30 SEPTEMBER 2000, page 62

Serving The State And Oneself

Douglas Johnson CARDINAL RICHELIEU AND THE MAKING OF FRANCE by Anthony Levi Constable, £20, pp. 327 Vis isitors to the château of Josselin in Brittany are told how it used to be......

Sex And Fun At The Finish

Elisa S egrave RHODE ISLAND BLUES by Fay Weldon Flamingo, £16.99, pp. 325 A dominatrix nurse, a hairy American film director, a Croatian refugee chauffeur, and a former dancer......