Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Rivals of Versailles: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Rivals of Versailles: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Rivals of Versailles: A Novel
    Audiobook15 hours

    The Rivals of Versailles: A Novel

    Written by Sally Christie

    Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    The year is 1745, and King Louis XV's bed is once again empty. Enter Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, a beautiful girl from the middle classes. As a child, a fortune teller had told young Jeanne's destiny: She would become the lover of a king and the most powerful woman in the land. Eventually connections, luck, and a little scheming pave her way to Versailles and into the King's arms.



    All too soon, conniving politicians and hopeful beauties seek to replace the bourgeois interloper with a more suitable mistress. As Jeanne, now the Marquise de Pompadour, takes on her many rivals-including a lustful lady-in-waiting, a precocious fourteen-year-old prostitute, and even a cousin of the notorious Nesle sisters-she helps the king give himself over to a life of luxury and depravity. Around them, war rages, discontent grows, and France inches ever closer to the Revolution.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Audio
    Release dateApr 5, 2016
    ISBN9781515974000
    Author

    Sally Christie

    Sally Christie is the author of The Sisters of Versailles and The Rivals of Versailles. She was born in England and grew up around the world, attending eight schools in three different languages. She spent most of her career working in international development and currently lives in Toronto. Visit SallyChristieAuthor.com to find out more about Sally and the Mistresses of Versailles trilogy.

    More audiobooks from Sally Christie

    Related to The Rivals of Versailles

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Boleyns

      Jul 18, 2019

      The Boleyns
      11 min read

    • Article

      Wives’ Tales

      Nov 30, 2018

      Wives’ Tales
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Controversial King

      Jan 7, 2022

      The Controversial King
      5 min read

    • Article

      Margaret Of Austria

      Feb 28, 2020

      Margaret Of Austria
      11 min read

    • Article

      The White Rose & The Tudors

      Mar 19, 2018

      The White Rose & The Tudors
      3 min read

    • Article

      Anne Boleyn’s Final Battle

      Sep 3, 2020

      Anne Boleyn’s Final Battle
      8 min read

    • Article

      Grief-stricken

      Oct 29, 2020

      Grief-stricken
      1 min read

    • Article

      Before WALLIS

      Sep 7, 2018

      Before WALLIS
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Good Servant

      Aug 8, 2022

      Windsor, March 1932 “Good evening, Miss Crawford.” A smart young man in uniform was waiting on the platform when she stepped off the train. She was startled. “Aye. That’s me. How did you know?” “Easy.” He smiled. “There aren’t that many young ladies

      6 min read

    • Article

      Every CLOUD

      Aug 31, 2022

      Every CLOUD
      6 min read

    • Article

      Tis The Season

      Nov 2, 2022

      Tis The Season
      2 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      'Tis The Season

      Nov 2, 2022

      'Tis The Season
      2 min read

    • Article

      The WITCH GIRL

      Oct 20, 2021

      The WITCH GIRL
      6 min read

    • Article

      Little CHARMS

      Oct 19, 2022

      Little CHARMS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Man I Should Have Married

      Dec 29, 2019

      The Man I Should Have Married
      11 min read

    • Article

      All Of Us Here

      Jun 4, 2020

      All Of Us Here
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Global Romance

      Jan 26, 2022

      A Global Romance
      2 min read

    • Article

      Life In The past Lane

      Aug 27, 2021

      Life In The past Lane
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Periodic Stranger: When exile becomes home.

      Dec 12, 2013

      My roots are in a hilltop village west of Matera, where rabbit and boar run riot in the fields. Figs, apricots, and pears hang in heavy clusters, at eye-level and within easy reach. There, the local girls are famous for their calves, made firm and st

      21 min read

    • Article

      The Periodic Stranger

      Mar 2, 2017

      My roots are in a hilltop village west of Matera, where rabbit and boar run riot in the fields. Figs, apricots, and pears hang in heavy clusters, at eye-level and within easy reach. There, the local girls are famous for their calves, made firm and st

      21 min read

    • Article

      The Witch GIRL

      Oct 24, 2023

      The Witch GIRL
      6 min read

    Reviews for The Rivals of Versailles

    4/5

    23 ratings7 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Wickedly witty dialogue throughout. Colorful vibrant descriptions of fashion and decor. The second of the Versailles series is even more enthralling than Sisters of Versailles. Although this could be read as a stand alone, there are references made to the first in the trilogy so I recommend reading them in order. Besides, they are so decently delicious; it's like the Real Housewives of Versailles!Provided by publisher and TLC BOOK TOURS
    • 4/5
      Louis XV's most famous mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour, takes center-stage in this volume of the Mistress of Versailles trilogy. As a young girl, she is given a sense of her destiny and develops a strong sense of determination to become the French king's mistress. The ensuing rivalries and politics as she gained influence are presented here in a compelling narrative. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy 18th-century historical fiction and especially those interested in a picture of France before the revolution.
    • 4/5
      Disclaimer #1: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Goodreads -- thank you!

      Disclaimer #2: I have not read the first book in this series.

