Voltaire In Love

In 1733, the lovely, intelligent, and married Marquise du Chatelet commenced her romance with one Franois-Marie Arouet, a philosophe who had made a name for himself as Voltaire. Mitford deftly and engagingly recounts their exemplary affair, whether in studious exile in the country, on the run from the censor, or in the thoughtless circles of high society. Her portrayals of the scamp philosopher, his mistress who was excessive in everything, and their irregular century are delightful portraits in themselves and as a group, a fascinating fresco of the French Enlightenment.