The Oracle Glass

Genevieve Pasquier is a girl crippled from birth by being born with a clubfoot,loved by her scholarly father but despised by her beautiful and vain mother who dotes on her more beautiful older sister.

She is in short an ugly duckling but a smart duckling ;)

Her father educates her and gives her books to read.

When on his deathbed he sends for her and gives her some words of wisdom.

But her mother thinks Genevieve was told where her father hid a vast fortune.But Genevieve of course dont know anything and is then put through such abuse that she has no other choice but to leave home.

While escaping she happens on the powerful society witch Catherine Montvoisin wwho proposes a deal:work for her and get revenge.

She become the Marquess, an show more allegedly 200 year old fortune-teller who acquired immortality through an elixir and its not long before she is popular in the aristocratic circles of Paris.

But things get dangerous when Athenais Montespan,the kings mistress,ask to get her fortune told.

It seems like Monvoisin has some darker agenda that could shake France if the plan is ever carried out.

I dont want to give to much away,but there is enough suspense so you wont get bored.And all the characters feel real and has motivation for their actions. And there is a romance but it takes a while for the heroine to realize who truly loves her.

Judith Merkle Riley has written other historicals wich ive also enjoyed but this book remains my favorite of them.
There is some horrible elements in this story(rape,occult rites,poisoning) But in the end the good prevail.

This is built around an actual event in history,the affair of the poisons.And even though the author takes some artistic liberties it stays mostly true to history. show less

One of 3 loosely-linked historical novels (with a soupçon of fantasy) by Judith Merkle Riley, this historical novel deals with the diviner Madame de Morville (or Genevieve Pasquier).

Genevieve Pasquier is the youngest daughter of a disgraced financier (who fell with Fouquet). Growing up in a straightened household, her spendthrift mother believes her husband squirrelled away a fortune and does her best to get hold of it, murdering her husband and mother-in-law. Believing Genevieve knows where the fortune is, she threatens her life. Genevieve runs away and falls into the clutches of Catherine Monvoison, Queen of the Witches of Paris.

La Monvoison grooms Genevieve as a water diviner, disguising her as Madame de Morville, a 150 year-old show more cursed with eternal life. As a diviner, Genevieve makes an excellent living, coming to the attention of Madame de Montespan, who is desperate to keep the affections of the king by any means possible. Along the way, Genevieve gets mixed up with Hugenots and playwrights.

There is less overtly supernatural elements in this book, although it is suggested that Genevieve has true visions of The Terror.

Recommended. show less

This was an altogether quite unexpected and enjoyable read. It deals in the occult, which is a topic I don't normally fancy myself, but set against the background of France under Louis XIV, it's made a winner. Everything is based on a certain amount of historical evidence - the liberties of historical fiction that are undertook by the author seem completely necessary to the storyline and will not deter historical accuracy purists, like myself. The plot is not only ingenious but keeps you completely on your toes throughout - the only flaw was that I would have liked a bit more detail towards the end on the fates of the characters(besides their actual historical endings) and a greater explanation of why the characters acted as they did show more towards the end. It was also extremely enjoyable for me to read about some of my favorite historical figures of the time period within the plot - such as Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. I really liked how the romance was done in this novel...it was not overwhelming nor did it detract from the central plot, though definitely added a certain spice to the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves French historical fiction but also to those who love tales of romance, scandal, murder, mystery, and the preternatural. show less

I loved the well-portrayed, complex society, and the characters, often multidimensional (at least a little), but the plot, good as it was, I'd expected to be a little more complex and surprising.

What a fun find. A young lady finds herself under the thumb of the witch Catherine La Voisin. A historical fiction that gives you a glimpse into the occult of Louis XIV Paris.

a delicious book for those of you looking for a guilty pleasure. Beautifully written with rich descriptive language, it takes you to the setting and allows you to move about this world as if you are there. The heroine is delightful--a quirky underdog who is strong-willed and questing for true love. What more could you ask for?

After witnessing her father and grandmother dying under questionable circumstances and suffering a brutal attack by her money-grubbing uncle, Geneviève Pasquier leaves her Paris home, intending to commit suicide. She is stopped at the river by La Voisin, one of the most famous witches and poisoners in French history, who offers to take her as an apprentice under a new, invented identity: that of a 150-year-old fortuneteller. In this time of the Sun King (Louis XIV), whose royal eye wanders constantly, Geneviève’s own fortune can easily be made through her services to high society ladies vying for the king’s attention.

Riley brings to life an intriguing era in French history, whose poison scandals are well-documented. Many of the show more characters are actual historical figures. Very enjoyable. show less