i've been fascinated with julie d'aubigny for a long, long time. she's one of those flamboyant, larger-than-life figures who feels like she could only exist in storybooks and yet did exist, loved and was loved by real people! her story, as gardiner tells it, is excessive and swashbuckling, filled with vanity and glory. from the author's note it's clear that julie means a lot to gardiner, and she reconstructs some difficult history near-flawlessly and with a lot of affection for her subject. 

the structure is clever and Very fun! initially i was captivated by the writing style, but it soured on me the more i read. the monologues and flashbacks alternated between almost overwrought and too sparse which left me feeling unfulfilled. all in all, i enjoyed GODDESS and i love julie "bad gay representation" d'aubigny