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Abundance: Library Edition
Marie Antoinette was fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family, her country, and her home to become the wife of the fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King Louis XVI of France. Far from home and thrust into the role of woman, wife, and queen, Marie Antoinette lived a brief-but astonishing-life. Based on impeccable historical research, Abundance reveals a Marie Antoinette who rebelled against the formality and rigid protocol of the court-an outsider who became the target of a revolution that ultimately decided her fate. Naslund has created a portrait of a woman very different from the figure we think we know.
Audio CD
First published October 3, 2006
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About the author
Sena Jeter Naslund
36 books431 followersSena Jeter Naslund is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels, including Ahab's Wife (1999) and Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette (HarperCollins, 2006). She is currently Distinguished Teaching Professor and Writer in Residence at the University of Louisville and program director of the Spalding University brief-residency Master in Fine Arts in Writing. Recipient of the Harper Lee Award and the Southeastern Library Association Fiction Award, she is co-founder of The Louisville Review and the Fleur-de-Lis Press. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,186 reviews
January 13, 2024
Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette was a beautiful historical fiction novel by Sara Jeter Naslund that has been biding its time in my library since its publication in 2006. It opens with a line by Marie Antoinette that will resonate long after one closes the book referring to her birth as a citizen of France as she begins the donning of French clothes, no longer Maria Antonia but my French self, now named, Marie Antoinette:
This beautiful book unfolds as we experience the life of Marie Antoinette as she experienced her life, a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King of France. As young Marie Antoinette forged her new life, embracing her new family and the French people as she and the King are embraced in return. It is during these years before she and the King began to bring forth children and an heir to the throne. As the Queen became more isolated in her own inner circle, Marie Antoinette allowed herself to remain ignorant of France's growing economic and political crises. Poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion as the royal family are caught up in "the Terror."
Sena Jeta Naslund has done a magnificent job in shining a new light on the reign of King Louis XVI as one can embrace the humanity of this royal family in living their life as this enlightening and heartbreaking book unfolds. It is a very powerful historical fiction narrative that kept me riveted to end even though we know how history during the time of the French Revolution unfolds.
"Like everyone, I am born naked."
This beautiful book unfolds as we experience the life of Marie Antoinette as she experienced her life, a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King of France. As young Marie Antoinette forged her new life, embracing her new family and the French people as she and the King are embraced in return. It is during these years before she and the King began to bring forth children and an heir to the throne. As the Queen became more isolated in her own inner circle, Marie Antoinette allowed herself to remain ignorant of France's growing economic and political crises. Poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion as the royal family are caught up in "the Terror."
"The people do not remember that in coming here from Austria to marry the Dauphin I gave my existence for the Alliance that yet protects the peace of Europe. They forget that I protected them from the additional tax that was my legal due after the marriage. They forget or do not know of a hundred other times I have remembered their burdens, as has the King, whose authority they now flout."
Sena Jeta Naslund has done a magnificent job in shining a new light on the reign of King Louis XVI as one can embrace the humanity of this royal family in living their life as this enlightening and heartbreaking book unfolds. It is a very powerful historical fiction narrative that kept me riveted to end even though we know how history during the time of the French Revolution unfolds.
January 14, 2019
This was an audiobook and I enjoyed it so very much! It was beautifully written, very poetic. Marie was only 14 when she was married off to the prince of Austria to fulfill the promise of a French-Austrian alliance.
At the beginning the people of France loved her. She was a singular beauty and her husband was gentle and young, coming after the reign of his grandfather who was a dictator and a man abhorred by many people for his constant contingency of females and his lack of interest in correcting the conditions that the common people were struggling with.
As the years worse on fights were fought, citizens began to hate the royalty for it's constant show of personal abundance and lack of help for the poor. In the end they were all slaughtered including Marie Antoinette, her children ultimately also died.
