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Le Bal des Poignards #2
Le couteau de Ravaillac
Lorenza, filleule de la reine de France, et Thomas de Courcy convolent en justes noces, au mépris des menaces qui planent sur leur union. Leur bonheur est hélas de courte durée. La guerre va éclater et le roi Henri IV envoie Thomas à Bruxelles afin d'enlever sa maîtresse, la jeune Charlotte de Montmorency, épouse de Condé...
- GenresHistoricalAudiobook
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Juliette Benzoni
311 books157 followersJuliette Benzoni, (Andrée-Marguerite-Juliette) was a French author and international bestseller in several genres, including historical romance, historical fiction, mystery and screenwriting. Named by the Media as the « Queen of History Novels » and « Daughter of Alexander Dumas».
Born 1920 in Paris and growing up in an upper-middle-class family. At the age of nine, she discovered her passion for history while looking at a photo of ‘Joan of Arc’. Benzoni studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris’, philosophy, law and literature. At the age of fifteen, her parents moved to Saint-Mandé where she lived until her death.
In 1941, she married a doctor from Dijon, and was soon mother of two children. During that period, she studied at the libraries of Dijon the History of the Dukes of Burgundy, where she stumbled on the Legend of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which would later inspire her for her Catherine series.
In 1950, her husband died and she went to Morocco, visiting relatives of her late husband and joined the editorial staff at a radio station and met her future husband, Colonel Count André Benzoni di Conza. They married in 1953, but because of the unstable political situation, she returned to Paris, while her husband was to join the 6th Regiment of Moroccan Spahis in Hué.
Back in Paris, she launched into journalism and worked for various Newspapers, Magazines and wrote for ‘Confidences’ historical articles and interviewed celebrities such as Jean Cocteau, Jean Marais, Erich von Stroheim and Maurice Chevalier.
In 1959, Gérald Gauthier, director of the Press Agency at Opéra Mundi, watched her in a popular television Quiz show and impressed by her historical knowledge about the Italian Renaissance asked her if she were able to write a historical romance series
in the style of Anne Golon's ‘Angélique’.
Benzoni affirmed, remembering her fascination for the ‘Order of the Golden Fleece’. Her research for that soon-to-become Bestseller took up three years and in 1963, 'Catherine, Il suffit d’un amour’ was published. The success was enormous and there followed in 1965, a Song called ‘Catherine, ma mie’ composed by Paul Amar, text by Juliette Benzoni.
The Catherine series was translated into 26 languages. Benzoni's Works includes: 3 Single Novels, 17 series, 18 self-contained short stories; 55 million Readers and 300 million books sold Worldwide. She was a huge fan of the books by Agatha Christie, Anne Perry and Ken Follet. In 1978 she received from the White House a letter by President ‘Ronald Reagan’ for the way she described in her Novel ‘The Lure of the Falcon’ the Independence War!
Four of her Bestsellers the ‘Catherine, Marianne, Le Gerfaut and La Florentine’ series were filmed for French television, for which she wrote the Screenplay, together with Jean Chatenet. Although her later works were not widely translated, in 1984, she was one of the top ten female French writers whose works were translated into English. Two weeks before her death in 2016, her last book ‘Le Vol du Sancy: Des carats pour Ava’? was published. It was the 15th adventure of her favourite hero Prince Aldo Morosini, a mystery series.
Her Awards and Honours:
1973 the Alexandre Dumas Prix, for the Catherine and Marianne series.
1988, the Prix Littéraire « Louis Barthou » Silver Medal from the Académie Française for Felicia au soleil couchant.
1998, the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit Medal, by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
Born 1920 in Paris and growing up in an upper-middle-class family. At the age of nine, she discovered her passion for history while looking at a photo of ‘Joan of Arc’. Benzoni studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris’, philosophy, law and literature. At the age of fifteen, her parents moved to Saint-Mandé where she lived until her death.
In 1941, she married a doctor from Dijon, and was soon mother of two children. During that period, she studied at the libraries of Dijon the History of the Dukes of Burgundy, where she stumbled on the Legend of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which would later inspire her for her Catherine series.
In 1950, her husband died and she went to Morocco, visiting relatives of her late husband and joined the editorial staff at a radio station and met her future husband, Colonel Count André Benzoni di Conza. They married in 1953, but because of the unstable political situation, she returned to Paris, while her husband was to join the 6th Regiment of Moroccan Spahis in Hué.
Back in Paris, she launched into journalism and worked for various Newspapers, Magazines and wrote for ‘Confidences’ historical articles and interviewed celebrities such as Jean Cocteau, Jean Marais, Erich von Stroheim and Maurice Chevalier.
In 1959, Gérald Gauthier, director of the Press Agency at Opéra Mundi, watched her in a popular television Quiz show and impressed by her historical knowledge about the Italian Renaissance asked her if she were able to write a historical romance series
in the style of Anne Golon's ‘Angélique’.
