This historical fiction novel, set in 18th century France, is the story of Veronique Roux who at 13 is sent off to become a maid, or so she thinks. In reality, she is being trained to become one of King Louis XV's mistresses. This story is based on some true events. Eventually, the story continues on to follow Marie-Louise, the daughter of King Louis and Veronique, as she learns the truth behind where she comes from.

This book is an important discussion on the role of women and how they were treated historically, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. I would suggest reading the afterword to give some more perspective. All in all, the book was rather slow for my taste. There are no chapters in this book which also sort of makes it difficult to get through. Unless you are superiorly interested in this time period, I would say to skip this one.

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one felt long and a bit choppy. It was however a wonderful look at the underside of the court of Versailles. There was plenty of historical content but the main characters Veronique and Mary Louise weren't very relatable in my opinion.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Set in Versailles in 1755 under the rule of King Louis. The rise and fall of France. A wretched story of 3 generation of women caught in the oppression of that time. A mother who sold her daughter to the Kings court at the age of 13 and who had a daughter of her own at the age of 15.

Their stories are each individual and unique. There is no judgment because there is so much pain for each of these women.

Veronique at her young age held on to the memories of her late father and sister. She had no ill will with her mother sending her away. Being sent Deer Park with other young girls, she was told to know her manners. How to have conversation. A lesson in coyness. Veronique was given food, beauty treatment, and clothes. She was groomed for a Polish count but was the really the King of France. Veronique played her part well. She went thru all the emotions of being fearful and ultimately falling for the "count". At a young age, she was manipulated. It was the birth of her daughter and her knowledge of the true identity that she was whisked away, never to be seen again. She was in aguish and lost her soul the day she lost her daughter.

Marie-Louise was given to the care of servants to the King. Not knowing who her real parents were, she longed for them always. She did not get along well with her caretakers and it seemed that her time with them was a cat and mouse game. When she came under a single midwife, she learned the trade, and her life seemed to take more meaning.

I loved the characters of this story. Their heartbreak and how they overcame all that was against them. Marie Louise was my favorite- she did succumb to the evil that was brought against her but saw the good and made a way thru her lot in life. This was well written and one that will stay with you the reader.

A special thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I love Historical Fiction and I hadn't read much set in this place during this time period - 18th century France. I was captivated by this story. It's obviously very well researched and the characters are well developed as are the setting and the historical details. I do think it could be condensed and cleaned up a bit with a bit more editing - it felt longer than it needed to be and I did find myself skimming over a lot of detail and information that felt unnecessary to the continuation of the main plot because I was just ready for it to move on. But if you can get past that, it's a beautiful story told with beautiful writing. I would recommend to strong fans of historical fiction. If historical fiction is not your love, you might get frustrated with the heavy detail. Strong 3.5 stars.

Get ready to turn into a revolutionary because if this book doesn't enrage you at what comes with absolute power, I don't know what will!

Beginning in 1755 and concluding around 1795, the reader follows the life and struggles of a mother and daughter in an ever tumultuous France.
The first half of the book introduces Veronique, a 13-year-old girl thrust into Louis XV's secret brothel Parc-aux-Cerfs (Deer or Stag Park.) Several POVs share the dark secrets of Versailles in the mid-1750s (including the famous Madame de Pompadour.)

The second half of the book focuses on Veronique's daughter, Marie-Louise. The story details her isolated life in 1760s Versailles and her transformation into a midwife in Paris - as the spark of revolution grows and the Reign of Terror follows.

I learned so much from this historical fiction. Many books set in this period tend to romanticize the monarchy - this is not one of them. The absolute power the wealthy had in the 1700s is shocking, and the options the poor had in order to survive are heartbreaking.

One thing I loved was the information on midwifery. The story of Madame du Coudray, who traveled around France teaching young women in more rural areas the art of delivering babies, is fascinating, and I was happy to learn about her.

There are heavy topics covered, so heads up for anyone who struggles reading about child abuse and overall brutality.

