I’d never heard of Eugene of Savoy before reading this, but did know something of his mother the Comtesse de Soissons, who was mixed up in the Affair of the Poisons. The comtesse does appear near the beginning and end of this long novel.

A lot of other characters were familiar to me, as they will be to other readers knowledgeable about late seventeenth-century France. These include King Louis XIV, Madame de Maintenon, Madame de Montespan, and the king’s brother Philippe, Duc d’Orléans. More prominently featured are Louis's Minister of War Louvois and Louis’s sister-in-law the Duchesse d’Orléans.

As for Eugene, he makes a good lead character. He’s not outstanding in his appearance, but his courage and determination more than make up for this. He’s a most interesting character.

So is his love Louise, who features in some exciting scenes, which I can’t specify without revealing spoilers.

On the most part, then, this is a good book, with battles on the field, as well as battles of the heart. Personal grudges between characters make for engaging conflict.

Several elements do let the novel down, though, such as melodrama and the change of language whenever Eugene and Louise express their love for each other.

For example:

Eugene: "No, sweetest; I know not, I care not who thou art. What have I to do with thy surroundings? I love thee—only thee. If thou hast father and mother, I will throw myself at their feet, and beg their blessing for us both."

A few lines later, his language is back to normal: "And I love you, my own one, despite your parentage. I love you so far beyond all feelings of pride or enmity.”

But soon after he changes the way he speaks again: "Thou wilt prove it to me when, day after to-morrow, thou forsakest father and brother, to cleave to me alone.”

This comes across as totally unnatural and therefore unbelievable. Nearly every time they have a loving moment, the language changes like the example above. I find it very annoying.

More annoying still is when the language changes to a completely different tongue:

>"Ah, que Marianne a de beautes, de graces, et de charmes; Elle sait enchanter et l'esprit et les yeux; Mortels, aimez-la tous! mais ce n'est qu'a des dieux, Qu'est reserve l'honneur de lui rendre les armes!" [Footnote: See Works of La Fontaine.][Footnote: Eugene's own words.—See Armath, "Life of Prince Eugene," vol. i, p. 51.]The imperialists shouted and cheered him as he went, but the Turks, too, had witnessed the deed, and more than one musket was vengefully aimed at the slayer of the Paynim Goliath. One—one, alas! has reached the mark. It has pierced his foot, and he is no longer in a condition to make another step. Heaven be praised that the Turks have taken flight, and that the Christians have possessed themselves of the trench! ( )

EXCELLENT

2168 Prince Eugene and His Times, by Louise Muhlbach (read 5 Nov 1988) This historical novel covers about ten years or so (up to the time he was 30) in the life of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The thread uniting the book is his love for Laura, daughter of Louis XIV's minister, Lauvois, who is through a ruse married to Strozzi, held prisoner by him five years, escapes through a chimney, gets to Prince Eugene (who entered the service of Austria, and is a field marshal) and lives with him till she is murdered by Strozzi--who is shot by Eugene. It is all so fantastic, but makes light reading--I'm not sure it is so much worse than Dumas. ( )