Enjoyed this book very much. As my only opinion of Madame du Barry has been from Hollywood movies, she never comes to be anything but a despised woman. She was born in undesirable circumstances and did what she had to do to survive and then achieved a position that was envied and hated by many. She was always kind to those in need and to those she called friends. Through this book I certainly have a different opinion of her. Easy reading and quick too! ( )

Excellent. Really rounded out the story of La du Barry ( )

I became intrigued by the persona of Madame du Barry after watching the movie Marie Antoinette (the one with Kirsten Dunst), where she was portrayed as crass, uncultured and completely unlikeable. Joan Haslip has done an excellent job of dispelling that mischaracterization for me. The book is a quick read and is in the end a rather tragic story of a woman who was able to use her natural beauty to eventually achieve incredible wealth.

Although du Barry was manipulated by the men in her life and basically given over to forward her family's fortunes; she was still able to remain somewhat naive and quite charming. It is also amusing to imagine du Barry using her affected lisp to draw in men, even as her beauty began to fade. Joan Haslip really brings the reader into the world of court life and all of the customs, traditions and etiquette that so ruled each courtier. It was also startling to see how difficult it was for women such as du Barry to realize that their world had been turned upside down by the Revolution until it was much too late. ( )

The life and death of the woman who followed on the heels of Madame de Pompadour to become the official mistress of Louis XV and influence much of French culture and politics. While many considered her frivolous, she proved to have a wealth of strength to draw on when times were tough. This is a fascinating read. ( )