Category Archives: France

Let Them Eat Brioche! | A Guest Post by Leslie Carroll

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Allie

Mention the name Marie Antoinette to many people and the first thing they might reply is “Oh, yeah, she’s the one who said ‘Let them eat cake,’ har-har.’” Uh—well, no. And I’m willing to venture out on a twig here to claim that historical fiction aficionados know perfectly well that Marie Antoinette never said any such thing in response to… Continue reading...

Posted in 18th Century, France, Leslie Carroll, Marie Antoinette, Recipes | 8 Comments

Review: Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Allie
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: June 28th, 2011
Source: I received this copy from TLC Book Tours for review.

A few years ago I read and loved Koen’s Through A Glass Darkly, which covers the South Sea Bubble… Continue reading...

Posted in 17th Century, Book Reviews, Duchess of Orléans, France, Karleen Koen, Louis XIV, Louise de La Vallière | 12 Comments

The Chateau d’Étoges | A Guest Post by Laurel Corona

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Allie

I’ve driven a great deal in most parts of France, but still, as I made may way around Champagne researching… Continue reading...

Posted in 18th Century, Emilie du Châtelet, France, Guest Post, Laurel Corona | 6 Comments

Author Interview | Stephanie Cowell + 5 book giveaway!

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Allie

Claude and Camille was one of my favorite books of 2010 (read my review here). The paperback edition just went on sale yesterday, and in honor of the book’s re-release, today I’d like to welcome author Stephanie Cowell for an interview. I have had the great pleasure of meeting Stephanie several times, once at her Barnes… Continue reading...

Posted in 19th Century, Auguste Renoir, Author Interviews, Camille Doncieux Monet, Claude Monet, France, Giveaways, Stephanie Cowell | 28 Comments

All We Have Left of Her: Eleanor of Aquitaine’s Wedding Gift to Louis VII | A Guest Post by Christy English + *international giveaway*

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Allie

Eleanor of Aquitaine married young King Louis VII of France on July 25, 1137. It was a dynastic marriage to combine the might of Paris with the lands and influence of the Aquitaine. The marriage was years in the making, and came fast on the heels of the death of the tenth duke of Aquitaine, William, Eleanor’s father… Continue reading...

Posted in 12th Century, Christy English, Eleanor of Aquitaine, France, Giveaways, Guest Post, Louis VII | 37 Comments

Author Event | Michelle Moran’s Book Launch of Madame Tussaud, with Video from the Event

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Allie

One of the many things I will really miss about living in NYC, the “publishing capitol” of the United States, is the ability to attend some truly amazing book events. New York is home to countless authors and publishing headquarters, so my recently vacated Manhattan apartment’s proximity to all of this put me right at the heart of the action. Over the past year, Nicole of Linus’s

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Posted in 18th Century, Author Events, France, Marie Tussaud, Michelle Moran, The French Revolution | 4 Comments

Review | Désirée by Annemarie Selinko

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Allie
Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: October 1st, 2010 (1953 re-release)
Source: I received this ARC from the publisher for review.

While I expected to enjoy Désirée, I couldn’t have been more surprised by how modern the author’s style read… Continue reading...

Posted in 18th Century, Book Reviews, Désirée Clary, France, Jean Bernadotte - Charles XIV of Sweden, Josephine de Beauharnais, Julie Clary, Napoléon Bonaparte, Sweden, The French Revolution | 9 Comments

Birthday Post: Special Author Interview with Sandra Gulland! Plus giveaway!

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Allie

In honor of my birthday today, I have interviewed one of my all-time favorite historical fiction authors, Sandra Gulland! Sandra’s Josephine B. Trilogy (The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.; Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe; The Last Great Dance on Earth) had a tremendous effect on… Continue reading...

Posted in 17th Century, 18th Century, Athénaïs de Montespan, Author Interviews, Charles II - King of England, France, Giveaways, Josephine de Beauharnais, Louis XIV, Louise de La Vallière, Napoléon Bonaparte | 24 Comments

Review | Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Allie
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: July 13th, 2010
Source: I received this ARC from the publisher for review.

Many reviewers have made such a big deal about Eleanor’s sexuality in Captive Queen, but I frankly… Continue reading...

Posted in 12th Century, Alison Weir, Book Reviews, Eleanor of Aquitaine, England, France, Henry II, John of England, Louis VII, Richard I, The Angevins, Thomas Becket - Archbishop of Canterbury | 17 Comments

The Sunday Salon: A Busy Week

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Allie

It’s been a busy week on Hist-Fic Chick! I’ve had two historians stop by with guest posts on their areas of expertise, both filled with fascinating information on their respective periods. Vicki Leon wrote about the famous Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, and one of her lesser-known contemporaries, Queen Amanirenas of Meroe in her guest post “Making

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Posted in Alison Weir, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Emma Campion, England, France, Henry II, John of England, Richard I, The Sunday Salon, Vicki León | 6 Comments