Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Though Duchessina is a good introduction to the Medici family, it is not as readable as some of Carolyn Meyer's other works. Also, at the very beginning, the narration mentions that Catherine started life as Duchessina and ended as Madame Serpent, but nowhere does the reader get to see that change (there's only a mention in the Historical Notes at the end). From the start of the story, it is hard for the reader to get into her life, and thus she seems more distant than Meyer's other protagonists. Most of Meye's heroines are easy to get to know, but Catherine is not.

As her new life begins, Catherine learns that things are never fair. I was very impressed in the way Carolyn Meyer put herself in the mind state of Catherine de'Medici and was able to write Catherine was surely feeling. When the civil unrest settles, Clement arranges Catherine's marriage to Prince Henri of France. I had no idea the Popes were so involved in politics back then as they are today. At the first convent, Catherine is despised for being a Medici, but soon is transferred to a friendlier one, where she meets and befriends three other girls. After a childhood spent locked away behind the walls of a convent, she joins the household of the pope, where at last she can. Raised first by Pope Leo and then by Pope Clement VII, Catherine is eventually sent to live in convents when Clement angers the Italians by trying to exert too much power. From the New York Times-bestselling author:She is the wealthiest and most envied girl in all of Italybut she yearns for freedom Young Catherine de' Medici is the sole heiress to the entire fortune of the wealthy Medici family. Because of this, her family and friends called her Duchessina, Italian for Little Duchess.

This is the story of Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France.Ĭaterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici's parents died while she was a little girl, leaving her the title of Duchess of Urbino. She has a number in her Young Royals series, but Duchessina is the first that I have read.

I always enjoy Carolyn Meyer's historical novels about the lives of famous women. Duchessina: Young Royals by Carolyn Meyer

Duchessina by carolyn meyer