Her imperturbable self-confidence (Duchesse de Maine) caused Madame de Stael to write that the Duchesse believed in herself the same way she believed in God, without explanation or discussion.

Her imperturbable self-confidence (Duchesse de Maine) caused Madame de Stael to write that the Duchesse believed in herself the same way she believed in God, without explanation or discussion.

That is my major concern: writers who are in prison for writing.

[In 16th century European society] Marriage was the triumphal arch through which women, almost without exception, had to pass in order to reach the public eye. And after marriage followed, in theory, the total self-abnegation of the woman.

I realize that I had always in my heart of hearts planned to write a biography of Marie Antoinette.

People in my books tend to get their just deserts, even if not at the hands of the police.

I can't read historical fiction because I find the real thing so much more interesting.