BKMT READING GUIDES
A Prisoner of Versailles
by Golden Keyes Parsons
Paperback : 370 pages
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Madeleine's faith puts her at odds with an intimidating rival: King Louis XIV.
Having fled their homeland of France because of the persecution by Louis XIV, the Clavell family seeks refuge in Switzerland. However, the king is not about to let the recently widowed Madeleine, his ...
Introduction
Madeleine's faith puts her at odds with an intimidating rival: King Louis XIV.
Having fled their homeland of France because of the persecution by Louis XIV, the Clavell family seeks refuge in Switzerland. However, the king is not about to let the recently widowed Madeleine, his childhood sweetheart, escape that easily. He sends musketeers to kidnap her and her oldest son, Philippe, holding them captive in his opulent palace. King Louis is suspicious that Philippe could be his son, and he's enraged by the growing affection of one of his courtiers for Madeleine.
Will Madeleine escape the king with her life or lose everything that she's fought so hard to keep?
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE“Go after her. Spare no expense. Go where you must, but bring Madeleine Clavell back to Versailles.”
Captain Nicolas Maisson bowed to King Louis XIV. The musketeer's blue tunic brushed the floor as he swept his hat around in a flourish. “Oui, Your Majesty.”
“I want her oldest son as well.” The king rested against the front edge of his desk, his head lowered. The voluminous wig hid his eyes. He raised his head and stared past the soldier. He began to pace, and stopped to peer out of a window. “Is Versailles not the most beautiful palace in the world, not to mention the gardens?” ...
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Discussion Questions
1. It is a matter of history that King Louis the XIV literally sent spies into Switzerland to ferret out the Huguenots who had fled there to escape religious persecution. What would you have done if you had sought refuge from the tyranny of religious persecution and you knew that the soldiers could arrest you at any moment and take you back? Would you give up, hide, flee to another country?2. Madeleine and her family had financial reserves. But what if you had no means to flee any further? What would you do? Where would you turn?
3. What were your thoughts concerning Francois' death? Would you have given him the laudanum? Did that offend you?
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
The Darkness To Light Series deals with a family from Southern France who have to lay their lives on the line to live out their faith in freedom. It is based on the genealogy of my family who lived the nightmare in the 1700's. I set the time frame of the book about 50 years earlier than it actually occurred to pull in the colorful character of King Louis XIV, who was the perpetrator of much of the persecution of the French Huguenots. I would like the readers to take away an awareness of the price that many of our ancestors had to pay to worship God in freedom, and to evaluate our own faith. Would we have the courage to stand under the kind of persecution that they endured?Book Club Recommendations
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