The year is 1711 and young Cecile Revel is out gathering mushrooms. Her discovery of an unmanned horse and its hapless rider cause her to rush home to get her doctor father. After they reset a dislocated shoulder, the madame asks what they would like as a reward. Papa responds that he would like Cecile to be granted a position at court - the court of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, at Versailles, France...and so begins the adventure. Young Cecile is awed...and disappointed...by the court. She is also disenchanted by the extravagant lifestyle while most of France was starving. Following in her father's footsteps, she vehemently objects to bloodletting by the court physicians and is punished much as he was.
This is an excellent period piece featuring clever use of idioms and descriptive phrasing with just the right sprinkling of French. A glossary of French words and an Afterward comparing then and now round this Girls of Many Lands historical fiction piece.
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