I’ve decided that Historical Fiction focusing on France in the 1800’s is not my jam.

This is the 2nd book I’ve tried from this era and I’m just not connecting. Maybe because I didn’t listen in my History class and don’t understand who all the Kings and Queens during that time were?

Or maybe it’s just the huge differences in the caste system and the horrible way certain groups were treated. I’m not sure.

In School of Mirrors, the story focused on how very young girls were sold under the guise of working in the Court’s employ. But in actuality, they were bought for the King. Sexual abuse is not fun for anyone to read but especially when it involves children, I’m pretty much just out. I’ll see my self to the door, thank you.

Those images just stay in my head way too long and it makes me feel bad for all those kids that are being traumatized right now that none of us know about.

There is obviously a lot more to this story as that’s just the beginning but with that subject matter, I just couldn’t get past it to enjoy the rest of the book.

Other readers who enjoy this timeframe in Historical Fiction and aren’t as affected by such abuse may really enjoy the full tale. I’m just not the correct audience.

I enjoyed the vividly detailed setting created by the author. The characters were well-drawn, and the story spanning several decades of the 18th century was interesting. Thank you to the author for the interesting Author's Note, as well. I learned a lot about 18th century France and appreciated that the novel was inspired by historical events/people/situations. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this historical novel that showcased France in the 1700’s, pre and post revolution.

I came into the book, not really knowing that much about the French Revolution, other than the key points.

There are two narratives in the book, Veronique and her daughter Marie-Louse.

Veronique is sold off to become a child (she is 14) mistress of the King (though she is told it is for a Polish count.) She spends her time with the other girls at Deer Park, learning the ways, as they wait for their turn to be called to visit the “count.”

Veronique becomes pregnant and her services as courtesan are no longer needed.

Then we begin to follow Marie-Louise her daughter. This second half is just as interesting as the first with Marie Louise being adopted by a midwife and learning the midwife trade.

Surrounding the lives of these two women is the revolution. We get a glimpse into what it might have been like to be in the middle of this.

Really interesting, well written, I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Unfortunately, the scope of this novel is simply too large. There are several points of view and while each of these characters may be familiar to those who have studied or recreationally read a lot about the three Louis at the court of Versailles, it’s still a lot. That the book spans more than one generation doesn’t help.
Perhaps it’s my current state of brain fog, but the point of view changes broke up the narrative and prevented me from caring about any of the characters. All of this makes it difficult to want to keep reading when the primary narrator is a young teen at the beginning and is violated (on page) and groomed for the king.
This would have made a better mini-series than novel.

A wonderfully plotted and well-researched novel set in France leading up to and through the French Revolution. Fictional Veronique Roux is chosen by the valet de chambre to be groomed for the pleasure of Louis XV, who bored with his wife, now desires encounters with young virgins. After Veronique becomes pregnant and gives birth, her daughter, Marie-Louise, is taken away and Veronique is married off. The focus then falls on Marie-Louise and her life. Raised by various individuals, both good and bad, she grows up wondering who she is and what happened to her parents.
The School of Mirrors brings court life and the turbulent time of the French Revolution to life through its characters both fictional and historical. Louis XV, a young Louis XVI, revolutionist George Danton, and others are masterfully interwoven into the story and place the reader into the middle of this intriguing time period.
For lovers of historical fiction, women's lives, and Francophiles among others will enjoy this novel.

As a fan of historical fiction, I absolutely love reading parts of history I am not familiar with. Though I, of course, have heard of King Louis and Marie Antoinette of France, I didn't know much of this time before reading The School of Mirrors.

I was highly impressed with the amount of research that clearly went into this book. The first quarter was extremely eye opening when it came to the King abusing his power to use and abuse young girls. I was fully invested in Veronique and her experience. However, my interest in the book lessened once she was tossed aside and her daughter, Marie-Louise, became the focal point of the book. I wish there had been more details when it came to the royal family and other bastards of the king instead of just an orphan girl's experience growing up.

Overall, an interesting read for those who are fans of French historical fiction.

