The bestselling author of The Lost Queen once again dazzles readers with his latest novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI. The novel begins when Catherine is a young girl in Florence. She barely escapes with her life when she is abducted from her home by the Signoria (the ruling body), who overthrew the Medici's rule in Florence. When her uncle, Pope Clement VII, regains control of Florence, he arranges a brilliant political marriage between Catherine and the second son of France's King Francois I. But when Catherine arrives on French soil, she discovers her royal fiancé is not among the crowd of people gathered to welcome her. When King Francois declares Catherine will be married by proxy because Henri refuses to attend the ceremony, Catherine knows she will never have the happy marriage she hoped for.

When the dauphin of France unexpectedly dies, Henri becomes heir to the throne, and Catherine becomes the dauphine, the future Queen of France. Although Catherine is now considered the most important woman in the realm, she must contend with a dangerous rival who is queen in all but name: Henri's mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Former governess to Henri, Diane becomes a constant thorn in Catherine's side. When Catherine and Henri fail to produce an heir, Catherine fears she will be cast off and sent back to Florence. But France is in a precarious position. The number of Huguenots (Protestants) and the threat of insurrection continue to grow. The Valois dynasty must produce an heir. Henri resigns himself to his fate and attempts to get Catherine with child while Diane stands nearby offering advice on the best way to ensure pregnancy. Catherine is relieved when she finally presents France with an heir, but she soon realizes her husband's mistress has not only stolen her husband, but her children as well. Diane greedily assumes care of Catherine's children, who Catherine is barely allowed to see. When Henri is accidentally killed during a jousting match, Catherine finally exacts her revenge by banishing Diane from court, but other enemies lurk in the shadows. The dangerous Guise family name themselves regents of the realm and take it upon themselves to declare a holy war on all French Protestants. When countless Huguenots are slaughtered, Catherine's son, Charles, is blamed. Catherine must find a way to rid France of the Guise family and their corruption forever.

Catherine de Medici's ruthless tactics and determination to ensure the legacy of her sons have resulted in Catherine being one of the most maligned queens in European history. While some people may question C.W. Gortner's decision to write Catherine as a woman who dabbles in the dark arts, the novel still manages to create a sympathetic portrait of the Italian queen by focusing on the love of her children. In THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI, Catherine plots murder, creates voodoo dolls, and betrays her closest friends in order to save the future of France for her sons. Mostly historically accurate and written through the eyes of a mother and betrayed wife, C.W. Gortner creates a vivid portrait of one of the most misunderstood women in history.

Book Summary

The truth is, none of us are innocent. We all have sins to confess.

So reveals Catherine de Medici in this brilliantly imagined novel about one of history’s most powerful and controversial women. To some she was the ruthless queen who led France into an era of savage violence. To others she was the passionate savior of the French monarchy. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner brings Catherine to life in her own voice, allowing us to enter into the intimate world of a woman whose determination to protect her family’s throne and realm plunged her into a lethal struggle for power.

The last legitimate descendant of the illustrious Medici line, Catherine suffers the expulsion of her family from her native Florence and narrowly escapes death at the hands of an enraged mob. While still a teenager, she is betrothed to Henri, son of François I of France, and sent from Italy to an unfamiliar realm where she is overshadowed and humiliated by her husband’s lifelong mistress. Ever resilient, Catherine strives to create a role for herself through her patronage of the famous clairvoyant Nostradamus and her own innate gift as a seer.

But in her fortieth year, Catherine is widowed, left alone with six young children as regent of a kingdom torn apart by religious discord and the ambitions of a treacherous nobility.

Relying on her tenacity, wit, and uncanny gift for compromise, Catherine seizes power, intent on securing the throne for her sons. She allies herself with the enigmatic Protestant leader Coligny, with whom she shares an intimate secret, and implacably carves a path toward peace, unaware that her own dark fate looms before her—a fate that, if she is to save France, will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, her reputation, and the passion of her embattled heart.

From the fairy-tale châteaux of the Loire Valley to the battlefields of the wars of religion to the mob-filled streets of Paris, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici is the extraordinary untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen.

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