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Les dames du méditerranée-express #1
La jeune mariée
Été 1902… Sur un arbre perchée, Mélanie épiait le bal donné par son illustre voisine. La branche cassa. Mélanie tomba aux pieds d'un beau marquis… Elle avait quinze ans. Son cœur battait pour la première fois. Le marquis l'épousa. Lorsque, après la fête, ils gagnèrent leur sleeping du Méditerranée-Express, elle crut qu'ils embarquaient pour Cythère…Il n'en était rien. Le marquis passa “leur” nuit de noces avec une danseuse espagnole… Effondrée, Mélanie voudrait mourir. Elle va se jeter du train lorsqu'elle est sauvée par un peintre énigmatique fort séduisant… Commencent alors d'incroyables aventures au cours desquelles elle découvrira l'amour, déjouera d'ignominieux complots et attirera les regards d'un roi… Passion, larmes, émotions… Le premier tome d'une grande saga.
- GenresHistorical
413 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Juliette Benzoni
312 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 12, 2025
Kniha bola divoká jazda.
+ Dobre a ľahko sa čítala
+ Zaujímavý plot + dramatické zvraty
- Hlavná hrdinka mala 16 a románik s o 30 rokov starším.
+ Dobre a ľahko sa čítala
+ Zaujímavý plot + dramatické zvraty
- Hlavná hrdinka mala 16 a románik s o 30 rokov starším.
July 6, 2021
L'histoire est très bien écrite, cependant les histoires d'amour sont un peu dérangeantes, bon certes ça a été écrit à une autre époque mais entre une jeune fille de 16 ans , et des hommes de 40 ans je ne pouvais pas m'empêcher de trouver ça dérangeant . L'intrigue était intéressante mais le fin mot de l'histoire sort de nulle part, j'ai tout de même passer un bon moment mais cetait loin d'être transcendant, heuresement que le talent de l'auteure remonte le niveau de ce livre.
December 27, 2012
Un bon petit roman que j'ai trouvé fort agréable. Il retrace les aventures (principalement sentimentales, mais pas seulement) de Mélanie, une jeune femme qui va fêter ses seize ans au tournant du XXe siècle.
L'ensemble est très bien écrit, même si j'ai préféré le début et la fin du roman ; les deux chapitres médians sont légèrement trop abracadabrants pour qu'on y croie vraiment. Les personnages sont sympathiques, même si les ficelles pour nous les faire apparaître de telle sorte sont parfois un peu grosses. La fin n'était pas mal du tout, avec son ultime rebondissement, mais la conclusion, vague et ouverte, m'a un peu déçue.
J'ai hâte de découvrir les deux tomes suivants de cette trilogie !
(3.5/5)
L'ensemble est très bien écrit, même si j'ai préféré le début et la fin du roman ; les deux chapitres médians sont légèrement trop abracadabrants pour qu'on y croie vraiment. Les personnages sont sympathiques, même si les ficelles pour nous les faire apparaître de telle sorte sont parfois un peu grosses. La fin n'était pas mal du tout, avec son ultime rebondissement, mais la conclusion, vague et ouverte, m'a un peu déçue.
J'ai hâte de découvrir les deux tomes suivants de cette trilogie !
(3.5/5)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews