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The Master of all Desires
The Master of all Desires
Author: Judith Merkle Riley
Fans of Antonia Fraser and Margaret George will love this witty, intelligent page-turner from Judith Merkle Riley. The year is 1556 and the setting is Paris--capital city to a country on the brink of civil war. Catherine de Medici is queen, and her astrologer, the prophet Nostradamus, has divined the secret evil of the Undying Head of Menander, ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780140296532
ISBN-10: 0140296530
Publication Date: 12/1/2000
Pages: 400
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 38

4.1 stars, based on 38 ratings
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Master of all Desires on + 72 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is a "different" book, with a little bit of "magic," but I really liked it! Historical fiction with a twist...
reviewed The Master of all Desires on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book won the "Best Book of the Year" from the Library Journal. Not sure I would go that far but it really was a fun read.
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ExPeruanista avatar reviewed The Master of all Desires on + 68 more book reviews
This excellent book might be considered at least as much fantasy as it is historical, because magic works, here in the court of Henri II of France. You have a talking head in a box; Nostradamus; intense rivalry between Queen Catherine de Medici and the King's mistress, Diane de Poitiers; dueling alchemists; a poetess and various characters with designs on her person; and Auntie Pauline, the widow of a man whose profession I will not reveal. I believe I would like to be Pauline when I grow up, though, as she succeeds in knowing someting even Nostradamus doesn't.


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