• Eminence

  • Cardinal Richelieu and the Rise of France
  • By: Jean-Vincent Blanchard
  • Narrated by: Mary Kane
  • Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (48 ratings)

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Eminence  By  cover art

Eminence

By: Jean-Vincent Blanchard
Narrated by: Mary Kane
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Publisher's summary

Chief minister to King Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu was the architect of a new France in the 17th century, and the force behind the nation's rise as a European power. Among the first statesmen to clearly understand the necessity of a balance of powers, he was one of the early realist politicians, practicing in the wake of Niccol Machiavelli. Truly larger than life, he has captured the imagination of generations, both through his own story and through his portrayal as a ruthless political mastermind in Alexandre Dumas's classic The Three Musketeers.

Forging a nation-state amid the swirl of unruly, grasping nobles, widespread corruption, wars of religion, and an ambitious Habsburg empire, Richelieu's hands were always full. Serving his fickle monarch, he mastered the politics of absolute power. Jean-Vincent Blanchard's rich and insightful new biography brings Richelieu fully to life in all his complexity. At times cruel and ruthless, Richelieu was always devoted to creating a lasting central authority vested in the power of monarchy, a power essential to France's position on the European stage for the next two centuries. Richelieu's careful understanding of politics as spectacle speaks to contemporary readers; much of what he accomplished was promoted strategically through his great passion for theater and literature, and through the romance of power. Eminence offers a rich portrait of a fascinating man and his era, and gives us a keener understanding of the dark arts of politics.

©2011 Jean-Vincent Blanchard (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great story boringly told

The great story told like a night time story for children. Very dissapointing approache to such fascinating times and names. Where is the intrigue, the love story , the suffering ?
The lector was boring and completely not interested in the story as well.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

French history

the real story behind Cardinal Richelieu from the book Three Musketeers, and the 30 Years War.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Great story but boring book

Sadly the book was boring but the character was fantastic. I would love to listen a good Richelieu audiobook.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An uninspired telling of an an important man’s life

This book is filled with tales of court intrigue and gossipy quotes, but little context about why Richelieu was historically important. The performance of the reader was at best average. The reader has a pleasant voice but no expression of the drama of the story. Bottom line: a disappointment

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