The Princesse de Clèves

'Always be civil to the girls. You never know whom they might marry.' (Nancy Mitford, from her introduction to The Princess de Clèves)

When the young, beautiful Mademoiselle de Chartres comes to court, her primary objective is to find herself a husband. Upon her mother's recommendation, she accepts the advances of the Prince de Clèves, a rather average sort of a man. Unfortunately, soon after the wedding she finds herself to be in love with the dashing Duc de Nemours....

Against a backdrop of labyrinthine court politics, the naïve Madame de Clèves' pursuit of true love is a riveting and timelessly tragic tale.

©1950 Nancy Mitford (P)2018 Quercus Editions Limited

Hard to listen

All goes well till someone's direct speech starts. Then it becomes almost impossible to listen as the reader applies voices more suited to cartoon characters.