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The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom

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The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom by Nancy Goldstone My rating: 3 of 5 stars The book is very well written, like a gripping story of betrayal, war and religious conflicts, all in one family. But it has one major flaw: its major source is a memoir of its main character. This gives it an air of bias all throughout. For everything Margot did wrong there is an excuse, while the whole world was plotting her downfall. The book might as well be called "an interpretation of queen Margot's memoirs for the general modern public". Those were difficult times to live in, especially in France. Margot's family had a particularly rough deal, despite being placed in a position of privilege. The fact that she managed to survive long after her family went extinct is, of course, testament of her skills but it was also a bit of luck. Just like they plotted against her, she plotted against them. The boo