Madame De Pompadour: Mistress of France

by Christine Pevitt

A portrait of Louis XV's famous mistress depicts her as a self-made woman who rose from anonymity in early eighteenth-century Paris to a person of influence in Versailles, describing her training, numerous transformations, marriage, and romance with the king.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, France, Historical, 18th Century, Royalty

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the strong-willed, highly intelligent Madame de Pompadour in the Doctor Who ep "Girl in the Fireplace." After reading this biography, I can see that the episode got two details right: she was nicknamed Reinette as a child, and upon her death (at age 42!) her lover King Louis XV watched the carriage bearing away her body in the rain from a balcony. Unfortunately, her character was a bit less impressive in reality than in fiction, at least according to Algrant. She was beautiful, poised, and magnificently self-possessed, with a gift for social manipulation. But her letters make it clear that she demanded adoration from all. As Algrant says, "...she measured everyone in relation to their devotion to her, their loyalty, their sense of obligation. Men and women had to profess their love for her, and only her, and then she would be generous and indulgent...She believed she acted for the good of the state. But in reality, she was unable to rise above games of intrigue and struggles for power." She promoted those who flattered her and destroyed those who did not--all regardless of merit. This tendency, which echoed that of France's other powerbrokers, was to the extreme detriment to France itself. The king was uninvolved in matters of state, the councils and parlements all busy fighting amongst themselves. The Seven Years War was incredibly mismanaged: generals were continually coming and going, according to the whims of Versailles with no accounting for actual martial ability or experience; meanwhile, the army had run out of money while the king persisted in sumptuous building projects. In the end, the war ended to the shame of France and Pompadour died of TB, her reputation slandered throughout Paris.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written biography on one of history's most famous mistresses. I got interested in Madame de Pompadour after reading Voltaire's dedication to her in Zadig, and Algrant's book paints a well-rounded picture of Louis XV's companion and adviser for twenty years. The last fourth of the book gets a little bogged down in constant battles, broken treaties, promotions, demotions, and the poisonous atmosphere of the French court, but that really is more history's fault than Algrant's. The story of this ambitious and powerful woman and her insular, moody and distracted king leaves no question that the French Revolution is right around the corner.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an entertaining look at one of the more notorious mistresses in French history, Louis XV's longtime flame, Madame de Pompadour. But it's not nearly as good as Nancy Mitford's biography. Still, the colour plates are pretty, and there are a few insights. Just not enough of them.

For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_76427...

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written biography of Madame de Pompadour, well researched and written with a clear and flowing script. However, I don't feel that it was as good as Nancy Mitford's biography.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book fills in many gaps in my knowledge of the woman,who later gave her name to a hair style,a good well research and written book,good history.

[Sho · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've been slowly rewatching Doctor Who - and after watching the episode The Girl in the Fireplace i decided that i want to know more about Mme de Pompadour, since The Doctor was convinced of her brilliance.

The reality of her life was, of course, rather different. I know nearly nothing of French History outside of the big events like the revolution, but Pevitt gives a lot of useful background and explains the situations Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson found herself. It's a well written history of Louis XV's official mistress as well as a good overview of what was going on in France at that time.

By the end of the book i really didn't like Mme de Pompadour who comes across as selfish, self-aggrandising and without any empathy for those less well off than herself. Friends? Yes, she had friends. But in such a court at such a time were they really friends, or was she just a useful conduit to the King's ear? The latter i suspect. The King was a weak willed, feckless idiot. Could he have paid more attention to what was happening in the country? to his people? yes. Might that have made the French Revolution less inevitable and less bloody? Probably not. But that came later so he carried on his merry way, hunting, fishing and seducing (and impregnating) young women. I rather suspect that if i met him in the flesh, my slapping hand would have been VERY twitchy.

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed good review of the life of Madame de Pompadour in France in the mid 1700s, the impact she had on the French history and government of the time, and why Louis 15 didn't much go down in history, unlike No. 14 and No.16 who hit the headlines. This was due to Louis 15 leaving most of the administration of the government up to Pompadour, who was reasonably capable and talented at running the show in Paris. Pevitt's book gives an interesting insight into the completely bizarre way the government was run, often from Pompadour's 'Toilette" sessions, and shows the crazy formality of the court at Versailles as instigated by Louis 14 which 15 and 16 perpetuated, even as they tried to escape from it, while totally ignoring the ticking time bomb in the Paris slums.

[book snob (and proud of it, babe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

She was more than just a mistress. She ran France for over twenty years and influenced many cultural and political events in the country. Pompadour was the de facto Queen of France; she even held more power than Queen's did at this time. Many people assume that women had no influence or power for centuries. This was not the case for women of middle or aristocratic birth. Madame de Pompadour was such an exception. She was a formidable character in her time and this has cemented her mark in history.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and extensive exploration of the life the marquise.

