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While there was much of interest, the book is not quite a biography of Louis XIV, it's more a series of impressionistic chapters on him (lightly) and the people around him. After finishing it I did not feel I had much more insight into the character of Louis, but I did learn much about the supporting cast. I often found it hard to understand who was who, e.g. "Monsieur" appears to refer to more than one person, depending on who was alive at the time. Wars come and go without conclusion; you'd have to look elsewhere to find out who won. As a francophile I very much wanted to like this book but found it a chore to read.

This book was not what I expected. I do not want to say that the book was bad because it was not. The problem is that the author seems to be more into the architecture and art of Louis' time than anything else. He actually admits that in the beginning of the book. Therefore I feel that the title is a little misleading. If you are into a more art driven description or culture discussion this book is for you, but that was not what I was looking for so I was a little disappointed.

My purpose in reading this book was very simple: i wanted to have an idea on one of the most famous kings in french history and i wasnt dissapointed. The author makes an interesting accounting of Louis XIV.It covers important areas like major constructions ordered by Louis and his political struggles with other european nations. It is interesting the way the author explains Louis relationship with some of his family members like his oldest son and his oldest grand son, the King of Spain,Philip V.On the other hand, Mr Dunlop uses way too many french words and sentences.This is annoying because you are left trying to make sense out of what was said and it's relation with the rest of the paragraph.Also, the author dedicates too much pages to Louis desire for architecture and construction.He gaves too many details that are not that necesary when you are talking about a very prominenet and influential king as Louis XIV.In short, it is a very good book for someone who is beginning to get interested in the matter.

I found this to be a very well thought out, and well-written, biography. In the space of less than 500 pages we are given a very complete picture of a remarkable man, a man who came to the throne as a child and was king from 1643 until his death in 1715. The author is admirably even-handed. Louis' faults are not ignored: In his youth and up until middle-age he was an inveterate womanizer. When he was through with a mistress, she was carted off to a convent. (There was a joke making the rounds at the time that the quickest way to salvation for a woman was via the King's bed!) Louis also had an inordinate fondness for war and glory. Besides the obvious cost in lives for soldiers of all the countries involved in these conflicts, France was bankrupted. This did not stop Louis from building and renovating- Versailles; Marly; Fontainebleau, etc. One of the many strengths of this book is that Mr. Dunlop can rightfully criticize this irresponsible behavior and profligate spending; then, he can turn right around and describe the architectural splendor, the beautiful gardens and fountains, etc. For, as Montesquieu asked: "Who could have told that the King established the greatness of France by building Versailles and Marly?" Another glaring "negative" in the rule of The Sun King was his persecution of the Huguenots, via his 1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. But without making excuses or trying to justify what Louis did, Mr. Dunlop puts this in perspective. To quote the author: "Tolerance enjoys a high moral status in Western civilisation today, but it exists in inverse proportion to a general decline in commitment to any creed or moral code. Total tolerance denies, in effect, the possibility of any objective truth in either religion or ethics. Intolerance, a logical outcome of total commitment or total conviction, is therefore more typical of the seventeenth century because of the often fanatical firmness with which the differing faiths were held." Likewise, regarding Louis' fondness for the ladies, the author shows us both the weakness of Louis in his giving in (often!) to temptation but also shows us the difficulties involved in resisting.... If you are brought up to believe that you are God's anointed, could you refuse the advances of beautiful, intelligent, charming women...some of whom were quite ruthless in the means they used to get a previous mistress out of the way? For bedding the King wasn't only a romantic achivement- the families of these women would "egg them on," hoping to gain political influence at court. Louis was aware that people were trying to use him, and he was always on his guard. This book is a wonderful blend of the political, the philosophical, the religious and the military aspects of Louis' reign....as well as containing much enjoyable material on the architecture and the gardens of the royal residences. The mistresses, the gossip and the hypocrisy and political infighting at court are certainly not neglected! With extensive excerpts from the diaries and letters of Louis, Saint-Simon, Vauban, Mme de Maintenon, etc., we get a beautiful balance of the personal and the public life of The Sun King. This is a very impressive book.