This was a time period that I was not very familiar with so I learned a lot here. The character of Marie Antoinette seemed to be a tragic story of a young girl who was thrown into a country and culture that she didn't really understand or like. I enjoyed the descriptions of life then, the incredible amount of money that the royalty spent on themselves without care of the peasants. They also didn't seem to see the tremendous rebellion that was coming, or they chose to ignore it.
Very good historical fiction, beautiful writing.
**I would recommend this book to any lovers of historical fiction, one of my all time favorites**
At the beginning the people of France loved her. She was a singular beauty and her husband was gentle and young, coming after the reign of his grandfather who was a dictator and a man abhorred by many people for his constant contingency of females and his lack of interest in correcting the conditions that the common people were struggling with.
As the years worse on fights were fought, citizens began to hate the royalty for it's constant show of personal abundance and lack of help for the poor. In the end they were all slaughtered including Marie Antoinette, her children ultimately also died.
This was a time period that I was not very familiar with so I learned a lot here. The character of Marie Antoinette seemed to be a tragic story of a young girl who was thrown into a country and culture that she didn't really understand or like. I enjoyed the descriptions of life then, the incredible amount of money that the royalty spent on themselves without care of the peasants. They also didn't seem to see the tremendous rebellion that was coming, or they chose to ignore it.
Very good historical fiction, beautiful writing.
**I would recommend this book to any lovers of historical fiction, one of my all time favorites**
March 1, 2020
With this book I got into the head of Marie Antoinette. The author did all the research and based on the known facts delivered what she thought was going on in Marie Antoinette's head. She convinced me. At the end of the book is a list of source material, "A Brief Timeline of Events" and an interesting conversation with the author. Don't skip this; it is really good.
The historical facts are clearly presented. You follow Marie from her coming to France as a naïve fourteen year old to her death at the guillotine. Toinette, as she is affectionately called by those close to her, has been maligned by history; I appreciated hearing a more balanced view. I empathized with her. I saw how she matured. I really did suffer with her when she couldn't become pregnant, through no fault of her own. That struggle felt very real to me, and when her husband, the Dauphin, finally did become aroused the author's lines beautifully portray the conception. You understood why before she had turned to gambling and frivolity.
Quite simply, I like the sensual writing. I like the clear presentation of the historical facts. Never are they boringly presented. I believe we see here Marie Antoinette's view of what happened around her in the years leading up to her death. For me, only through empathy with historical characters does history become meaningful.
**********************
After 20 pages:
Some authors fit some readers. I very much like how this author writes. Mmm mmm, good stuff. I like the descriptive lines. I feel that I am in young Antoinette's head. I see her world from her point of view. This author studies the known facts and does not change them. Antoinette did not say, when told that the people of eighteenth century France were starving, "If they have no bread then let them eat cake!", and consequently that is not to be found in this book. What is found are the lines she did say. I have stupidly put off reading this book b/c royalty and historical fiction so often disappoint me.
The historical facts are clearly presented. You follow Marie from her coming to France as a naïve fourteen year old to her death at the guillotine. Toinette, as she is affectionately called by those close to her, has been maligned by history; I appreciated hearing a more balanced view. I empathized with her. I saw how she matured. I really did suffer with her when she couldn't become pregnant, through no fault of her own. That struggle felt very real to me, and when her husband, the Dauphin, finally did become aroused the author's lines beautifully portray the conception. You understood why before she had turned to gambling and frivolity.
Quite simply, I like the sensual writing. I like the clear presentation of the historical facts. Never are they boringly presented. I believe we see here Marie Antoinette's view of what happened around her in the years leading up to her death. For me, only through empathy with historical characters does history become meaningful.
**********************
After 20 pages:
Some authors fit some readers. I very much like how this author writes. Mmm mmm, good stuff. I like the descriptive lines. I feel that I am in young Antoinette's head. I see her world from her point of view. This author studies the known facts and does not change them. Antoinette did not say, when told that the people of eighteenth century France were starving, "If they have no bread then let them eat cake!", and consequently that is not to be found in this book. What is found are the lines she did say. I have stupidly put off reading this book b/c royalty and historical fiction so often disappoint me.
