LITERARY AWARD
Princess
Michael of Kent was presented with the award of Le Prix Histoire
2005 for her acclaimed book "The Serpent and the Moon" by
the French Minister of Culture, Monsieur Rennaud Donnedieu de Vabres.
The occasion was the prestigeous annual Literary Festival in the
Touraine called La Forêt des
Livres.
"It's a good yarn...The Princess has an infectious enthusiasm for detail... and a gift for storytelling"
Tim Adams, The Observer
"Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent has
written a moving account of a love triangle in Renaissance France.
It is an extraordinary story."
Christopher Ondaatje
Click to read the
full review by Christopher Ondaatje
"Overcrowded royal marriages hold a particularly
enduring fascination no matter in what century they take place, as
British royal Princess Michael of Kent ably demonstrates in her latest
work, The Serpent and the Moon...."
Leonie Frieda, author of the recent biography Catherine
de Medici.
Click to read
the full review on The Globe and Mail
"Princess Michael of Kent has written an absorbing
account, centered on the glamorous Diane de Poitiers, of a dramatic
time in French history. Vivid evocations of court life under
Henri II accompany shrewd analyses of the politics of royalty."
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
"History as high adventure! A fascinating period of time brought
to life by a scholarly and masterful writer."
Danny Danziger, author of 1215 and The
Year 1000 "As engrossing as a novel, studded with detail that can only
come from arduous, painstaking research, The Serpent and the
Moon transports the reader to Renaissance France and provides
a unique look at a fascinating love triangle."
Arnaud De Borchgrave, bestselling co-author
of Monimbo and The Spike ". . . an absolute minefield of interest . . . I'm deeply impressed
with the amount of hard research. . .tells us not only about the
life at court; it gives us insight into any number of fields as well..."
John Julius Norwich, author of Paradise
of Cities: Venice in the 19th Century "The Mistress, Diane de Poitiers, and the Queen, Catherine
de Medici, fought a fierce but stealthy battle for the heart of the
King, Henri II of France. This fascinating tale is now retold, in
unprecedented detail, by a Princess who is directly descended from
both women. I was shocked and informed by this gripping book."
Paul Johnson, author of Art: A New History "Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers--the unattractive
wife and beautiful mistress of King Henry II of France were both
ancestors of the author, H.R.H. Princess Michael of Kent, who has
constructed a brightly-colored, ever-moving kaleidoscope of love,
pomp and politics in the fascinating courts of the Renaissance and
the Reformation."
Hannah Pakula, author of The Last Romantic and An
Uncommon Woman “Impressive account of the life and times of King Henri II
of France the author’s comprehensive research ensures that
readers will get a solid picture of the three main players and the
complex negotiations required by life at court.”
Publishers Weekly "I always knew that Diane de Poitiers was the mistress of a
French king, but I never knew her fascinating three-in-a-marriage
romantic history until reading THE SERPENT AND THE MOON by Princess
Michael of Kent. The author, who knows a thing or two about palace
intrigue herself, writes with style and panache and serves up marvelous
details of pageantry, court fashion, furniture, and gossip worthy
of the master of the genre, the duc de Saint-Simon."
Dominick Dunne "Descended from both the beautiful and bewitching Diane de
Poitiers and her 'hating and waiting' rival Catherine de Medici,
Princess Michael's real sympathies lie clearly with the former. In
The Serpent and the Moon she presents Diane in all her seductive
splendour and describes with affecting poignancy the sad ending to
one of history's greatest love stories."
Virginia Rounding, author of Grandes Horizontales:The
Lives and Legends of Four Nineteenth Century Courtesans |
