The School of Mirrors

January 1, 2022
Stachniak (The Chosen Maiden, 2017) casts empathetic light on a French mother and daughter whose lives are affected by royal privilege. By 1755, Louis XV, weary of court formalities and dramas, has become a "connoisseur of innocence," so his valet de chambre procures untouched teenage girls for his pleasures. Believing she'll be entering domestic service, pretty, lower-class V�ronique Roux arrives near the Versailles palace at a house where she is instructed in the courtesan's arts. Her patron's identity is kept concealed, and V�ronique loses access to their daughter, Marie-Louise, after her birth. Marie-Louise becomes a skilled midwife who often wonders about the parents she never knew. As revolutionary fervor builds, her secret royal heritage could become a liability, were it discovered. Stachniak combines a delicately embroidered historical world with enduring situations, like the exploitation of the less fortunate and parent-child relationships. Her multifaceted approach also showcases Queen Marie Leszczyńska's charity work and a fascinating cloth mannequin used to train midwives. The theme of illusion versus authenticity emerges in subtle ways. This accomplished novel should enthrall Francophiles and women's history enthusiasts.

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January 31, 2022
Stachniak (The Winter Palace) offers an impressive if schematic story of Versailles and Paris in the years leading up to and following the French Revolution. In 1755, 13-year-old Véronique Roux is surrendered by her widowed mother to an aide of King Louis XVI, who transports her to Deer Park, where underage girls are groomed to sexually service the king. After Véronique gives birth to the king’s daughter, Marie-Louise, the newborn is taken away and Véronique is married off to a wealthy merchant. As a girl, Marie-Louise is shuffled from household to household into the care of various guardians, first in Versailles and then in Paris, always wondering about her origins. She trains as a midwife, marries, watches the dissolution of the monarchy and, eventually, learns about her lineage. Stachniak has clearly done her research on life both in the royal court and on the streets of Paris, and though the fictional characters often seem too passive, the author smoothly integrates their stories with those of historical members of the royal family, as well as revolutionary George Danton. Overall, Stachniak successfully immerses readers in a tumultuous era of French history. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency.