The regent's daughter

About this book

The work is a historical adventure set during the Regency of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, and it opens with a brisk, almost theatrical scene inside the Abbey of Chelles. On a cold February night in 1719, the regent himself arrives with a stout, high‑spirited companion, confronting the abbess, his own daughter, Louise‑Adélaïde, about the scandalous entertainments she has allowed in the convent. Their dialogue, full of witty barbs and references to music, politics, and the clash between courtly excess and religious austerity, immediately establishes the novel’s blend of intrigue, family drama, and the vivid portrait of a turbulent Parisian society.

Written in the flamboyant, fast‑moving prose of Alexandre Dumas (with Auguste Maquet’s collaboration), the novel reflects the early‑19th‑century Romantic fascination with swashbuckling plots and detailed period settings. Its dialogue-driven style, rich with historical detail and occasional satirical edge, will appeal to readers who enjoy spirited historical fiction, political machinations, and the larger‑than‑life characters of the French Regency era.