Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Louise de la Vallière
Für wen es gedacht ist
For readers who love character-filled historical fiction, courtly romance and political scheming, and who enjoy the world of the musketeers.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
Louise de la Vallière is a historical novel from the long cycle that Alexandre Dumas wrote with his collaborator Auguste Maquet. It belongs to the sequel series that began with The Three Musketeers and follows its heroes into the 1660s, when Louis XIV is a young king who has just taken power into his own hands. Dumas published his novels in newspaper installments, so the story moves fast, turns on conversations, and keeps many threads going at once.
The book centres on a shy young woman at the court, Louise de la Vallière, and the king who falls in love with her. Around them stand rivals, spies, friends and a loyal young nobleman who loves her first. You get the glitter of palaces and the quiet pressure of gossip, jealousy and ambition. You also meet old friends from the musketeer books, now older and wiser. Let us begin with the court itself, where every glance is watched and every secret has a price.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1A young king and a watchful courtFree
- 2Louise, a shy girl in a bright world
- 3The king's love becomes a court affair
- 4Jealousy, rivals and the ladies of the court
- 5The musketeers in a changed France
- 6What the story is about and how it is told
Punkt 1 von 6
A young king and a watchful court
The story opens in the France of Louis XIV, a country with a new kind of king. He is young, proud and eager to show that no minister will rule in his name. The court moves between its great houses, and the people around him study his moods the way sailors study the sky.
Dumas gives us the household of the king's brother and his wife, Henrietta of England, who is called Madame. She is lively, clever and admired, and she is the centre of the court's pleasures. Around her gather young nobles and ladies who ride, dance and walk in the gardens. Yet each of them is also a small player in a game of favour and influence.
Nothing in this world is private. A letter can be read, a sigh can be reported, and a friendship can be bought. The reader soon learns that gossip is a kind of currency here, and that some people trade in it for a living.
This setting matters because the love story could not exist without it. The king cannot simply love as another man would, since every feeling of his becomes a matter of state.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Louise de la Vallière
- Louise is a gentle young lady in Madame's household who attracts the king's attention while being loved by Raoul.
- Louis XIV
- Louis is the proud young king whose growing love for Louise draws the attention of his watchful court.
- Raoul de Bragelonne
- Raoul is Athos's devoted son, a young viscount who loves Louise and trusts in their future together.
- Madame (Henrietta of England)
- Madame is the clever wife of the king's brother and Louise's mistress, protective of her own court position.
- Montalais
- Montalais is a witty young lady in waiting who helps her friends while pursuing her own interests.
- D'Artagnan
- D'Artagnan is the shrewd captain of the king's musketeers, serving Louis loyally while observing those around him.
- Athos
- Athos is Raoul's father and a dignified former musketeer whose devotion to honour shapes his concern for his son.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 172,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 11 h 25 min
- Listening time19 h 5 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 10 other languages
Questions about Louise de la Vallière
What is Louise de la Vallière about?
It is a historical novel set at the court of Louis XIV. It follows the young king's growing love for Louise de la Vallière, the jealousy it stirs, and the effect on Raoul, who loves her, and the older musketeers.
Is Louise de la Vallière a true story?
It is fiction built around real people and a real period. Louis XIV, Louise de la Vallière, Madame, Fouquet and Colbert existed, but Dumas and Maquet invented much of the plot, dialogue and detail.
Do I need to read The Three Musketeers first?
It helps, since D'Artagnan and Athos return as older men and the book belongs to a sequel cycle. Still, the court romance centres on new characters and can be followed.
Who is Raoul de Bragelonne?
Raoul is the Vicomte de Bragelonne, the honourable young son of the musketeer Athos. He loves Louise and believes in a future with her, and he stands for faithful, old-fashioned honour.
Is Louise de la Vallière hard to read?
No. The story is easy to start because Dumas tells it in short scenes and quick conversations, and many chapters end on a question that pulls you on. The heart of it is simple: a shy young woman, a king who loves her, and a faithful suitor.