“Some calculations are simple. Sons trump daughters. Three children trump one. Deep in my heart, I had already decided that nothing could be worse than the life I had,” (Stachniak 10).
During King Louis XV reign, scouted teenager girls were sent to live in a nondescript villa in Versailles before being sent to the plaza to please him. Young Veronique is one of these girls and quickly becomes a favourite of the King before becoming pregnant and being sent away to give birth to her daughter in secret. Many years later Marie-Louise wonders about who her parents were but finds a passion for science, becoming a midwife during King Louis XVI reign as the revolution is underway and life as she knows it will dramatically change.
I liked The School of Mirrors much more than I thought I would. Stachniak puts a lot of research and care into her writing, balancing the trauma that the young girls scouted to work as the King’s courtesans with the fact that these young girls would have been seen as women at the time, not traumatized teenagers. She doesn’t dwell on the abuse that occurs but does let readers know it happened while also letting readers know the realities of many of their girl’s lives were once they were no longer useful to the King.
I will say that I think the novel is stronger once Marie-Louise is introduced. I thought she was a fascinated character and learned a lot about midwifery and the respect many of these women were given at the time. I found it interesting that even if they had families of their own they were still permitted to be midwives and that they were allowed to be educated. While Veronique’s story is interesting, and I do understand Stachniak’s choice of including it for historical purposes leading up to the revolution, I do think the same information and knowledge could have been written without Veronique’s perspective. Readers get so much more from Marie-Louise’s storyline, and Veronique’s story could have been included there instead of where it was.
Otherwise, a fantastic book. Anyone passionate about the French Revolution and historical fiction will love The School of Mirrors, don’t miss this one!
Publication: February 22 2022
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 320 pages (Paperback)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canadian
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished but lovely teenage girls from all over France are sent to a discreet villa in the town of Versailles. Overseen by the King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, they will be trained as potential courtesans for the King. When the time is right, each girl is smuggled into the palace of Versailles, with its legendary Hall of Mirrors. There they meet a mysterious but splendidly dressed man who they’re told is merely a Polish count, a cousin of the Queen. Living an indulgent life of silk gowns, delicious meals, and soft beds, the students at this “school of mirrors” rarely ask questions, and when Louis tires of them, they are married off to minor aristocrats or allowed to retire to one of the more luxurious nunneries.
Beautiful and canny Veronique arrives at the school of mirrors and quickly becomes a favorite of the King. But when she discovers her lover’s true identity, she is whisked away, sent to give birth to a daughter in secret, and then to marry a wealthy Breton merchant. There is no return to the School of Mirrors.
This is also the story of the King’s daughter by Veronique—Marie-Louise. Well-provided for in a comfortable home, Marie-Louise has never known her mother, let alone her father. Capable and intelligent, she discovers a passion for healing and science, and becomes an accredited midwife, one of the few reputable careers for women like her. But eventually Veronique comes back into her daughter’s life, bringing with her the secret of Marie-Louise’s birth. But the new King—Louis XVI—is teetering on his throne and it’s a volatile time in France…and those with royal relatives must mind their step very carefully.
Sarah O'Connor 