February 5, 2017
We begin at the age of 14, the innocence and exuberance of the first days of entering France. Her affection and friendship are immediate for her husband, Louis, the dauphin. Days are spent in splendor: hunting, shopping, gossiping, etc.
There seems to be nothing serious occurring in her life until the death of the current king, Louis XV, creating her husband the reigning monarch and herself queen. But even then finances are far from her mind. This is the point when I realize that Jutland had decided to proscribe to the belief that Marie Antoinette was a wastrel bubblehead, which is actually historically exaggerated.
Jutland uses simplistic language and basic sentence structure. High intelligence level is definitely not needed to enjoy this book. It glosses over the main events of her life: her wedding and coronation; her supposed affair with Fersen; the Necklace Affair; the birth of her children, etc. The style is almost a dictation to a diary, first person.
There seems to be nothing serious occurring in her life until the death of the current king, Louis XV, creating her husband the reigning monarch and herself queen. But even then finances are far from her mind. This is the point when I realize that Jutland had decided to proscribe to the belief that Marie Antoinette was a wastrel bubblehead, which is actually historically exaggerated.
Jutland uses simplistic language and basic sentence structure. High intelligence level is definitely not needed to enjoy this book. It glosses over the main events of her life: her wedding and coronation; her supposed affair with Fersen; the Necklace Affair; the birth of her children, etc. The style is almost a dictation to a diary, first person.
August 22, 2007
This was a very thin book -- interesting, but thin.
And I don't mean it was a slim volume of delicate prose. It was watery and lacked important detail and missed the ambition of Naslund's "Ahab's Wife."
With so many interesting and picturesque moments during the pre-French Revolution years, with all the excess and religious upheaval and all the parallels and differences betwixt the American and French Revolutions, Naslund chose to focus on Marie Antoinette's wardrobe and constant remodeling of various estates and apartments.
When Louis XVI is taken from his family, there is no sense of loss, pain or fright for the reader.
When Toinette herself is taken to the guillotine, it is anticlimactic.
A fairly constant theme in books I don't care for is unsympathetic characters. Unsympathetic may not even be the best word, but books in which I simply don't give a damn about the characters. I don't love them, hate them, cheer for their triumph or demise.
With a larger-than-life character with all the legend of Marie Antoinette, it may be more difficult to make her so dull than it would have been to make me love her or hate her.
And I don't mean it was a slim volume of delicate prose. It was watery and lacked important detail and missed the ambition of Naslund's "Ahab's Wife."
With so many interesting and picturesque moments during the pre-French Revolution years, with all the excess and religious upheaval and all the parallels and differences betwixt the American and French Revolutions, Naslund chose to focus on Marie Antoinette's wardrobe and constant remodeling of various estates and apartments.
When Louis XVI is taken from his family, there is no sense of loss, pain or fright for the reader.
When Toinette herself is taken to the guillotine, it is anticlimactic.
A fairly constant theme in books I don't care for is unsympathetic characters. Unsympathetic may not even be the best word, but books in which I simply don't give a damn about the characters. I don't love them, hate them, cheer for their triumph or demise.
With a larger-than-life character with all the legend of Marie Antoinette, it may be more difficult to make her so dull than it would have been to make me love her or hate her.
May 27, 2018
4.5 stars for the sweeping epic life story of Marie Antoinette, so beautifully told by Sena Jeter Naslund. I just loved this. For lovers of historical fiction, Sena is a beautiful writer. I hadn't known much at all about Marie Antoinette, but wasn't she a wonderful character? One can really see her inner mind, as these events were forming around her. She became queen at 14 years old. The book opens with this wonderful image of how the ceremony begins on an island between the two countries, where one literally steps out of Austrian fashion, naked, into new clothes, a new name, and into a new country, into royalty. Thus begins a 14 year olds journey, where she becomes Marie Antoinette, devoted to her new country and new people, leaving the country and family of her birth.
I never knew about the affair with the necklace, that appears to have many books written about that unfortunate time in history. The main point, is to illustrate that the French were growing exceedingly uncomfortable about their economy, and the citizens were starving, while the Royal court appeared to have great excess. This account depicts both Louis and Marie as trying to respond adequately and thoughtfully to the needs of the country, while unrest and anger and revolutionaries spoke out against the monarchy. In this rendition, the royals did everything they could to work with the needs of a quickly changing country, while the people felt more and more unrest, and increasing rage and disloyalty. The necklace seemed to be a whole part of that story. In the end, Louis and Marie both met an untimely end, due to the fervor growing in the country. Even then, they were loving patriots, and cared deeply for their citizens.
Marie loved her husband, and showed great loyalty to him, but she also developed another great love later in her young life, who was a male best friend. He was a confidant, soulmate, and twin. In this rendering, nothing untoward happens with this man, who was a favorite and good friend to both the couple at the court. But of course, this friendship is depicted horribly from the eyes of the constituency. Or at least that she ran around gaily, while others starved. It was a pure friendship, but a deep love nonetheless. How refreshing to remember a time, when one can have a pure deep love in their lives, with no need to act on it and to destroy the life one's built. But to have it in one's life as a fulfilling dimension. I think that would be rare to exist these days, and I thought it was just lovely.
I never knew about the affair with the necklace, that appears to have many books written about that unfortunate time in history. The main point, is to illustrate that the French were growing exceedingly uncomfortable about their economy, and the citizens were starving, while the Royal court appeared to have great excess. This account depicts both Louis and Marie as trying to respond adequately and thoughtfully to the needs of the country, while unrest and anger and revolutionaries spoke out against the monarchy. In this rendition, the royals did everything they could to work with the needs of a quickly changing country, while the people felt more and more unrest, and increasing rage and disloyalty. The necklace seemed to be a whole part of that story. In the end, Louis and Marie both met an untimely end, due to the fervor growing in the country. Even then, they were loving patriots, and cared deeply for their citizens.
Marie loved her husband, and showed great loyalty to him, but she also developed another great love later in her young life, who was a male best friend. He was a confidant, soulmate, and twin. In this rendering, nothing untoward happens with this man, who was a favorite and good friend to both the couple at the court. But of course, this friendship is depicted horribly from the eyes of the constituency. Or at least that she ran around gaily, while others starved. It was a pure friendship, but a deep love nonetheless. How refreshing to remember a time, when one can have a pure deep love in their lives, with no need to act on it and to destroy the life one's built. But to have it in one's life as a fulfilling dimension. I think that would be rare to exist these days, and I thought it was just lovely.
May 20, 2007
While astutely researched and poetically written, this basic issue with this book is that hardly anything happens in it 600 pages. Though highly sympathetic to Marie Antoinette, it failed to endear me to her throughout the course of the novel, and I was relieved upon her final beheading that I had, at least, finished this ponderous and meandering portrayal of a far more exotic and scandalous woman than is to be found anywhere in the pages of "Abundance."
January 2, 2008
I've just begun this book, and--contrary to some reviews--I love the measured voice. It's beautifully written, beautifully observed. I loved Ahab's Wife, as well, and Abundance has that same remarkable quality of pulling you gently into another world. Sena Jeter Naslund is a wonderful writer.
August 22, 2008
Marie Antoinette has intrigued me for years and I have read countless books about her, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Told in diary form, this book provides a rare, intimate insight into the life of the Queen; her most private thoughts and feelings from the moment she steps onto French land at the young age of fourteen, to the moment she meets her tragic fate. Although it is fiction, it's clear that the author did her homework and based much of what she wrote on actual documentations and letters written by Marie Antoinette herself. I loved the light in which Naslund portrayed the highly misunderstood Queen (no, she did NOT really utter the words, "Let them eat cake"). Every sentence in this book is beautiful, poetic, graceful, and carefully constructed, making it even more of a pleasure to read and one of the main reasons why I enjoyed it so much. Although towards the end I found myself growing a bit impatient, as it IS lengthier than need be, overall I liked it and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction.
May 15, 2007
Drawing from the same perspectival material as Sofia Coppola's 2006 film, this treatment of Marie Antoinette's life paints a sympathetic picture of France's girl queen. Unfortunately, it's also a boring one. Since Naslund's take is almost identical to Coppola's (sometimes eerily so), I recommend skipping the 600-page snoozefest and going with the two-hour movie, which at least features pretty dresses and New Wave tunes.
June 18, 2007
this book is so poorly written it makes me want to puke. i got to page five and hurled it across the room. with 600 pages to it's name, it made a loud noise. the opening sequence is of the famous handover of marie to her new party. she describes her nipples in detail, her pubescent body. dude, she's 14. i am not about hearing this. and for no reason. i feel free to criticise naslund's style because i read "ahab's wife" and was equally offended. that's right. offended. in ahab's wife naslund makes metaphors out of "she was big and round. the world.. i mean, "mrs. so and so." wtf kind of bass ackwards writing is that? why don't you just stab me in the face and tell me i had a speck on me?
Naslund is coming to UofL to do a reading soon. i'll be there with eggs and rotten tomatoes and a great big paper shredder. bring your copy.
Naslund is coming to UofL to do a reading soon. i'll be there with eggs and rotten tomatoes and a great big paper shredder. bring your copy.
May 6, 2008
I liked this book a lot less than I was expecting to. I had read and loved Ahab's Wife and Four Spirits, so I knew I liked the author. But it was kind of like getting stuck talking to someone boring at a party.
The book is told in the first person from Marie Antoinette's point-of-view. I don't know if it was Naslund's goal to make her likable or sympathetic, but she came off as self-centered, petty, and oblivious, even if (as Naslund points out in the forward) she didn't actually say "Let them eat cake." She certainly did make Marie Antoinette seem like a real, albeit flawed, person, though, and maybe that was Naslund's goal all along.
Although I did learn a few historical details I didn't know before, she's never been an object of fascination for me (like, say, the Romanovs). And the one detail that I already knew from the Coppola movie--that she had to leave her beloved dog, Mops, behind when she left Austria--was ruined when I learned that when she was reunited with Mops and wasn't very interested in him.
Writing fiction about such a well-known historical figure--especially one with such a famous death--presents an interesting challenge because the reader knows what is coming all along. If she'd been written as more likable, I would have been dreading the march towards the Guillotine the whole time, hoping that maybe the author would rewrite history and give her a last-minute fictional pardon. As it was, though, I was really looking forward to the execution. I didn't hate the book, but I was definitely disappointed.
The book is told in the first person from Marie Antoinette's point-of-view. I don't know if it was Naslund's goal to make her likable or sympathetic, but she came off as self-centered, petty, and oblivious, even if (as Naslund points out in the forward) she didn't actually say "Let them eat cake." She certainly did make Marie Antoinette seem like a real, albeit flawed, person, though, and maybe that was Naslund's goal all along.
Although I did learn a few historical details I didn't know before, she's never been an object of fascination for me (like, say, the Romanovs). And the one detail that I already knew from the Coppola movie--that she had to leave her beloved dog, Mops, behind when she left Austria--was ruined when I learned that when she was reunited with Mops and wasn't very interested in him.
Writing fiction about such a well-known historical figure--especially one with such a famous death--presents an interesting challenge because the reader knows what is coming all along. If she'd been written as more likable, I would have been dreading the march towards the Guillotine the whole time, hoping that maybe the author would rewrite history and give her a last-minute fictional pardon. As it was, though, I was really looking forward to the execution. I didn't hate the book, but I was definitely disappointed.
January 17, 2008
Wow! This book was a struggle for me. At first I hated it, because i didn't like the author's style in writing the story. Once I got used to it, it all fell into place. This story really was good. It's a story about Marie Antoinette and her life as the queen of France until the French Revolution. Throughout the book I felt sorry for her and how misunderstood she was, not only by the people of France, but throughout history. I gained a new respect for her and Louis XVI. This is definitely a period of history that I am not very familiar with, but having read this book I am interested to find out more. Definitely a book worth reading for those that love history.
