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Customer Reviews of All This, and Heaven Too

A RIVETING STORY ABOUT A WOMAN WHO ROCKED A NATION...
This is a well written fictionalization of the life of Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, who happens to be the author's great aunt by marriage. In her day, Ms. Deluzy-Desportes was the most notorious woman in France. This is her story, the story of a notorious governess who would leave France under a cloud and emerge triumphant in America. <
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>The author recounts a drama and scandal that beset France in the midst of the nineteenth century. It revolved around the household of the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin, the family who had engaged the services of Ms. Deluzy-Desportes as governess to their young children. Once esconced in the household, she quickly realized that there was a problem between the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin. The Duchess, an impetuous and passionate woman of Corsican descent, was slightly unhinged, perhaps by madness and her passion for the Duc, who clearly was no longer interested in her in the way in which she wished. <
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>Ms. Deluzy-Desportes and the Duc developed a close, though platonic, relationship, because of their mutual interest in the Praslin children, an interest which the Duchesse did not seem to share. She perceived their closeness as a threat and her jealousy knew no bounds. The Duc and Ms. Deluzy-Desportes did not, however, always act circumspectly, and the gossips of France had a field day, attributing to them an affair that had no basis, in fact. This gossip added to the already existing tension in the Praslin household, which was a seething cauldron of emotions, until the day would come when Ms. Deluzy-Desportes would be dismissed with a promise of a letter of recommendation from the Duchesse. When the promised letter never came, the Duc was outraged by the perfidy of the Duchesse. Shortly thereafter, the Duchesse met with a tragic end, and the Duc and governess were under suspicion of murder. <
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>What happens to each of them makes for a gripping narrative. The tragic circumstances with which Ms. Deluzy-Deportes met made her one of the most hated women in France. When her life in France became impossible, like many others she sought refuge in the new world. What was to happen to her in America had the makings of a fairytale. Her life would never be the same. This is a beautifully written story about a woman beset by the vicissitudes of life, but who emerged triumphant when all was said and done. It makes for a marvelous and fascinating story that will keep the reader riveted to the pages.