The Rival Queens

Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom

De: Nancy Goldstone

Narrado por: Suzanne Toren

The riveting true story of mother-and-daughter queens Catherine de' Medici and Marguerite de Valois, whose wildly divergent personalities and turbulent relationship changed the shape of their tempestuous and dangerous century.

Set in magnificent Renaissance France, this is the story of two remarkable women, a mother and daughter driven into opposition by a terrible betrayal that threatened to destroy the realm. Catherine de' Medici was a ruthless pragmatist and powerbroker who dominated the throne for thirty years. Her youngest daughter Marguerite, the glamorous "Queen Margot," was a passionate free spirit, the only adversary whom her mother could neither intimidate nor control.

When Catherine forces the Catholic Marguerite to marry her Protestant cousin Henry of Navarre against her will, and then uses her opulent Parisian wedding as a means of luring his followers to their deaths, she creates not only savage conflict within France but also a potent rival within her own family.

Rich in detail and vivid prose, Goldstone's narrative unfolds as a thrilling historical epic. Treacherous court politics, poisonings, international espionage, and adultery form the background to a story that includes such celebrated figures as Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Nostradamus. The Rival Queens is a dangerous tale of love, betrayal, ambition, and the true nature of courage, the echoes of which still resonate.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Riveting." —Isabella Biedenharn, Entertainment Weekly

"What makes this account so convincing is not the evidence mustered, but the intuition applied....Margot, Catherine, Henry and various villains jump from the page in living, breathing, fornicating reality...an intriguing story, handsomely told." —Gerard DeGroot, The Times of London

"Tudor fans will be lured by this history set in Renaissance France." —Jocelyn McClurg, USA Today

"The 16th century, Nancy Goldstone notes in her gripping new biography, was the great age of queens...Goldstone wears her scholarship with flair; perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the story, which moves with the sharp characterization of a novel, is that it is entirely true." —Lisa Hilton, BBC History Magazine

"The queens Goldstone writes about weren't just any 16th-century queens; these women engaged in love affairs, group sex, killing sprees, and much, much more. Goldstone researched these royal families exhaustively and boiled what she learned down to a book that reads like a transcript of the latest season of Real Housewives but with higher stakes (life or death)."
—Emma Morgenstern, Modern Notion Daily Podcast

"A highly dramatic dual biography.... If serious history readers believe that Tudor England is the only place where family and religious conflict at the highest level makes riveting reading matter, those folks need to take a close look across the English Channel and see what was transpiring at the same time in the French court.... The French contemporary to Elizabeth I was Queen Catherine de' Medici, widow of King Henri II and mother to three kings after him.... Tudor struggles pale in comparison! Read this along with Antonia Fraser's classic Mary Queen of Scots."
—Brad Hooper, Booklist (Starred Review)

"This is a story of espionage, assassination, intrigue, and chicanery but also one that poignantly reminds readers of the vulnerabilities faced by women of the age....Readers are sure to be captivated by the lush details of these women's lives."—Library Journal

"Goldstone's witty comments make this historical family drama as easy to read as the best fiction, but it's all the more tragic for being true.... Goldstone upends conventional thought with this well-researched and well-written book."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"A thrilling tale packed with historical details and shocking revelations. Nancy Goldstone writes with cinematic clarity and eloquently brings to life two indomitable women whose ambitions changed the course of European history."—Ivana Lowell, author of Why Not Say What Happened?

History tells true drama

Loved this book that told the story's accurately yet did not get into gruesome detail.

Interesting but of History

very informative. the performance is a bit dry but as its less of a story and more of a fact by fact list it makes sense.

Two Amazing Woman and Conflicted Women!

Any additional comments?

The Medici Family is a favorite study of mine and this book does a spectacular job at bringing Catherine de Medici and her family to life. Well done and highly recommended!

Great read when truth is as entertaining as fiction!

I have read many historical fiction and non fiction recounting a of the story of these two queens and this is by far the best. A non fiction that is as entertaining as fiction. Narration was perfect with the footnotes included as ironic asides for the delight of the contemporary reader. Sorry it's over

Wonderful analysis of two fascinating women.

The subject matter is so compelling, and the juxtaposition of these two misunderstood historical women is truly revelatory.
The performance was so good I contrived to do menial chores to keep listening.
If you like good historical biography and find the era of 16th century Europe as fascinating as I do you will love this!

An excellent historical drama

Well read, with The listener provided a window into the characters and their time in history.

Engaging and persuasive

I read this in preparation for visiting the chateaux at Chambord, Blois, and Chenonceau, and Goldstone’s narrative history certainly helps me understand two of the most important French queens who lived there or wished to do so. I learned much more about the 16th-th C. Protestant-Catholic disputes/wars than I anticipated. I highly recommend this book.

Good but judgemental

After visiting many of the key locations in both of these women’s lives I’ve read/listened to quite a lot about both of them and would note the author has a relatively heavy hand on the scale as far as the readers perception of Catherine versus Margot.

I still think it was interesting to learn about more about Margot but would recommend Leonie Frieda’s biography of Catherine to anyone interested in learning more about her as well. There is a narrative established here that takes away the context of a lot of her more controversial actions.

Additionally, I think it could be difficult to keep track of events if I didn’t have that additional context.

Fascinating but not what I expected

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed and appreciated learning about history from the point of view of two women since women's stories are far too often overlooked. However, from the description, I was expecting to read about the direct conflict between a mother and daughter who took on unprecedented leadership roles; this book is more a lesson about the 16th century religious conflict in France that happens to explore said conflict through the stories of two women who played key (but not necessarily definitive) roles. Since many of us are familiar with the religious conflict in England through the reigns of Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, it was certainly interesting to learn how the same struggle played out among their French contemporaries.

great book

I loved this book. it was well written and very informative and engaging. I didn't know much about Margaret de Medici before. the narrator is one of the best I've heard so far.