In the shadow of the Sun King …
Crimson Velvet Heart by Carmel Bird is a historical novel set in 1696 France – long before they started lopping off royal heads.
Patrick White Literary Award winner Carmel Bird has a sterling reputation as essayist, editor and mentor. Three times shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, her output comprises short story collections The Common Rat and Automatic Teller and includes novels The White Garden and Cape Grimm.
Her latest novel, aptly titled Crimson Velvet Heart, is an impeccably researched historical narrative which is as beguiling as it is intriguing, with vivid imagery from the glorious to the gruesome.
In 1696, all those within the walls of the French Sun King’s (Louis XIV) spectacular palace were blighted by the almost constant “hellish quagmire” of war and the threat of revengeful poisonings. Infidelity was rife. Louise XIV is secretly married and when he returns from his latest warmongering efforts, he brings with him the 11-year-old Princess Marie-Adelaide of Savoy as a bride for his grandson, who he believes will succeed him.
This isn’t another treatise spotlighting Louis XIV, although it shines a light on his dynasty and descendants in the magnificent Palace of Versailles. The focus is on Princess Marie-Adelaide who the aged king became enchanted by. Apparently, the monarch’s “gaze would follow her in fascination as she skipped and danced and whirled and sang”. Her popularity triggered gossip, “driven by the serpent tongues of malice”.
Sister Clare, the narrator, becomes a nun after the princess dies and the princess’s lover Jean-Jacques is slain in battle. She believes it is God’s will that she tells the story of Marie-Adelaide, because she and the princess had been close, childhood friends.
Clare’s commitment is remarkable because the charming and persuasive Marie-Adelaide was highly manipulative, exploitative, unfaithful and cruel. Like other royal wives her purpose was to produce an heir and she endures multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, eventually giving birth to a boy, the future Louis XV.
Bird dissects the nooks and crannies, the contradictions and complexities of the human spirit
The convoluted storyline, interwoven with folk tales, is a challenge in its exploration of politics, the religious persecution of Huguenots and the privileged lives of courtiers and royalty. Bird dissects the nooks and crannies, the contradictions and complexities of the human spirit with its universal and enduring capacity for intense love, grief, ambition, lust for power, loyalty and betrayal, cruelty and kindness. Richly detailed, the novel reconciles the author’s imagination with her deep understanding of historical events.
Despite Louise XIV’s magnificent court with its parties, manicured gardens, Hall of 375 Mirrors and an imperial menagerie stocked with exotic creatures – from gazelles and lions to Brazilian parrots – not even the monarch or his pampered courtiers were immune from harrowing diseases, debilitating disabilities or the glaring limitations of 17th century medical traditions. The Sun King’s jaw was partly removed after a botched tooth extraction. Masticated food trickles from his nose when he eats. The princess has a mouthful of blackened rotting teeth.
Many of the grim realities of 17th century living are revealed: “The soothing melodies of the royal orchestra waft on the breeze, drifting through the gush of the fountains, the gurgle of the crowd … Many people pinch their noses to block out the ever-present odours of the human and animal waste. A stifling reminder that all is not majesty and glory on earth.”
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Crimson Velvet Heart is a masterclass in word-spinning and powerful storytelling, although the reader is nevertheless left hanging at the end, perturbed by unanswered questions. Why was the king fixated on Marie-Adelaide? Was she a spy for her father Victor Amadeus of Savoy?
Readers may wish to read the book for a second time or conduct their own research to find out more. A timeline, summary of the main protagonists and a comprehensive list of sources is provided. For historical fiction enthusiasts Bird’s 12th novel is the ideal festive gift.
Crimson Velvet Heart by Carmel Bird, Transit Lounge, $34.99