"The Serpent and the Rose" is a captivating tale that skillfully weaves together historical, dramatic and personal elements. Catherine Butterfield brings to life a fascinating period in French history and paints a complex and memorable portrait of Queen Marguerite de Valois."
5 stars, Highly Recommended Award of Excellence.
Over the course of this novel, Butterfield employs a diarylike style from Marguerite’s perspective that makes for a brisk read, and Marguerite, despite her royal background, comes off as approachable and very human throughout; for example, late in the novel, she has a powerful experience that brings her a sense of fulfillment that she’d never encountered in her strictly proscribed life. The author, for the most part, sticks closely to the events of the historical timeline, but takes some creative liberties, as when she notes in an afterword that the idea that one key character “was Marguerite’s One Great Love is cause for speculation; and so, I did.”
A sweeping but intimate story that highlights the author’s clear attention to detail.
The Serpent and the Rose audiobook, narrated by the author/actress Catherine Butterfield, is now available for purchase on all platforms. The novel tells the story of Marguerite de Valois, who found herself in a lifelong battle of wits with her famously manipulative mother, Catherine de Medici.