Benzoni affirmed, remembering her fascination for the ‘Order of the Golden Fleece’. Her research for that soon-to-become Bestseller took up three years and in 1963, 'Catherine, Il suffit d’un amour’ was published. The success was enormous and there followed in 1965, a Song called ‘Catherine, ma mie’ composed by Paul Amar, text by Juliette Benzoni.
The Catherine series was translated into 26 languages. Benzoni's Works includes: 3 Single Novels, 17 series, 18 self-contained short stories; 55 million Readers and 300 million books sold Worldwide. She was a huge fan of the books by Agatha Christie, Anne Perry and Ken Follet. In 1978 she received from the White House a letter by President ‘Ronald Reagan’ for the way she described in her Novel ‘The Lure of the Falcon’ the Independence War!
Four of her Bestsellers the ‘Catherine, Marianne, Le Gerfaut and La Florentine’ series were filmed for French television, for which she wrote the Screenplay, together with Jean Chatenet. Although her later works were not widely translated, in 1984, she was one of the top ten female French writers whose works were translated into English. Two weeks before her death in 2016, her last book ‘Le Vol du Sancy: Des carats pour Ava’? was published. It was the 15th adventure of her favourite hero Prince Aldo Morosini, a mystery series.
Her Awards and Honours:
1973 the Alexandre Dumas Prix, for the Catherine and Marianne series.
1988, the Prix Littéraire « Louis Barthou » Silver Medal from the Académie Française for Felicia au soleil couchant.
1998, the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit Medal, by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 11, 2017
Cette seconde partie est bien plus historique que romanesque même si les rebondissements ne manquent pas. On suit la déroulé des aventures de Lorenza, jeune mariée, qui a bien des soucis avec le détenteur de la dague au lys rouge, mystérieux commanditaire des meurtres qui ont jalonné son chemin dans le premier tome. L'identité et le mystère de ces meurtres ne sont résolus qu'à la toute fin de cette histoire. On suit les intrigues de cour de l'assassinat d'Henri IV aux débuts hésitants du pouvoir de Louis XIII sous l'égide de l'affreuse régente Marie de Médicis autour de laquelle gravite les plus noirs sbires avides du pouvoir qu'elle possède alors.
Sanglant, passionné, rocambolesque, bref une envolée historique comme je les aime. Une lecture détente mais qui remet au goût du jour les vicissitudes de l'Histoire de France dans une histoire plus modeste bien que de noble lignée.
Sanglant, passionné, rocambolesque, bref une envolée historique comme je les aime. Une lecture détente mais qui remet au goût du jour les vicissitudes de l'Histoire de France dans une histoire plus modeste bien que de noble lignée.
September 17, 2022
Une suite décevante qui s’étire en longueur et dont l’intrigue se termine en trois page.
July 29, 2012
A la hauteur du premier tome.
Une fin à laquelle on ne pense pas forcément et toujours autant de rebondissement dans cette histoire sentimentale !! ;)
Quelques longueurs, cependant, qui empêchent le coup de cœur.
Enfin, quel dommage de ne faire que "citer" certains personnages historiques (cf Richelieu etc) sans nous apprendre plus sur leur vie... J'aurais aimé un côté "cours d'Histoire" un brin plus poussé, je crois !
Mais je vais aller voir ce que donnent les autres livres de J. Benzoni !!
Une fin à laquelle on ne pense pas forcément et toujours autant de rebondissement dans cette histoire sentimentale !! ;)
Quelques longueurs, cependant, qui empêchent le coup de cœur.
Enfin, quel dommage de ne faire que "citer" certains personnages historiques (cf Richelieu etc) sans nous apprendre plus sur leur vie... J'aurais aimé un côté "cours d'Histoire" un brin plus poussé, je crois !
Mais je vais aller voir ce que donnent les autres livres de J. Benzoni !!
February 2, 2013
Un deuxième volume qui m'a charmée !
Une succession de rebondissements invraisemblables mais ô combien captivants, le tout baigné dans la grande histoire, celle de la régence de Marie de Médicis.
J'en regrette presque que la série ne continue pas !
Une succession de rebondissements invraisemblables mais ô combien captivants, le tout baigné dans la grande histoire, celle de la régence de Marie de Médicis.
J'en regrette presque que la série ne continue pas !
January 8, 2013
Les deux tomes m'ont ravi. Du Benzoni !
L'héroïne est belle mais voilà, quand est-il du héros... A découvrir car on ne peut rien dire.
Je les recommande vivement.
L'héroïne est belle mais voilà, quand est-il du héros... A découvrir car on ne peut rien dire.
Je les recommande vivement.
February 5, 2016
J'ai adoré. Dans ce tome, l'histoire est plus axée sur le mari de la belle italienne et toujours plein d'aventures.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews