The School of Mirrors takes us back in time to the 18th century when young women were recruited to unknowingly serve as courtesans to Louis XV. In the first half of the book, we meet Veronique, bought to a home near Versailles, under the guise that she would be working for a Polish count. After being introduced into a “relationship” with the Polish count (aka Louis XV), she found herself with child.

The second half of the book is in the POV of Marie-Louise, the child of Veronique. Taken away from Veronique upon her birth, she had multiple guardians who provided her with very different experiences. What really keeps the reader intrigued is the shaping of Marie-Louise’s life and whether her path will cross with Veronique’s.

An excellent read for those with a love of historical fiction, The School of Mirrors offers us a glimpse into the past and some of the questionable activities within the walls of Versailles.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the cover and the premise of this book as I just love everything Louis XV and all things Marie Antoinette, but I’m sad to report this was just boring. I was excited because it’s set in Versailles, and
I’ve been there. But again, this fell flat. I couldn’t care less for the characters, which is a great disappointment.

This is a beautifully written historical fiction book. The author did a great job of creating a believable and tangible world. While the storyline got a little slow for me in various parts throughout the book, I was still always eager to pick it up so I could experience more of this exquisite world.

France in 1755 is a country of extremes. The streets of Paris are filled with the poor and downtrodden, whereas just a few miles away lies the Palace of Versailles, with its renowned Hall of Mirrors where courtiers under the eye of Louis XV while away the hours amid endless extravagance. Near the palace stands a school, where selected girls from poor families can master the basic skills expected of noblewomen. Those who succeed in pleasing the king leave with a dowry and an income for life.

Véronique Roux, a printer’s daughter fallen on hard times, enters the school and does well—until a chance remark leads to her hasty dismissal. Years later, a little girl named Marie-Louise—who we know from the book jacket is Véronique’s daughter, sired by the king and wrenched from her mother at birth—is summoned to Versailles. She wants nothing more than to find the parents who abandoned her, without knowing who they are, and through her story we see the connections of Louis XV’s failures as a ruler and how they led to the French Revolution in 1789.

Podcast interview to appear on the New Books Network (link below) in late March 2022.

A look inside Versailles during the reign of Louis XV and what happened to his young mistresses as well as the king’s own daughter. It’s safe to say that historically women didn’t really stand a chance. It didn’t matter what social classs.

I found this story to be interesting, but far too long in the telling. By the final quarter, I was frustrated and ready for it to end and tie up the loose ends. The first quarter seemed overplayed (and was about what I believed the blurb promised), in the story of the Louis XV mistress and the "Deer Park Girls" while the story of one of their daughters dragged on before reintroducing the mother's connection. It'll be hard for me to recommend it.

For those of you who don’t know, I am a sucker for a good work of historical fiction. I adore sinking into family sagas from another time. This particular novel, The School of Mirrors, ticked all of my boxes: palace intrigue, a plucky heroine (this story has two), and lush historical detail.

Thirteen-year-old Veronique is poor, young, and lovely. A Parisian by birth, she helps her mother eke out a living by selling rags at the market. Since her father died there has been little joy in her life. But then her life is changed irrevocably when she is noticed by Dominique-Guillaume Lebel, the premier de chamber du rois (the man who is in charge of Louis XV’s bedchamber). He does the proverbial plucking of a young waif from obscurity and sets her up at Deer Park at the Palace of Versailles where she is groomed to become one of the King of France’s “little birds.” These pre-pubescent girls were the sexual fantasies created by Level, especially for his king. Even the king’s mistress, Madame du Pompadour, had knowledge and a hand in selecting these girls according to the king’s taste.

After many months Veronique finds she is pregnant and is sent away to give birth to another of the king’s bastards. This child, a girl named Marie-Louise, is separated from her mother at birth and the second part of the novel begins with the tracing of her life from a child to middle age. There are a great many obstacles to overcome and triumphs to celebrate all splashed upon the glittering backdrop of eighteenth-century France. Stachniak visits the royal and wealthy as well as the grinding poverty of the working classes and leads us from monarchy to revolution.

Stachniak, author of The Winter Palace and Empress of the Night (both novels about Catherine the Great), wrote a sweeping historical novel that is perfect for savoring on your fainting couch. This is the first novel I have read by this author but will definitely seek out her previous works for when we have our condo renovated and I have a long Sunday afternoon to spend soaking in my brand new bathtub.

The School of Mirrors will be released on February 22, 2022.

I really enjoyed Eva Stachniak's Catherine the Great novels, so I was excited to read this one!

I was a bit confused with the perspectives changing at the beginning of the novel--however, once I figured out what was going on, I was enveloped into the story. If you like rich details in your historical fiction, this is an author you need to read!

I thought Marie-Louise's story was the highlight; would love to see a sequel or companion novel!

Many thanks to William Morrow/Custom House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read. I love anything set in France during the French Revolution (poor Louis XVI) and the heroine of the second part (Marie-Louise) was fantastic, and I enjoyed her part of the story. The writing was fantastic, and it kept me turning the pages to see how it all turned out. I highly recommend this to all lovers of historical fiction and French history. Ms. Stachniak has certainly done her research well.

When beautiful young Veronique is noticed by King Louis XV's procurer, she is taken from her life of toil and hardship to live in relatively luxury. Pampered and well fed, she is introduced to the "Polish Count," who is really Louis. Louis finds her naivety and youth to be charming and quickly seduces her. When Veronique becomes pregnant, she is no longer of use and is taken away. The book then shifts to her daughter, Marie-Louise's point of view. Marie-Louise is fostered to a couple whose only interest is greed.

The shift from Veronique's point of view to her daughter's point of view was very jolting. I did not enjoy reading from the pov of a young child and found those chapters tedious and hard to get through. I wish the author had focused solely on Veronique and found another way to incorporate Marie-Louise. Due to this criticisms, I would not reread or recommend this book.

The School of Mirrors, set during tumultuous 18th century France, brings an intriguing story of a young woman and her daughter, who had no choice as to her path. She left a legacy, and set in motion the question of what the true meaning of what a legacy is.

Versailles, 1755: Veronique Roux at thirteen is unspoiled in nature. Lebel, under the name of Monsieur Durand, takes Veronique into service supposedly for a Polish count. What she has in mind is domestic service, though what he has in mind is quite different. He is employed by the King and King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who is to oversee the young girls to be trained as potential courtesans.

On the grounds of Versailles lies Deer Park, where the young girls are housed. And that’s where Veronique finds out that she is not to be a servant, but as one of the eleves – learning the finer skills befitting her new prospects. The girls go through rigorous training and are put to trials. One fails and is dismissed. She wouldn’t say why.

As it happens with all eleves who get pregnant, arrangements are made for her to be married and for child to be with a wet nurse and the godparents. Separated at birth, as Veronique searches for her daughter, the daughter eagerly awaits for her parents to come and take her home. Marie-Louise remembers being nurtured at first, and then with each year hearing more unloved words. She continuously hopes to be reunited with her mother despite being told that her mother abandoned her and didn’t love her.

The story of Veronique, at first, is intertwined with the story of Queen Marie who gives her husband ten children and is constantly humiliated with his mistresses. It’s interesting to get to know Queen Marie not through her defiance, but through her own actions of charity. When an earthquake strikes Lisbon with devastating results, she organizes a relief effort.

As the story builds up, the characters grab a reader’s attention with their side of the story. All characters are captivatingly developed with depth. The historical background offers lesser-known figures and facts, which are vividly presented. It is interesting to learn about Madame du Coudray, a midwife who receives patronage from the king to support nationwide teaching, especially in villages. So women can have safer child-births. And along the way, revolutionizing the practice and teaching of midwifery in France and transforming the lives of women.

The story is not overwhelmed by Louis’s desires. Above all it is the very touching story of mother and daughter.

Masterfully blended with the highest quality of prose, uncovered actions, storyline that holds intrigue and captures ones attention, the tumultuous 18th century France comes alive with a remarkable pace.