Stachniak's’s prose is simply stunning: lyrical, intimate, and insightful. I was privileged to read an advance copy of THE SCHOOL OF MIRRORS and found myself completely immersed in a sweeping recreation of 18th-century France in all its glories and terrors. By the time I turned the last page, I’d felt as though I’d journeyed through that tumultuous era firsthand. This is historical fiction of the highest literary level.

The School of Mirrors is the story of Veronique Roux, a young, 13 year old girl who is sold to the palace to be trained to be a mistress to the King Louis. While there, her life is filled with soft beds, more food than she can eat and exquisite dresses and gowns in exchange for entertaining the King at night, whom she is told is a wealthy Polish count She quickly becomes the King's favorite, but also becomes pregnant and is sent off to birth her baby girl alone then quickly married off to a wealthy merchant to live the rest of her days away from the Palace. The second part of the book is the King's daughter, Marie-Louise who has become an accredited midwife with a desire for learning and healing. As Veronique comes back into her daughters life, secrets are revealed and lives are changed.

I have to admit this was a DNF for me. I tried so hard to make it through, but after about 3/4 of the book, I felt like I was never going to finish it, nor did I want to anymore. It had a very interesting premise and the story was one that captivated me, however the slow burn of the writing made it feel like such a chore to finish the book. I'm sure there are readers out there who will thoroughly enjoy this book and the story that goes with it, however it wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinions of the book.

I love historical fiction about little-known people and events and The School of Mirrors definitely fits the bill.

Although I enjoyed learning about something new, this is a very uncomfortable book. Veronique is a young, prepubescent girl who has been collected and molded to fit the specifications and preferences of King Louis XV. Time passes and eventually Veronique gives birth to the King’s child. The story moves on to the fate of Veronique’s daughter.

Although the overall story is interesting and compelling, the narrator and point of view shifts frequently and it can be hard to keep track of the characters.

The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak is a historical fiction novel that is based on real world events. The story in The School of Mirrors is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters to give all sides of the story.

This novel is one that spans several decades in 18th century France beginning in Versailles in 1755 with Veronique Roux who is still a child at thirteen years old. A man arranges for Veronique to go into service thinking she will be trained to be a maid, instead Veronique is groomed to become one of King Louis XV mistresses.

Veronique has no idea who the man is that threatens her virtue when she is sent to him but is told it is a Polish count. After Veronique is with child she is taken away to have the baby and offered a marriage when her child is taken away. The only thing Veronique knows about her little girl was she was to become Marie-Louise.

The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak is a novel that is not going to be for everyone as the events happening definitely deserve a trigger warning as in this time it is nothing but child abuse The 18th century was certainly a different time and young girls were married off at a very young age and this brought to life events that we certainly wouldn’t tolerate these days. The story spans from 1755 to 1793 and was a very slow burner which isn’t my favorite style but overall it did hold my interest more and more as it went along leaving this one at three stars for me when finished.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I love historical fiction, but this book did not sit right with me. Veronique is so young when she is groomed to be a "courtesan," but she clearly had no idea what was actually going to happen to her. Courtesans, as higher class prostitutes, have an understanding of sex work, but Veronique was too young to comprehend that, much less consent to being a sex worker. The fact that she was raped by the king and then continued to develop feelings for him was not a storyline I wanted to read about. Furthermore, many other women were complicit in the arrangement for the king. I understand that this may how it actually was in 1757, with women serving men in ways we no longer deem necessary, but I felt uncomfortable reading this plot. Additionally, the author continually switches perspectives between different characters, and it was unclear which perspective we were switching to.

I am marking this book as Did Not Finish, because I read 50% of the book and did not feel invested in the storyline or the characters. Mary-Lousie was interesting and I enjoyed her imagination, but I am now also worried something terrible will happen to her and I"m not sure that I want to go down that path. It also felt so long - I kept waiting for the story to start.

📚𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀📚
5/5🌟
Happy Pub Day to this fabulous book!

