C.W. Gortner: THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI

Yesterday saw the publication of an exciting new novel of particular interest to lovers of the Renaissance: C. W. Gornter's THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI (Ballantine). Publisher's Weekly calls the book "A remarkably thoughtful interpretation of an unapologetically ruthless queen." Gornter describes the book on his website:

At the age of fourteen, Catherine de Medici, last legitimate descendant of the Medici blood, finds herself betrothed to the King Francois I’s son, Henri. Sent from her native Florence to France, humiliated and overshadowed by her husband’s life-long devotion to his mistress, when tragedy strikes her family Catherine rises from obscurity to become one of 16th century Europe’s most powerful women.

Patroness of Nostradamus and a seer in her own right, accused of witchcraft and murder by her foes, Catherine fights to save France and her children from savage religious conflict, unaware that her own fate looms before her—a fate that will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, reputation, and the passion of her own embattled heart. . .

From the splendors of the Loire palaces to the blood-soaked battles of the Wars of Religion and haunted halls of the Louvre, this is the story of Catherine’s dramatic life, told by the queen herself.

I will be participating in Gornter's official blog tour, which begins on June 1. On Friday, June 11, I will post my review of the book and host a giveaway. The next day, June 12, I will run a guest post the author wrote specifically for Writing the Renaissance about the relationship between Catherine and her father-in-law François I. Be sure to join us! In the meantime, you can watch the book's video trailer.

Now let me get back to reading. Poor François just died and Catherine's husband, Henri, has become King of France...