Exclusive interview with Marci Jefferson about her novel set in the Sun King’s French court
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Gabrielle Pantera
“In most sources, Marie is mentioned as King Louis’ first love, someone he might have married if not for his duty to his country,” says Enchantress of Paris author Marci Jefferson. “But deeper study revealed a story far more complex, full of conspiracy, corruption, passion. I couldn’t resist writing about her. I actually learned about Marie Mancini while doing research for my debut novel, Girl on the Golden Coin.”
The Mancini sisters dabble in the dark arts and are vivacious and witty. Marci Jefferson brings the French court to life. There’s politics, intrigue, and secrets more than romance. In the vein of Alison Weir or Philippa Gregory, this a book for anyone who loves reading about history involving royalty.
According to the stars, Marie Mancini would be gifted and destined to disgrace her family. Her uncle Cardinal Mazarin brings her to the French court where her older sister Olympia already holds the Sun King in thrall. Marie is there in case the king tires of Olympia. The king shifts his attention to Marie and the girls’ uncle pits the sisters against one another. When Marie faces danger and the king can’t protect her she calls on the dark arts to shield her family and defend France.
Jefferson says she had to research extensively. “Enchantress of Paris has around sixty characters, and all of them are historical figures. I read, I read, then I read some more. There are lots of historical resources out there related to King Louis XIV, and I tried to get my hands on as much of it as possible. I read books on architecture, music, drama, fashion, cookery, politics, religion, the occult, and too many biographies to count. My poor, wonderful librarians delivered cartloads of books to me over the course of writing this novel.” She turned to French-speaking friends to translate court theatricals and astrological almanacs that have not been translated into English.
“I needed to know which courtiers acted in which palace ballets, and what those ballets were like,” says Jefferson. “I needed a few obscure astrological almanacs. I could have gone without such documents, but I wanted to make the novel as accurate as possible. So when Marie Mancini portends doom in the alignment of the stars, it is because the world’s leading astrologer at the time did, too.”
“Marie’s family members were involved in the arts of divination, so it naturally fell into my research,” says Jefferson. “I found myself drawn to the herbal lore of the day. Because people in the seventeenth century lacked a scientific understanding of herbal properties, some considered their potency to be magical, even related to astrological predictions. Religion often blended with superstition, and all sorts of beliefs about herbs and prayers sprang into existence.”
“Prayer was not just an expression of faith, it was considered a powerful sort of magic,” says Jefferson. “I hadn’t studied these things before, and I realized my own matriarchs had subscribed to similar beliefs. When I was a child, my great grandmother taught me a few whispered chants to help heal wounds.”
Jefferson says she felt inspired as she studied Marie Mancini. “She was brave, open, and she believed in things with which I’ve never bothered. As I wrote her, I tried to embrace her way of thinking. Her belief in magic changed me somewhat. Her courage made me stronger. Her ability to love so deeply refreshed my outlook.”
Jefferson has a short story to be published in March, 2016, in the anthology A Fall of Poppies, Stories of Love and the Great War, with her story of a WWI Belgian rebel who hides, only to find an ally in the enemy. Jefferson is currently writing her next novel.
Jefferson lives in the Midwest United States with her husband and two children. She was born in New Mexico.
Enchantress of Paris: A Novel of the Sun King’s Court. Hardcover: 336 pages, Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition (August 4, 2015) Language: English, ISBN: 9781250057099 $26.99
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