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Title details for The Disenchantment by Celia Bell - Available

The Disenchantment

A Novel

by Celia Bell
Madeleine Leslay
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
This radiant and thrilling debut follows a passionate love affair between two noblewomen who wish to free themselves from their repressive society, whatever the cost.
“Propel[s] us into the epicentre of a 17th century Paris where breaking out of the prison of arranged marriage is only one of the many challenges confronting women.” —Lisa Appignanesi, author of Everyday Madness

In 17th century Paris, everyone has something to hide. The noblemen and women and writers consort with fortune tellers in the confines of their homes, servants practice witchcraft and black magic, and the titled poison family members to obtain inheritance. But for the Baroness Marie Catherine, the only thing she wishes to hide is how unhappy she is in her marriage, and the pleasures she seeks outside of it.
When her husband is present, the Baroness spends her days tending to her children and telling them elaborate fairy tales, but when he’s gone, Marie Catherine indulges in a more liberated existence, one of forward-thinking discussions with female scholars in the salons of grand houses, and at the center of her freedom: Victoire Rose de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Conti, the androgynous, self-assured countess who steals Marie Catherine’s heart and becomes her lover.
Victoire possesses everything Marie Catherine does not—confidence in her love, and a brazen fearlessness in all that she’s willing to do for it. But when a shocking and unexpected murder occurs, Marie Catherine must escape. And what she discovers is the dark underbelly of a city full of people who have secrets they would kill to keep.
The Disenchantment is a stunning debut that conjures an unexpected world of passion, crime, intrigue, and black magic.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 16, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593669242
      • File size: 420141 KB
      • Duration: 14:35:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 14, 2022
      Bell’s inventive debut revisits an obscure incident in French history known as the Affair of the Poisons. In late 17th-century Paris, Marie Catherine la Jumelle is unhappily married to the older Baron de Cardonnoy and escapes her domestic drudgery by attending salons. At one, she meets the charismatic Victoire de Conti, who writes poetry and loves to scandalize her fellow salonnières by dressing in gentlemen’s clothes. Marie Catherine and Victoire go on to become discreet lovers, but after the baron discovers the affair (which he thinks is with a man) and confronts his wife about it, he is shot to death by a masked man. Javert-like Lt. Gen. of Police Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie immediately suspects Marie Catherine of the crime. De la Reynie is obsessed with eradicating the fortune-tellers, rogue priests and sorcerers who are supposedly dealing in corrupted sacraments, spells, and poisons, and it is among this lot that Marie Catherine tries to find someone to pin her husband’s murder on. The author excels at creating a hothouse atmosphere in which depravity, sensuality, and duplicity reside side by side, and Marie Catherine’s plight builds in suspense as the noose tightens around her, leading to an ending that turns the novel into a rousing feminist fable. It’s a bold and inspired mix of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Crucible.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Madeleine Leslay's appealing voice draws listeners into seventeenth-century Paris and the world of abused wife Baroness Marie Catherine; her lover, Victoire; and the seemingly limitless decadence of posh Parisian nobility. Aristocrats and servants alike dabble in the occult, so when Marie Catherine's brutish husband is murdered, the police expect to find his killer among the corrupt priests, fortune tellers, and poisoners scattered about Paris. Within this convoluted mystery, Marie Catherine weaves wonderful fairy-tale-like stories to distract her children. Leslay's French is impeccable, and her storytelling skills are masterful. Whether dealing with forbidden passion, repressed women, or murder, Leslay navigates the elegant soirees and intellectual salons, as well as the artists' garrets of Paris's seamier side, in a performance that lights up the City of Lights. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      Madeleine Leslay distinctively narrates several characters in Bell's debut, an elaborate tale of murder and upper-class intrigue set in 17th-century Paris. Marie Catherine bides her time in a loveless marriage to the Baron de Cardonnoy by telling fairy tales to her children and attending aristocratic salons. At a salon two years earlier, she met and fell in love with Victoire, a spirited young countess and distant relative of the king. The women keep the affair hidden until a case of mistaken identity involving Marie Catherine's portrait painter sends the baron on a rampage that ends in his death. Although there are a staggering number of characters in Bell's novel, Leslay adds posh embellishments to aristocratic voices and employs various accents for lower-class citizens, which makes everyone sound unique. Her Marie Catherine switches from astute to airhead whenever the character feigns naivete around the authorities. Marie Catherine's lady's maid Jeanne, whom Leslay performs with a broad British-French accent, has an idea of who killed the baron but fears complicity. Multiple storylines simmer until they converge toward an exhilarating but rushed ending. VERDICT A richly suspenseful tale, perfect for listeners who enjoy detailed historical fiction, such as Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" trilogy.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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