from the New College of California and has taught university courses on women of power in the Renaissance. He was raised in Málaga, Spain, and now lives in California.


Acclaimed for his insight into his characters, he travels extensively to research his books. He has slept in a medieval Spanish castle, danced in a Tudor great hall, and explored library archives all over Europe. His debut historical novel The Last Queen gained international praise and has been translated into eight languages to date. His new novel, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, will be published on May 25, 2010. He is currently at work on The Princess Isabella, his third historical novel, and The Secret Lion, the first book in his Tudor thriller series,The Spymaster Chronicles. You can visit C. W. Gortner’s website at http://cwgortner.com/.


Follow all the stops on this blog tour here.

*Stop by The Book Connection for a chance to win a copy of this fabulous book! Look in the sidebar for the link to the giveaway.*

This book was provided for review by Ballantine Books & Pump Up Your Book Promotions.


 
Blessings,