The Many Lives of John Stone
by Linda Buckley-Archer
The story starts in modern times: Stella Park (Spark for short) is in New York visiting her brother Dan. She meets John Stone, part of foundation that gave her brother his scholarship. When Dan turns down Mr. Stone's offer for a summer job to stay in New York, Spark volunteers herself. To her surprise, she gets the job: organizing journals written apparently during the reign of Louis XIV.
The journals chronicle the life of someone named Jean-Pierre, the third son of a minor nobleman and a newcomer to Versailles. Jean-Pierre, innocent and in love with a girl far beyond his reach, soon catches the attention of the Sun King himself - for a completely different reason.
The story switches between Spark's, John Stone's, and Jean-Pierre's stories; stories that eventually all tie together, in a way that the reader guesses long before the main characters figure out.
While parts of the story are fairly predictable, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the court at Versailles. Despite its glamour and historical significance, it's not often that I come across a story set there.
-Ms. A
by Linda Buckley-Archer
The story starts in modern times: Stella Park (Spark for short) is in New York visiting her brother Dan. She meets John Stone, part of foundation that gave her brother his scholarship. When Dan turns down Mr. Stone's offer for a summer job to stay in New York, Spark volunteers herself. To her surprise, she gets the job: organizing journals written apparently during the reign of Louis XIV.
The journals chronicle the life of someone named Jean-Pierre, the third son of a minor nobleman and a newcomer to Versailles. Jean-Pierre, innocent and in love with a girl far beyond his reach, soon catches the attention of the Sun King himself - for a completely different reason.
The story switches between Spark's, John Stone's, and Jean-Pierre's stories; stories that eventually all tie together, in a way that the reader guesses long before the main characters figure out.
While parts of the story are fairly predictable, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the court at Versailles. Despite its glamour and historical significance, it's not often that I come across a story set there.
-Ms. A