I gave it 4 stars because although I enjoyed the book I preferred the first one - Madame Serpent better. It was still intriguing but with the in and out of Jeanne of Navarre it seemed to venture off from Catherine. Looking forward to the final of the series Queen Jezebel! ( )

an amazing story. part 2 of the Catherine de Medici story. haven't read part 1 or 3. ( )

3.75 stars

This is the 2nd book in Plaidy’s trilogy of Catherine de Medici. Catherine was known as Madame le Serpent and was often thought to have poisoned her enemies. She was power-hungry and cunning.

This book follows her through her husband’s death, during the time of her oldest son’s (Francis’s) reign, as well as during her son, Charles’s (who was thought to be mad) reign. Part of the book also focuses on Jeanne of Navarre, as – at this point in Catherine’s life – Jeanne and Catherine’s lives are quite intertwined.

Another good book by Plaidy. Jeanne of Navarre is someone who I knew nothing about and I am only learning of Catherine through this series by Plaidy. It’s hard to compare with Madame Serpent, the first of the trilogy, because it’s been too long since I read it. I do recall feeling some sympathy for Catherine (or at least some understanding), but it’s harder to feel that for her in this book. She seems to have hardened as she got older. ( )

oh the wickedness of Catherine! A childhood favourite ( )

Rather than picking up from where “Madame Serpent” leaves off, this sequel backtracks several years, beginning by showing the reader one of Catherine de Medici’s greatest rivals, Jeanne of Navarre. Only when we reach the second of the three long chapters in this book does Catherine once again take centre stage, carrying on from where events in Book One finished.

There’s more scope in “The Italian Woman” than in “Madame Serpent”. Whilst Book One’s main focus was on Catherine, particularly her unrequited love for her husband and her hatred for the king’s mistress, Book Two features many more characters and follows events in their lives. Thus, in a sense it’s better to have more variation, but I still prefer “Madame Serpent” for its more limited yet more engrossing themes.

I admit to feeling much less sympathy for Catherine in this novel, as she’s no longer the neglected queen who’s considered a meek fool. Now she desires power in place of the love she never found, not caring who suffers along the way. In fact she only cares for her third-oldest son, the future Henry III. The rest of her children, including French kings Francis II and Charles IX, are scared of their mother – a mother who’d readily see them dead if it meant advancement for her favourite son.

It’s hard to feel any warmth for a character of this nature, but she nevertheless is the best-drawn character of the book. She, like the real Catherine de Medici, is a fascinating woman. As the author says in her afterword, much of Catherine’s reputation is based on rumours and on the reputation that sixteenth-century Italians had for poisoning those who stood in their way. Even so, there’s evidence enough to show she was no saint.

Although I like the first in the trilogy more than this second instalment, “The Italian Woman” still proved to be an entertaining read. ( )