April 8, 2011
This book was difficult in the beginning. Since it is written as spoken by Marie Antoinette it was filled with statements starting with "I". At first it was quite redundant and then I began to realize it was a brilliant way to tell her story...in a self-centered way. The author does a wonderful job telling how Marie's life was very sheltered and lavish. She portrays Marie as an innocent naive young girl going from her very restricted and sheltered environment as a child, to meeting her new country and husband as a young 14 year old child. Yes, Marie did love beautiful extravagant "things" but that was what she was provided with and what could be deemed as "normal" in her world. I grew to admire her since she was able to see beyond her beautiful, glittered life to the plight of the common people around her. Naslund does a very nice job of showing Marie's growth from the child to a woman who truly loves her husband, her children and the people of France despite their cruel gossip and views of her as their queen. Even though I knew what tragic fate awaited her, I found myself hoping for her survival. Here was a woman who was generous of heart, who was able to maintain dignity and strength even when stripped of her children and wealthy trappings. My childhood memories of Marie's history were of a woman who took the food from her people's mouths to pay for elaborate clothes and hairstyles and uttered "let them eat cake". This book reveals the true person behind the name Marie Antoinette. I truly enjoyed the author's lavish and poetic dialog used to tell Marie's thoughts.
August 6, 2024
Marie Antoinette is one of the Queens that fascinates me the most and the one that evokes so much sympathy in me.
The way the author wrote Marie Antoinette shows that people who research the subject of their book(especially when we are talking about historical fiction with the focus on real life people) know who to write with respect and without their own feelings getting in the way
Marie Antoinette is very misunderstood because a lot of people don't really do their research and just go by what the revolutionaries wrote about her at the time.
I'm not saying that she is innocent but she was not the only one at fault and she was not even the one who spent the most money.
She was a child when she arrived in France and she become Queen when she was still too young to understand what it means or to really make a change.
The situation in France was already bad before she come to "power". (back then the Queens of France had no real power).
She was the target of so many rumors that were not true duo to the fact that she was an outsider and people saw that as a threat.
I love how the author handled the so called "affair" that she had with Axel von Fersen.
The relationship between her and Louis XVI was written so well here,it was warm and you could feel the love that they had for each other(be it romantic or platonic).
She was not the one who said let them eat cake(I feel that I need to put this here cause a lot of people still think she said it.)
The fate of her children after she died haunts me every time I think about her.
The way the author wrote Marie Antoinette shows that people who research the subject of their book(especially when we are talking about historical fiction with the focus on real life people) know who to write with respect and without their own feelings getting in the way
Marie Antoinette is very misunderstood because a lot of people don't really do their research and just go by what the revolutionaries wrote about her at the time.
I'm not saying that she is innocent but she was not the only one at fault and she was not even the one who spent the most money.
She was a child when she arrived in France and she become Queen when she was still too young to understand what it means or to really make a change.
The situation in France was already bad before she come to "power". (back then the Queens of France had no real power).
She was the target of so many rumors that were not true duo to the fact that she was an outsider and people saw that as a threat.
I love how the author handled the so called "affair" that she had with Axel von Fersen.
The relationship between her and Louis XVI was written so well here,it was warm and you could feel the love that they had for each other(be it romantic or platonic).
She was not the one who said let them eat cake(I feel that I need to put this here cause a lot of people still think she said it.)
The fate of her children after she died haunts me every time I think about her.
August 29, 2008
This book was ok. It was ok in the beginning, ok in the middle, and ok at the end. Honestly, nothing about this book really stood out to me. It was interesting learning more about the time period and sort of about the lifestyle of the court, but I didn't find the story as it was written to be particularly moving. In the beginning of the book, Marie Antoinette is portrayed as this naive, innocent girl whom everyone loves. By the end she is a naive woman who everyone hates. I guess I can see how it would seem she was sincere in some of her gestures, like trying to bail all of her friends out of debt, but come on. Enough is enough. I really wanted to feel bad for her but sometimes I really didn't. I did feel bad at the end because it does seem that she was beheaded for no good reason.