In my mind, a great read is a novel that sweeps me up on a journey to a different place or time. This one provides an amazing one, waltzing its reader through 18th century France, from the court of Louis XV though to the French Revolution and The Great Terror, illustrating how ordinary people are caught up in circumstances wholly out of their control.

This is the story of a mother and daughter, Veronique and Marie-Louise, separated by events out of their control, told in two parts- first the story of young Veronique, whose beauty earned her a place in the King’s world, then years later to her daughter’s life, and her experiences. Both yearn to know what happened to the other.

The author, from page one, evokes the textures, tastes, smells and landscape of the of the era to perfection. Her impeccable research and imagination is able to bring us to the court of Louis the XV, with an insider’s view of what basically amounts to sex trafficking, using a trusted aid lure young women’s families to allow them to be “students” at Versailles where they are taught to be proper ladies who was eventually introduced to the King himself. But what becomes of these young girls? We later experience life in France though the eyes of Marie-Louise, from her childhood though adulthood, the The Great Terror and The French Revolution.

There is so much about this book that made it un-put-downable. Sumptuous descriptions, characters brimming with physical and emotional personality, a captivating storyline, and being immersed in the excitement, hardship and sorrow of both the privileged and quotidian lives co-existing during the 18th century. If you love historical fiction, Les Mis, and royalty, don’t miss this one!

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorris for the opportunity to read an e-ARC for this novel prior to its publishing!



“In the end…there is no end, just another beginning.”

A testy time period with varying ideas of morality, 1700’s France caused its citizens to be survivors. The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak is a detailed novel about how two such survivors lived through their time there. Dealt living conditions and circumstances of the time they were born in, Veronique and Marie Louise looked at a future that was bleak. Therefore, all their decisions for life were a roll of the dice to make it better. Stachniak sets us in the pre-Revolutionary palace, with those in poverty and later with middle class Parisians of the day. This novel was the first I have read which showed how the middle class of the time negotiated the Revolution, showing how their thoughts would sway daily based on the local news and happenings. I enjoyed the detailed food, clothing, expectations of the time left in a lot of french nomenclature. It was even interesting to see how the classes of the time reared their children and ran a household. That research is part of why I read historical fiction, and it made the writing beautiful. The first portion narrating Veronique’s life was quite predictable and could have been shortened quite a bit, as we knew where it was going. Marie Louise’s life was much more surprising and fresh in the way it was written. Her internship and establishment of becoming a midwife opened a curtain to her visiting all types of people, the medical breakthroughs at the time, and the creation of a true career for her. I would have enjoyed even more midwifery anecdotes. Other than shortening the first half, I would have loved to see Marie Louise wrap up two relationships toward the end of the book. I enjoyed this novel and will add Eva Stachniak to my authors to watch. Thank you to NetGalley for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is why I read historical fiction: to get a feel for a time period, to go back in history and be a fly on the wall, watching and experiencing that world. This book, rich in period detail, delivers on that score. Given that there is a lot of ground to cover in telling the story of mother and daughter -- before, during and (briefly) after the French revolution -- I wish it had been broken up into more than one volume.

A quote from the book that I particularly liked: "In the end ... there is no end, just another beginning. Still blurry and blissfully unaware of its own origins, of everything that had happened before it was born." Babies are brought into the world, a country is reborn, and life goes on.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

The School of Mirrors takes us back in time to the 18th century when young women were recruited to unknowingly serve as courtesans to Louis XV. In the first half of the book, we meet Veronique, bought to a home near Versailles, under the guise that she would be working for a Polish count. After being introduced into a “relationship” with the Polish count (aka Louis XV), she found herself with child.

The second half of the book is in the POV of Marie-Louise, the child of Veronique. Taken away from Veronique upon her birth, she had multiple guardians who provided her with very different experiences. What really keeps the reader intrigued is the shaping of Marie-Louise’s life and whether her path will cross with Veronique’s.

An excellent read for those with a love of historical fiction, The School of Mirrors offers us a glimpse into the past and some of the questionable activities within the walls of Versailles.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.