Fictional Biographies & Memoirs

The Hundred Years’ War: a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of Valois, rulers of the Kingdom of France, over the succession to the French throne. It was a time of intrigue, plot, murder and romance. Agnes Sorel, aged 20, became the favorite mistress of the King of France, wielding much influence over him and earning many enemies. Her untimely death at the age of 28, just days after bearing him a fourth child, was blamed on dysentery. In this novel, we follow the trials of Jean Charost, secretary to the Duke of Orleans and brother of the king; and see how his life was entwined with that of the beautiful Agnes. – Summary by Lynne Thompson

?Come, Dora! I shall never be ready, if you don?t make haste. They will be here in ten minutes, and my hair is not half so nice as it ought to be, thanks to your carelessness.? ?You are very good to ignore my own claims to attention so utterly. I have been helping you this half-hour and have barely time enough left to change my frock. To make my own hair presentable is impossible now.? ?Why, what does it matter how your hair is dressed, or what sort of a gown you put on? You may just as well spare your pains, for unfortunately nothing that you can do seems to mitigate your ugliness. I?m sure I cannot think where you get it. You are?? But, somehow, I did not feel inclined to wait for the end of Belle?s encouraging lecture. Perhaps it was because I was so often treated to my beautiful elder sister?s homilies that they had lost the spark of novelty and had acquired a chestnuty flavor. Perhaps I failed to recognize any generosity in her persistent efforts to nip such latent buds of vanity as from time to time tried to thrust their poor little heads above the chill crust of ridicule and contumely. Perhaps I was really as bad-tempered as I was said to be. Anyhow, my behavior could not claim to be either quiet or elegant as I stormily quitted Belle?s room, slamming the door behind me with such violence as to elicit from my more well-bred sister a little shriek of affected dismay. So far from feeling sorry that I had given Belle?s nerves a shock, I wished viciously that her fingers had been jammed in the doorway, or that something equally disastrous had occurred to take off the edge of her conceit and self-satisfaction.” To be the homely sister is a torture to Dorrie, but she must make the best of it as she watches the beautiful Belle receive all the attention and adulation… but what choices will Belle make and what effect will they have on her life? And will Dorrie achieve the happiness even an ugly girl deserves? – Summary by Lynne Thompson