19 h 5 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a shy young woman's heart becomes the business of an entire royal court?
At the court of Louis XIV, every glance draws notice. Louise de la Vallière, a gentle young woman in Madame's household, catches the young king's attention. But Raoul de Bragelonne already loves her and trusts in their future. Royal desire puts private hopes under a harsh light.
In Louise de la Vallière, Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet bring romance into a world of rivals, spies and watchful friends. Madame guards her place at court, while D'Artagnan sees clearly how power works. Conversations carry secrets, jealousy gathers force, and Louise faces the pull of affection and duty.
What you’ll discover
- Love beyond royal command Watch Louis confront feelings he cannot govern as easily as his kingdom.
- A quiet woman under scrutiny Follow Louise as the king's attention exposes her gentle nature to courtly pressure.
- Devotion with much at stake Meet Raoul, whose honest love for Louise rests on his trust in their future.
- Secrets behind palace glitter Enter a court where gossip, ambition and jealousy press against private feeling.
- Old friends, changed times Find D'Artagnan and Athos older and wiser, facing a world shaped by royal power.
Who will love it
For readers who love character-filled historical fiction, courtly romance and political scheming, and who enjoy the world of the musketeers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A young king and a watchful court
- Louise, a shy girl in a bright world
- The king's love becomes a court affair
- Jealousy, rivals and the ladies of the court
- The musketeers in a changed France
- What the story is about and how it is told
Who’s who
- Louise de la VallièreA gentle, sincere young lady of Madame's household who finds herself torn between affection, duty and the king's attention.
- Louis XIVThe young king, proud and eager to rule, who learns what it is to love someone he cannot simply command.
- Raoul de BragelonneA noble, steady young viscount, the son of Athos, who loves Louise with honest devotion and trusts in their future.
- Madame (Henrietta of England)The lively, clever wife of the king's brother, who is the centre of court life and guards her place in it.
- MontalaisA quick, witty young lady in waiting who loves secrets and helps her friends, though often for her own reasons.
- D'ArtagnanThe shrewd captain of the king's musketeers, loyal to his master yet clear-eyed about the men and women around him.
- AthosThe dignified old musketeer and father of Raoul, who holds to the old code of honour and cares deeply for his son.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 19 h 5 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Louise de la Vallière in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Louise de la Vallière
by Alexandre Dumas; Auguste Maquet · 1847
At the court of Louis XIV, a shy young woman's heart becomes a closely watched secret, caught between love and honour.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 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.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Louise de la Vallière
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
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.
The author
Alexandre Dumas
1802–1870 · French novelist and playwright
Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was a French novelist and playwright. He was born in Villers-Cotterêts, lived in Paris, and died in Puys, near Dieppe. He wrote The Three Musketeers (1844), The Count of Monte Cristo (1844–1846), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Black Tulip (1850).
More by Alexandre Dumas; Auguste Maquet
All 18 books
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in classics
See all
Free