      Here's something that I realized as I was reading The Rivals of Versailles: everything I know about Reinette Poisson, I learned from Doctor Who. Which is kind of weird because, I mean, I studied the French Revolution in some of my university history classes. You'd think she would have come up more than in passing.

      Either way, though, this look into her life was absolutely wonderful to read.

      Reinette is a fantastic main character -- sometimes shallow but also so sympathetic and easy to root for. I especially liked all of the sections dealing with her childhood. The writing is rich in historical detail. And it was just a joy to read.

      Wonderful main character, wonderful writing, wonderful book.
    • 5/5
      This is the second novel in a trilogy, and I found it to be as good as the first novel. Louis XV of France seems to have had very few redeeming qualities. He is selfish, self-indulgent and certainly oversexed. He believed his position as king of France gave him the right to do whatever he wished. It is highly obvious, after reading these two novels (and soon enough I will read the third and final), that his reign during the mid 18th century went a long way toward creating the dissatisfaction and resentment that caused the French Revolution and got his grandson beheaded.
      Having said all this, I find people with such flaws to be fascinating. His life was truly amazing, and Sally Christie writes of it so well. it must have taken a great deal of research to write this novel, as she brings in everyone who could possibly have had any influence at this court. It's a wonderful peek at the people of the court of Versailles.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in the Mistresses of Versailles series. It can easily stand alone but like any series the experience is always a bit better when you’ve read the beginning. This book picks up after Louis XV has worked his way through the Nesle sisters and now is seeking a new mistress. He meets a commoner, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson and the course of both of their lives will soon change. She will become one of the most powerful women in France and will help guide and advise Louis. She will become the Marquise de Pompadour.The book tells her story from her humble beginnings to the pivotal moment when a fortune teller shares the story that she will be at the side of a King and she is given the nickname Reinette or little queen. From that point on Jeanne focuses on achieving the future seen for her. When she finally does catch the eye of the King her ascendance is not assured and her ability to stay there is a constant battle. She used her intelligence and her wits to stay at the side of the King despite her many detractors and critics. When she could no longer share his bed she found replacements.This book was a very interesting read. I didn’t know much about Madame Pompadour and I feel I have a better feeling for her at this point. I’m not sure I like her. I’m not sure she was good for France. Louis was most certainly depraved at best and a child molester at the least. They did spend money like drunken sailors and had no concept of what it was like for anyone out of their class. No wonder the country rose up in rebellion. But politics aside the book is very well written and a fascinating study in what a woman will do to stay in power and close to a man she purports to love. Whether she loved the man, the money or the power I don’t know. Perhaps the man for a bit but I can’t imagine he was easy to love.I am looking forward to the third and final installment of the series. I am sure it will end with a bang.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in the Mistresses of Versailles series. It can easily stand alone but like any series the experience is always a bit better when you’ve read the beginning. This book picks up after Louis XV has worked his way through the Nesle sisters and now is seeking a new mistress. He meets a commoner, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson and the course of both of their lives will soon change. She will become one of the most powerful women in France and will help guide and advise Louis. She will become the Marquise de Pompadour.The book tells her story from her humble beginnings to the pivotal moment when a fortune teller shares the story that she will be at the side of a King and she is given the nickname Reinette or little queen. From that point on Jeanne focuses on achieving the future seen for her. When she finally does catch the eye of the King her ascendance is not assured and her ability to stay there is a constant battle. She used her intelligence and her wits to stay at the side of the King despite her many detractors and critics. When she could no longer share his bed she found replacements.This book was a very interesting read. I didn’t know much about Madame Pompadour and I feel I have a better feeling for her at this point. I’m not sure I like her. I’m not sure she was good for France. Louis was most certainly depraved at best and a child molester at the least. They did spend money like drunken sailors and had no concept of what it was like for anyone out of their class. No wonder the country rose up in rebellion. But politics aside the book is very well written and a fascinating study in what a woman will do to stay in power and close to a man she purports to love. Whether she loved the man, the money or the power I don’t know. Perhaps the man for a bit but I can’t imagine he was easy to love.I am looking forward to the third and final installment of the series. I am sure it will end with a bang.
    • 5/5
      The Rivals of Versailles once again sweeps readers into the enchanting palace of Versailles where life is never dull and intrigue is merely second nature. First, there was The Sisters of Versailles. The talented, but infamous Nesle sisters who ruled Louis XV’s heart have come and gone, leaving the position of official mistress open. The Rivals of Versailles introduces us to the woman who later becomes one of the most influential women in France. Never before had a mistress, especially of the bourgeois, reigned as though a queen’s crown was placed upon her head. Marquise de Pompadour was called many things within her life and even her death, but none can deny what she accomplished.The Marquise was an interesting woman to read about and even though the book is a sizeable one, the end comes much too soon. Pompadour is a name that has remained recognizable beyond her time, marking that her life, her achievements, and how important she truly was to the king, as a friend and an advisor, still captivate people. To come from seemingly nowhere and to then rule France for nearly twenty years, while young, beautiful rivals sprang up like dandelions was not a small achievement.I’m eagerly awaiting The Enemies of Versailles. Sally Christie knows how to write historical fiction that are like candies, delicious to the very last taste.