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Angélique - Version Originale #9

Angelique and the Demon

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English, French (translation)

482 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

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About the author

Anne Golon

240 books173 followers
Born in Toulon as Simone Changeux in 1921; she published under the pseudonym of Sergeanne Golon or Anne & Serge Golon, and later as Anne Golon.

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5 stars
346 (41%)
4 stars
257 (30%)
3 stars
182 (21%)
2 stars
40 (4%)
1 star
10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for LJ.
3,159 reviews308 followers
October 2, 2007
Angelique and the Demon - Ex
Sergeanne Golon - 8th in series

The 8th book in a compelling saga chronicling the life of Angélique, born into impoverished, but devout Catholic nobility. The 5th child of the de Sancé enters the world a year before the birth of Louis XIV whose influence will shape her eventual destiny and link her to him from the moment she marries Joffrey, Count of Toulouse.

Angélique, child of the Poitou marshes, is at one with nature, embracing unquestioningly all its mystical and healing powers.

Without realising her destiny, Angélique is already forging links with the supernatural, links which will help her to survive when she is exposed to the Demon –Ambroisine de Maudribourg.

Ambroisine, child of Satanic ritual, is the embittered product of a clandestine relationship between Priest and Poisoner, imbued with all the inherent cruelty that can only be fostered by such a union.

Ambroisine, the predator, brings with her all the malevolence of the Old World, of the Kingdom of France, from which the principals had endeavoured to escape. She mesmerises her prey, sets families and friends apart and sews seeds of doubt in beliefs previously held inviolate. She lives to "divide and conquer" –her ultimate goal: to destroy the community which has strived so hard to survive.

Pitting two such forces against each other, in the untouched and unspoilt setting of their "Brave New World" inevitably escalates into the unavoidable confrontation of good against evil.

The authors weave so intricate a plot that it is difficult to avoid the tendrils that insinuate themselves into the readers consciousness. An exhausting exercise best served by wallowing in its consummate artistry and permitting oneself to be drawn into the inevitable spiral of suspense from which there is a long climb back into the light. But, can anyone be sure that there is a safe haven at the conclusion of this chapter?

As with the preceding and succeeding books in this series, one can never be quite sure if the subject of the moment has truly been concluded or whether somehow, somewhere, when least expected it might just, once more creep up from nowhere... and overwhelm the readers senses with delight, despair and hope.
Profile Image for Rosemary Atwell.
444 reviews36 followers
June 16, 2022
With a plot and overwrought prose which almost outranks Ann Radcliffe, ‘Angelique and the Demon’ is an outstanding example of a sequel which is not only unnecessary, but which completely defeats the author’s original purpose and intent.

This is the palest shadow of the series that it set out to be - overblown, cliche-ridden, tired, sad.
Profile Image for Toni.
194 reviews16 followers
December 20, 2013
I am beyond thrilled I found this series. One of the best ever! I love everything about it and am so immersed in the life of this wonderful character. I am always amazed at how each book is as amazing as the one before and the characters growth is so perfect over the time period. It's a true gem! I'll be devastated when I read that final book. Series like this don't come around often!! 5 stars!!!
Profile Image for Arlene.
Author 4 books48 followers
November 13, 2008
My first in a history, romance series -- I LOVED all of them and was sad when Serge died. The last book, by Anne, clearly showed what Serge added.
Profile Image for Nicole.
684 reviews21 followers
January 1, 2009
I barely finished this one it has become so utterly unbelievable.
Profile Image for Lisachan.
324 reviews32 followers
October 30, 2018
Che la serie di Angelica potesse continuare a intrattenermi, più che una speranza, era un assunto: sono al nonsoquantomillesimo libro e ogni volume che lggo mi diverte come fosse il primo, per cui quello non mi impensieriva; mi impensieriva piuttosto che la narrazione potesse cominciare a diventare un po' più statica, che potesse prendere a ripetere se stessa come, ad un certo punto, è fisiologico in saghe lunghe come questa, e invece no, la Golon ci tiene a lasciarmi sempre con un palmo di naso e per questo volume della saga sulla sua eroina iconica prende e s'inventa un personaggio ATOMICO come Ambrogina di Maudribourg, un personaggio talmente moderno e inaspettato da lasciare senza fiato. Fin da subito si comprende con assoluta certezza la natura demoniaca del personaggio (anche se la narrazione, intelligentemente, non esplicita mai completamente l'appartenenza al mondo spirituale di Ambrogina; anche nell'unica occasione in cui viene descritta con fattezze "tipicamente" mostruose, la descrizione passa per bocca di un personaggio sconvolto dalla paura, per cui il lettore resta sempre col dubbio che si tratti, in realtà, di una persona estremamente squilibrata la cui educazione surreale ha contribuito a renderla un pericolo per la società, più che un vero e proprio canonico demonio), eppure non si può fare a meno di seguirne le vicende con partecipazione, quasi con affetto (io, poi, con affetto doppio, visto che di Ambrogina mi sono innamorata perdutamente).
Ambrogina è crudele, completamente pazza, perfida, maliziosa, di una falsità magistrale, e la sua sofferenza tocca picchi e abissi difficilmente sondabili. I momenti in cui il suo dolore viene descritto in narrazione sono fra i più intensi dell'intero romanzo, e il suo rapporto con Angelica, nel suo nascere, svilupparsi e, infine, estinguersi, è affascinante, quasi ammaliante.
Angelica e Joffrey sono gli usuali cinnamon roll, ancora una volta superano ciò che li tiene distanti continuando a narrare la loro personalissima e affatto scontata storia d'amore (un miracolo in se stesso il fatto che ancora abbiano cose da dire, considerata la longevità della serie), ma onestamente, di fronte ad Ambrogina tutto scompare, perfino loro, che sono bellissimi. Me la porterò dentro per un pezzo.
Menzione speciale per Ville d'Avray, grazie a Dio ce lo portiamo dietro per il resto della storia, mi sa, perché è spassoso, lo adoro.
Profile Image for Jeff Cliff.
220 reviews8 followers
November 15, 2022
I just couldn't get into this one. It felt like Golon had hit a gold mine of a profitable subject to write on but...just ran out of ideas. Much of the book is reiterating what happened both in this book (from character to character) and in previous books, and the premise of the book was, though a long enough arc to be somewhat interesting, just not plausible. I really wanted to enjoy this book since, after all it is beginning to involve the places I've been, and peoples I've met. But I didn't.
Profile Image for Kristina Cornèr.
61 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2019
Seems like a fresh breathe after the previous books of the series. Light reading and exotic environment of 16th-17th century Canada - well researched
Profile Image for Isabelle.
934 reviews12 followers
October 13, 2020
L'aventure, le suspens ainsi que quelques pépites dans les pensées, voici encore une bonne lecture, parmis la série Angélique.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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