It tries to do a little bit of everything, partially a biography, partially a history dealing with her influence on the state and court politics. It ends up being an extensive overview of everything about and around her. Definitely it would be a good starting point for someone wanting to learn more about her generally, and could be a springboard to more detailed explorations of specific facets of her life and work.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book enough to finish it. I found it occupied a midpoint between dry and boring and fascinating. The story was well told, and there was a lot of useful information. However, there wasn’t enough variation in the storytelling to make events memorable. I could not keep all the different people straight, and I had the same difficulty with events. Madame builds a house, Madame gets rid of someone annoying, Madame entertains the king out of his melancholy, and on and on.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting journey to one of the powerful courts of Europe with all its sophistication. I liked the plot and the characters, but I needed to know more details about each of them. I enjoyed Pevitt's approach to the whole story. I would recommend it to my students and the public.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story of both Pompadour and Louis XV.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read delivering an entertaining overview of Ms Poisson. The most interesting bits, however, were on wider French politics and diplomacy.

[Michele Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, although more about politics than scandals of mistresses.

[Yuri 🌊 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I’ve read multiple books on Madame de Pompadour and this is definitely one of my favorites. 🥰

[Manny Villa]

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[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and well written. A solid biography.

[Beiyu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating biography, well written and logically sectioned.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Triumph is the finest thing in the world."

Interesting and full of information about a historical figure I don't know much about except for the few movies/tv shows I've seen her portrayed in.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely biography of a fascinating woman. Like another reviewer, I was also intrigued by Madame de Pompadour after seeing her in an episode of Dr Who. She was a strong-willed woman who managed to hang on to her title and power even after her (physical) affair with the king ended! (I don't think the Dr Who episode got much right about her, except her strength of character, her nickname as child and her departure from Versailles)

One fact I found very interesting was that only members of the royal family were allowed to die at Versailles. Louis refused to let Madame de Pompadour be moved though (despite her wishes!), so she died there and was removed (in some secret) after her death.

King Louis is also a fascinating character (especially his desire for his various mistresses and kept women and his refusal to take communion, even though he desperately wanted to); I'd love to know more about him...perhaps I'll look up biographies of him next...

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour, mistress to King Louis XV of France.

Pompadour was a fascinating woman and that only partially comes out in this routine biography. I wanted to find out the facts behind Reinette ("little queen"), the woman so enchantingly portrayed by Sophia Myles during the David Tennant years of Dr Who.

Though many of her accomplishments are dutifully outlined, it felt as though the author didn't really think much of her subject. Granted, Pompadour and Louis XV virtually bankrupted France with their interminble building projects, and dragged their country through war after war. But I found much to admire about Madame de Pompadour, as an educated woman and survivor. She was bred by her family to become the king's mistress and became the de facto ruler of France.

I'm still interested by this subject and so will hunt around for a more simpathetic portrayal of Jeanne-Antoinette.

[Sy Ferrari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-done biography of a character that is offen hide on the main line of Frech History.
Madame de Pompadour is based on all the mail of the period Luis XV' kindom, and its shows importants aspect of the way the decisions where taken (as the Treaty of Versailles - the first one).
Was on the Luis XV' kindom that the illuminist came to light, and the proximity of then o the main characater is deliteful.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A highly readable biography, full of interesting facts and anecdotes. You can actually visualize all the French court intrigue and gossip surrounding this highly controversial mistress to Louis XV. The author handles the multitude of political machinations very well, but sometimes I felt there was just a bit too much emphasis on that (difficult to leave it out though, because of the subject matter!)

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can anyone recommend a good biography of Louis XV? I liked Nancy Mitford's take on Pompadour and Louis, but this one is a cold wind from the heart, so to speak. They both emerge as people you wouldn't want to know, and in Louis' case, supremely boring. At one point an early reader of Mitford's manuscript told her that she must stop referring to Louis as "perfect heaven" on every other page; well, Algrant's book is the corrective for THAT.

[Rebecca Haslam · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's taken me well over a year to finish this book, after I picked it up on the back of 'The Girl In The Fireplace' episode of Dr Who. I could barely read more than a couple of chapters at a time, and ended it putting it aside for many months while other books and life in general took over. For anyone interested in history and factual reads, this will no doubt be quite enthralling, but for me, it was far too long and I'm glad to finally be done with it.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This... took me four or five years to slug through. Honestly not entirely sure *why*. The writing isn't dry, as such - in fact, it goes through the 42 years of Madame de Pompadour's life at a fairly quick pace. Maybe that was it: there were too much names and dates and not enough of Madame de P's personality herself. She never really sparked my interest.
Worth a read if you're interested in this time period, but otherwise I'd skip it.

[Sarah Hodiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read french historical fiction but this was interesting. Madame de pampadour was a strong and secure women in a world where women are second class, even as queen. but she never tried to be more than what she was, which was a beautiful and intelligent lover and later friend to a king.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually became interested in reading about this French mistress of Louis XV after watching an episode of Dr. Who!! Anyway, it was a good read and helped me to understand a bit the life of the grandfather of King XVI (he who lost his head in the French Revolution).

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a real page turner for me. Well, except for the very boring war/battle descriptions, I pretty much skip those without losing any thing. Very good book. I liked it. It was an honest account of this remarkable woman.