One thing that drove me nuts was the flowery language that the author used. I don't know if she was writing that way because she thought that's how Marie Antoinette would have talked, and it was in her voice, but I felt it was a bit over the top.
One thing that was interesting about this book is that it approached the topic of the French Revolution from the perspective of the royals. Most works of fiction about the French Revolution that I have read have been from the perspective of the revolutionaries. So it was interesting to see a different side. This book did make me more curious about the French Revolution in general. Maybe I'll finally read Les Miserables.
One thing that drove me nuts was the flowery language that the author used. I don't know if she was writing that way because she thought that's how Marie Antoinette would have talked, and it was in her voice, but I felt it was a bit over the top.
One thing that was interesting about this book is that it approached the topic of the French Revolution from the perspective of the royals. Most works of fiction about the French Revolution that I have read have been from the perspective of the revolutionaries. So it was interesting to see a different side. This book did make me more curious about the French Revolution in general. Maybe I'll finally read Les Miserables.
May 18, 2023
Sena Jeter Naslund shines new light on Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. I was drawn to this book after watching the 2023 film, Chevalier, which featured Marie Antoinette prominently. While the particular Chevalier focused on in the film wasn't mentioned in Naslund's book, I found the expanded characterization of a key historical figure quite fascinating.
Favorite Passages:
Author's Note
History, like fiction, is in many cases a matter of interpretation, especially when one tries to understand motivations or to link causes and effects. My readers may well wonder how accurate a historical portrait is presented in these fictive pages. Relying primarily on contemporary scholarship, I have tried to imagine the Marie Antoinette story accurately and to achieve a degree of understanding of this this traditionally misunderstood and often maligned queen.
________
Many readers will expect to meet in these pages the Marie Antoinette of tradition, a woman reputed to have said, when informed that the people of eighteenth-century France were starving, "If they have no bread, then let them eat cake." But that notorious retort will not be found here. Why? She never said it, and contemporary biographers, such as Antonia Fraser, have taken care to vindicate Marie Antoinette in this matter. That heartless sentence was the speech of another queen, the wife of Louis XIV, not Louis XVI, a hundred years before a very young and innocent Marie Antoinette traveled by horse-drawn coaches from Austria to France to marry the Dauphin destined to inherit the throne of France.
STRASBOURG
I sympathize with the fragility of flowers.
The Princess de Lamballe, Carnival 1771
"And do you love little dogs too?" I ask, smiling cheerfully.
"And kittens," she says, in a rapturous burst. A few tears brim over the edges of her eyes and course down her cheeks, but she bravely fights them off.
"And hippopotami," I exclaim.
She is caught off guard and says, "I do not know hippopotami. What are they?"
_______
"There is one book that always touches me," she says, "and makes me feel that there are other sensitive people in the world."
_______
"The forest is always murmuring," I say. "The great trees talk to one another with the rustling of their leaves."
"They put their heads together," she replies uncertainly, then smiles "and share secrets, like sisters."
_______
Every confidence we share is like a tongue of ribbon reaching out and connecting us.
MADAME, MY DEAR DAUGHTER
My dear mama! How many times she has launched her ships, freighted with criticism, under the flag of love. Will I ever sail under my own insignia?
The Land of Fantasy: A Snowy Night, 30 January 1774
After putting on my fur cloak, I cross to the window, so that I may look out at the snow in the courtyard before we ruin it. The sledges wait for us below, furnished with drivers and postilions, footmen, horses, but, without us, the scene seems empty and unreal. No, I witness an instance of simple being, caught in a still moment. It does not depend on us to have its reality. A footman leaning back against a sledge moves his shoulders forward, steps into new snow, and the scene is animated. It exists perfectly well - complete - without my presence.
