The School of Mirrors is set in the corridors of Versailles at the time of Louis XV and among the midwives of Paris during the French Revolution.
The story was inspired by the following quote in the The Private Memoirs of Madame du Hausset, Lady’s maid to Madame de Pompadour, a lively account of court life at Versailles:
I asked Madame, if the young lady knew that the King was the father of her child? “I do not think she does,” replied she, “but, as he appeared fond of her, there is some reason to fear that those about her might be too ready to tell her; otherwise,” said she, shrugging her shoulders, “she, and all the others are told, that he is a Polish nobleman, a relation of the Queen, who has apartments in the palace.” This story was contrived on account of the cordon bleu, which the King has not always time to lay aside, because, to do that, he must change his coat, and in order to account for his having a lodging in the palace so near the King.
The “young lady” in this passage refers to one of Louis XV young lower class mistresses, known as the Deer Park girls, kept in ignorance of their lover’s identity. This is all I had to begin ….
The rest was weaved from history.
This beautifully written story takes place in the 18th-century court of King Louis XV. At Deer Park, on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, young girls arrive believing they’re being offered employment in the household of a count. Instead, they’re trained as courtesans for the king, and Veronique quickly becomes a favorite. But when she becomes pregnant, she’s quickly taken away to give birth, and then separated from her daughter, Marie-Louise. Full of vivid details, The School of Mirrors is a riveting read.
Melissa Flandreau writes: about The School of Mirrors. More on BookBub
“THE SCHOOL OF MIRRORS is a scintillating and vibrant addition to literature on the French Revolution, and a reminder that women — even when silenced and hidden — have always been brave, powerful and important parts of history.
Rebecca Munro
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Stachniak has researched every aspect of Parisian life in the 18th century. She weaves every detail — from clothing, food and even attitudes of the time — into gorgeous, shimmering prose with ease, and then elevates these details into stunning, lyrical history by placing women at its forefront.
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As she makes clear, women have always been at the heart of every political era, movement and uprising. Through the lives of Veronique and Marie-Louise, she reminds us how much women like them had at stake, not to mention how much they had to sacrifice.
Bookreporter Review