Catherine,One Love is Enough,first book of the Saga

website since September 2008

« In Britain 10'000 copies were sold in one day (1964) »

The Catherine series was first published in France by Editions de Trévise 1963

see my 'International Cover page' for all the different French covers → here

Catherine's appearance as described in the first Novel

Sara's prophecy had come true. At 21, the girl was as ravishing a creature as one could imagine. Her huge eyes, with their changing colour, lit up a face in which freckles had given way to a lovely velvety skin, pink and gold, and reminiscent of the petals of a tea rose. Her long golden hair was still the admiration of all. Catherine was not very tall, but her figure was perfect. Her proportions, grace and curves, at once full and delicate, would have set the most exacting painter reaching for his brush t... One love is Enough... [ The Road from Flanders 1422 ]

The first image above shows Catherine as Juliette had imagined her. The canvas hung in her salon in Saint-Mandé. The second shows the first Pan books cover and athe the third Catherine as imagined by Artist Martin Baines 2015, Telos Publishing.

While spending many years on holdidays in the Auvergne, the Author chose the enchanting village Montsalvy as the home for the main characters: « Catherine and Arnaud de Montsalvy ». During her researches in Montsalvy, Juliette stayed at the 'Auberge Fleurie', which we see on the Collage above. Thanks to Marie Gaston, Author of « Pourquoi Montsalvy, Madame Benzoni»? we can see the Guestbook on the photo with a dedication from Juliette to the owners of the Inn at that time.

First publication in Great Britain by William Heineman Ltd. was 1964 - translated by 'Jocasta Goodwin'

The first six Catherine Novels have been re-issued in England by Telos Publishing Ltd. starting in 2015! The seventh so far never translated book La Dame de Montsalvy was translated into English and published on « 1 June 2021 », after more than 43 years! The translation was by Linda Compagnoni Walther (webmaster) and Stephen James Walker (Manager of Telos Publishing Ltd)

For all facts see → INFO PAGE and at Telos Publishing Ltd. official website → here Important to know, all the books are not abridged this time !

Do not miss my Bonus page about all seven Catherine Novels with lots of extra information→ here

The re-issued 'Catherine series' in English are dedicated to 'Linda Compagnoni Walther', webmaster of this website, which had been the wish of the late Juliette Benzoni in 2014.

Souvenir photo with the Author Juliette Benzoni on 31 October 2009 during my first visit toSaint-Mandé.

Juliette Benzoni in 'London' August 1964 at the Cocktail Party in her honour, to introduce One Love is Enough. We see on the photo above BBC Radio Reporter 'Leigh Crutchley' interviewing the 'Countess Juliette Benzoni di Conza', as she was introduced to the Press. On the photo above Press Agent Gérald Gauthier, who asked her at the end of the Fifties, if she was capable to write a 'Historic Romance' story in the style of Angélique.

On the inside of the original Dust Jacket, the name of the Artist is given as DELL'ORCO. I could not resist and did some research about the Artist. He was Italian and his full name Pino DELL'ORCO, I was lucky and found Phil Eastwood's website where we learn that Dell'Orco was a renowned brilliant Book cover artist and quite famous for his drawings for the Desmond Bagley Spy Thrillers. Thanks to researcher and writer Phil Eastwood, we are able to read and admirer other Works by 'Pino Dell'Orco'. I am very much delighted that the Book cover for ONE LOVE IS ENOUGH is now also immortalised there with other amazing Book covers.

This is Pan books first paperback edition for the Catherine Novels in Great Britain. The Illustrator was the late 'Gino d'Achille' from Italy. His daughter Simona d'Achille has confinded to me that her father had at times, asked her mother and his children to pose for a painting. Simona d'Achille manages now his Archive and Studio Editions. Link to https://www.ginodachille.com/ website

For the Canadian market Pan books commissioned 'Hans Helweg' to illustrated 'One Love is Enough'. It is once again Tim Kitchen from www.tikit.net who shared with me this information for which I am thankful.

The Catherine series and the PRESS → rare material from 1959 - 2021 never seen articles and photos → here

Chapter by Chapter - One Love is Enough → here

The Catherine series have so far been translated into more than twenty-six languages - see the international Book covers page (31 countries !) → here

The → Ballad of Catherine 1965 - Composer: Paul AMAR, text: Juliette Benzoni - Singer: Bernard Stéphane and Michèle Arnaud.

Film Adaption in 1968 of Catherine, il suffit d'un amour

Director 'Bernard Borderie', the same man who had already directed the Angélique films (after the books by Anne Golon). Juliette was extremely disappointed by the end product, because they had turned her story into a Political unrest, inspired by the '1968 Paris riots'! The original story was no longer recognisable! I can only agree with her. I have decided to create an extra page with photos and it is under construction The movie had after all some international Stars which deserve to be mentioned - like Olga Georges-Picot, Claude Brasseur, Horst Frank and Francine Bergé.

