Marvelous: A Novel (edition 2023)

by Molly Greeley (Author)

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Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML: "Enchanting. Molly Greeley has pulled off a piece of magic to tell a dazzling love story about the outcast's ache to be cared for and belong. This book broke my heart and put it back together again."�??Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman A mesmerizing novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de' Medici during the Renaissance, which recreates the touching and surprising true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend, from the acclaimed author of The Clergyman's Wife and The Heiress. 1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe. When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France's royal court. There "Monsieur Sauvage," as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de' Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro...and determined to find him a bride. Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage. Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father's betrayal, she soon finds herself christened "Madame Sauvage" by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband. Gorgeously written, heartbreaking and hopeful, Marvelous is the portrait of a marriage, the story of a remarkable, resilient family, and an unforgettable reimagining of one of the world's most beloved fairy tales. "A richly detailed and imaginative novel. Readers will relish Greeley's emotionally potent tale."�??Booklist… (more)

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Member:	jpeterson2gz
Title:	Marvelous: A Novel
Authors:	Molly Greeley (Author)
Info:	William Morrow (2023), 416 pages
Collections:	Royalty Historical Fiction, Your library, Currently reading
Rating:
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Marvelous by Molly Greeley

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What an interesting story told from the viewpoint of husband and wife. Petrus was born with hair covering his body. Abandoned, he was taken in by a woman and her grandson who cared for him, but then is kidnapped by pirates and finds himself as a "gift" to Henri, King of France and husband to Catherine de Medici. Here Petrus was educated but still treated as a "wild man" and was used as an amusement to the courtiers.

Queen Catherine arranges for him to be wed in order to produce more haired children for the court. Catherine (the wife) is the daughter of a merchant who has lost his wealth and has few options other than the nunnery. At first, both Petrus and Catherine are completely fearful of the other and both feel a great deal of shame although they are expected and do produce a daughter, also with hair covering her body.

The author does a wonderful job of portraying the French court and the pettiness of the royalty who are obsessed with oddities and treat people such as Petrus and the dwarves as pets. The pain, embarrassment, and anger of both Petrus and Catherine is well drawn.

The couple eventually manage to find a deep love for each other and their children, three of four born with body hair. The loss of their daughter to the court brought tears to my eyes.

The book is based upon a real couple in the court and a picture of a young French girl whose face is covered with hair. Loved the story and the writing and liked the way the chapters alternated between Petrus and Catherine. (

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maryreinert | Jul 19, 2023 |

This is a hard book to review. At times I was overwhelmed by the writing. Other times I was annoyed, really annoyed and I just can’t seem to reconcile my disparate feelings. But I read on and on and the story was not what I expected. That is not to say I am unfamiliar with the story but the telling was just not what I expected. I am not sure if that is my fault for having unrealistic expectations or the fault of the book for combining an historic story with distracting prose. More problems there because while the prose was well prosaic, it didn’t seem to mesh.

“There is no history here, no weight. All is gossamer.” I admire the effort, the work, the thought, the coordination and execution but it lacked that something that makes for a compelling story. Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy. (

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kimkimkim | May 21, 2023 |

A new take on the concept of Beauty and the Beast and one that is rooted in reality. Monsieur Sauvage was a real man at the court of Catherine de Medici in France, he did wed Catherine and have multiple children together. Greeley brings these characters to life in such a refreshing way. I absolutely loved her writing and how it so thoroughly evoked feelings - about the treatment of the family and about the characters themselves. And most importantly, how Greeley intimately describes what it is like to be a mother was beautiful and heartbreaking and I felt it in my soul. (

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tarapeace | Apr 24, 2023 |

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Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML:

"Enchanting. Molly Greeley has pulled off a piece of magic to tell a dazzling love story about the outcast's ache to be cared for and belong. This book broke my heart and put it back together again."�??Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman

A mesmerizing novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de' Medici during the Renaissance, which recreates the touching and surprising true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend, from the acclaimed author of The Clergyman's Wife and The Heiress.

1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe. When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France's royal court. There "Monsieur Sauvage," as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de' Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro...and determined to find him a bride.

Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father's betrayal, she soon finds herself christened "Madame Sauvage" by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.

Gorgeously written, heartbreaking and hopeful, Marvelous is the portrait of a marriage, the story of a remarkable, resilient family, and an unforgettable reimagining of one of the world's most beloved fairy tales.

"A richly detailed and imaginative novel. Readers will relish Greeley's emotionally potent tale."�??Booklist

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