Text by Linda webmaster 2008 - 2023

Never in my life did I imagine I would one day (2009) meet Juliette Benzoni, my favourite author in person and would thanks to that unforgettable first visit become such close friends in the Winter of Juliette's life. Looking back, it all sounds like a fairy-tale.

Only a year after the first meeting at her home in Saint-Mandé, did I receive the extraordinarily honour (together with two of my dear friend and my daughter) a dedication in one of the Aldo Morosini adventures. Nota bene, the very first time Juliette Benzoni dedicated one of her books to fans! On the day of her funeral  2016 I was there together with my friend Frédérique, webmaster of the magnificent Juliette Benzoni website, to stand by and comfort Anne Gallois her beloved daughter. I belong to one of those people who never believe in coincidences - it was somewhere written that I should one day meet the Queen of History books for a reason. The never before shared material you see on this website (and that of Frédérique) would have been otherwise lost.

I am very happy to present you the « Catherine de Montsalvy website » in English and French - the website with all information about the 86 books by Juliette Benzoni. At the same time many extra pages about the four TV-Series, filmed after Juliette's books by acclaimed director Dame Marion Sarraut : Marianne, a star for Napoleon - Catherine, One Love is Enough (Il suffit d'un amour) - Le Gerfaut - La Florentine (the last mentioned, unfortunately not yet translated into English!)

The Catherine books were published in at least 31 countries - 55 million readers worldwide - translated into at least 27 languages and have over thirty-five million readers beyond France to Iceland, Brazil, Israel, Poland, Germany, Italy, Finland, Russia, Serbia to list a few... !

I always adored Juliette Benzoni's historical series Catherine. Written with so much knowledge of precise historical facts and with Juliette Benzoni's incredible narrative style, her fictive characters seem to come alive during reading! Who can ever forget the touching moment when Arnaud de Montsalvy had to go to the valley of Calves, leaving behind his wife and little baby son? Her unforgettable friends like Sara, Jean de Xaintrailles,  Gauthier Stronghitarm, Barnaby, Jacques Coeur or Queen Yolande of the four Kingdoms?

The Catherine books were written when our lives were not yet so hurried and stressed, at a time when people still loved to read a good romantic book with a beautiful heroine and a brave and handsome hero! There were no video-recorders, no Smart phones, no iPads and certainly no Internet, like Facebook, Instagram, youtube or Twitter !

I had read the first of the Catherine books « Catherine, One Love is Enough » over 50 years ago... I fell immediately in love with the heroine and her almost impossible dream of becoming Arnaud de Montsalvy's beloved wife. Like millions of fellow readers, I waited year after year for the next book to be published! Unfortunately not all countries seemed to feel obligated to Juliette's faithful readers to translate the last of the books. I know from the letters I received that there were thousands upon thousands of readers throughout the world who were led to believe that the series ended with A Snare for Catherine (new title: 'A Trap for Catherine')!

My dream was that with the help of this website, one day the last of the series, the seventh book 'La Dame de Montsalvy' would be translated into English...! *
 
While I was re-reading the books around 2007 the idea came to me to create a website, dedicated to my beloved story and favourite author Juliette Benzoni, and also take the opportunity to give a summary of the seventh book La Dame de Montsalvy which had so far never been translated into English. My sister Evelyne had a special talent for graphics, and by luck shared my passion for Catherine. Together we spent months building the first Catherine de Montsalvy website, which has evolved over the years into the one you see today.

It is with Frédérique the great journey began to meet together Juliette, a year after our separate websites were created. Juliette had wanted to meet those 'girls' who had dedicated a website to her. See article about our first meetting) A beautiful friendship was born that lasted until she had to leave us on 7 February 2016. Juliette Benzoni approved of our sites and we were to call it in her name Juliette-Benzoni-officiel and Catherine de Montsalvy officiel. For Juliette we were  Mes filles des Grands Chemins - with regard of the 4th book in the Catherine series Catherine des Grands Chemins (English: Catherine and Arnaud) who had traveled enormously, to save her husband Arnaud - in our case to Saint-Mandé visiting our beloved friend Juliette.

Before I invite you to click around my website ; The Catherine de Montsalvy website has not been inspired by any other website concerning the Catherine Book Series. The idea was born in 2000 when I first went ONLINE and noticed there was nothing to be found about my favourite author Juliette Benzoni and her heroine Catherine. I was never asked by anyone to create this website and I certainly have never been paid any money!

But I have met and won the trust through this website of Juliette Benzoni, Anne Gallois, Marion Sarraut, Claudine Ancelot, Pierre-Marie Escourrou, Isabelle Guiard, Corinne Touzet, Gérard Chambre, Pierre Deny and many more concerning the world of Catherine de Montsalvy.

* I am very pleased to announce today that after more than 43 years after the publication of La Dame de Montsalvy in 1979, the book is now translated into English and has been published on 1 June 2021 by the English publisher Telos Publishing. For all the information, see my special page Juliette Benzoni and The Lady of Montsalvy → here