Music by Michel Magne - who already composed the Film music for the Angélique films.

Television-Series in 1986 Catherine, il suffit d'un amour

Marion Saraut's TV-Series Catherine premiered on March 19, 1986

Co-Production Antenne 2 - SFP

Director Marion Sarraut

Adaption by Juliette Benzoni & Jean Chatenet

Music by Robert Viger

Story of Catherine - as seen from the view of the 1986 TV-Series Catherine, il suffit d'un amour

Portrait of Director Marion Sarraut → here

Synopsis : Catherine, One Love is Enough

The daughter of a Paris goldsmith in the early fifteenth century, Catherine Legoix learnt about the horrors and violence of live in France during the Hundred Year's war. At thirteen she watched the sacking of the Dauphin's palace by a Burgundian mob, and saw her attempt to save the live of Michel de Montsalvy, a young supporter of the Prince's cause, fail dismally as the enraged Burgundians battered him to death outside her father's shop. They hanged her father but Catherine escaped to become a woman of outstanding beauty. Violet eyes and a mane of golden hair won her the love of a duke; but they could not hold the one man whose love she needed above all.

Amidst the magnificence of the Burgundian Court, among the beggars in the market-place outside, Catherine pursues the course which Fate determinded for her against all the dictates of reason and common-sense. To her the privileges of a duke's mistress, a rich man's wife, are worthless: for Catherine...

The main characters

In 1962 the Catherine novels were first printed in France-Soir and other French newspapers, in form of Cliffhangers which were very popular at that time. Before even the Novel was available in libaries, ten foreign Publishing houses bought the Legal Rights for the story of Catherine Legoix.

The Catherine manuscript fell unfortunately victim to a fire in the house of the author, it had consisted of over 1000 pages! But I have in my possession the original summary of the first two 'Catherine' novels written by Juliette Benzoni and sent to Editions Trévise, and I will soon share them with you.

'Opéra Mundi' decided to publish the story in two books. The first novel they called: "Il suffit d'un amour I" and the conclusion "Il suffit d'un amour II". Soon they re-named the Novels to: 'Catherine, il suffit d'un amour' and at a new printing they added also « Les Montsalvys ». The foreign Publishers chose various titles for the Catherine series. Please see the International Book cover pages for that → here:

Due to the phenomenal success of the story, Juliette was asked to continue the story of 'Catherine and Arnaud de Montsalvy'. Therefore followed in 1966 Belle Catherine , 1967 Catherine des grands chemins (English: Catherine & Arnaud): and 1968 Catherine et le temps d'aimer (Catherine and a time for love) (this was the only book that ended with an Epiloque).

Yet again the author was asked to write two more adventures after the new immense success: In 1973 Piège pour Catherine (A Trap for Catherine) and 1979 La Dame de Montsalvy (The Lady of Montsalvy) for more information about why that book was only printed in 1979, see the page The Lady of Montsalvy.

Some countries like Norway only printed the first two books - Italy only five. I guess that Garzanti.it) for some reason was not informed that there were two more books, since they took great pains for the Book covers.

Heinemann Ltd. the English publisher, (the same goes for Avon-books in the USA) , did not translate LA DAME DE MONTSALVY, In 2014, two years before Juliette Benzoni left us, 'Telos Publishing Ltd.' bought the Legal Rights 'from the Author.

There had been a lot of work involved with the research to discover decades later which Countries had published the Catherine Novels. Without the help of many visitors, who actually scanned their covers and sent them via E-mail to me, the list would not be so outstanding and we might never have known how many countries had actually published the Catherine series.

Alas, there exists no (not to my knowledge !) list on Google books to support what I claim here. If it does someday, we can assume they took the information from this website or that of my friend Frédérique, whom I call the Columbus discoverer of Book covers.

However, in the 1979 French Edition of La Dame de Montsalvy, Trévise enclosed 18 names of countries who translated the Juliette Benzoni Novels. On the list is also 'Portugal', but we never found a cover for Catherine, Yet we know that Portugal translated at that time two of the Marianne novels, maybe that was the reason the name appeared on that list.

One word to Jugoslavia who became in 1991 independent; they printed one version for Serbo-Croatia and one for Slovenia. I had been explained by Online Catherine friends, that there is a difference between the written and spoken language. So these Countries published in later years Catherine on their own with new Translators and Book covers. Since 2016 Serbia has its own Catherine books, published by Carobna knjiga

After my long research in the Net, we can assume that the Catherine series was translated in at least 26 languages - and published in over 31 Countries !