______
What is the speed of thought? Of intense imagining? It must be faster than anything that moves on earth, faster than a slate falling from a roof, or lightning.
The Land of Intrigue: An Adventure in the Chateau de Versailles
To have fun in France, one uses cynicism, like a rudder on a boat, to steer the course. Or luck. Luck has brought me here. I sought excitement and found privacy.
THE CHEVALIER GLUCK
"Where there is a lack of other connections, of meaningful moments, in our lives, music can often fill the gap."
THE AFTERMATH OF THE VISIT
My most serious flaw, my brother says, is not my gambling or my love of entertainment or of parties, but the fact that I do not love to read. Reading, he claims, would broaden my experience of the world. The ideas to be found in serious books would deepen my thinking about every choice I make.
______
All my life my mother and my older brothers and sisters, except Maria Carolina, have confused me with their directives! They tell me to follow my heart, but when I start down that path, they insist that I turn my feet in another direction!
I hear myself sigh. I pick up the novel on the round table; my hand is hungry for the feel of its soft leather binding, for the theater it builds in my mind. Though I miss my brother and wish he were still here, despite confusion and a certain impatience, I will try to follow his advice. I lay the bright red book on the table. I will try to create a real life of love instead of experiencing it vicariously through the pages of a novel. It is necessary for me to change, and I will try again to do so.
GIVING BIRTH, 19 DECEMBER 1778
Suppose we could give away time, like a sparkling bracelet.
FAREWELL TO COUNT VON FERSEN
There is a buzz in the room, or have bees entered my brow, mistaking it for a hive.
THE DEATH OF THE EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA
May I beg permission to borrow Cupid's wings, then to fly over all the distance between us, thence to kiss my dear Mama most lovingly, with all my soul?
_______
Out the window, I see the broad terraces, an empty world blanketed in December snow, and where is a coverlet for my heart?
SIMPLICITY
From whence come these new ideas about fashion and decor? From the air. From the spirit of change. Ideas and feelings more invisible even than clouds can float into every brain to whisper: we must cast off old customs; they are too confining and inadequate to our present temperament and needs.
ON THE FATE OF CHARLES I, OF ENGLAND
"Malesherbes began by saying, 'You are a great reader, Sire, and you are more knowledgeable than you are thought to be. But reading counts for nothing if it is not accompanied by reflection.' "
THE DEATH OF MARIE ANTOINETTE
Ah yes, there are many lessons learned at the Conciergerie, this one of the overwhelming beauty of simple goodness. It is not the deeds themselves but the spirit in which they are done - the slightest glance of understanding - that comforts me.
Favorite Passages:
Author's Note
History, like fiction, is in many cases a matter of interpretation, especially when one tries to understand motivations or to link causes and effects. My readers may well wonder how accurate a historical portrait is presented in these fictive pages. Relying primarily on contemporary scholarship, I have tried to imagine the Marie Antoinette story accurately and to achieve a degree of understanding of this this traditionally misunderstood and often maligned queen.
________
Many readers will expect to meet in these pages the Marie Antoinette of tradition, a woman reputed to have said, when informed that the people of eighteenth-century France were starving, "If they have no bread, then let them eat cake." But that notorious retort will not be found here. Why? She never said it, and contemporary biographers, such as Antonia Fraser, have taken care to vindicate Marie Antoinette in this matter. That heartless sentence was the speech of another queen, the wife of Louis XIV, not Louis XVI, a hundred years before a very young and innocent Marie Antoinette traveled by horse-drawn coaches from Austria to France to marry the Dauphin destined to inherit the throne of France.
STRASBOURG
I sympathize with the fragility of flowers.
The Princess de Lamballe, Carnival 1771
"And do you love little dogs too?" I ask, smiling cheerfully.
"And kittens," she says, in a rapturous burst. A few tears brim over the edges of her eyes and course down her cheeks, but she bravely fights them off.
"And hippopotami," I exclaim.
She is caught off guard and says, "I do not know hippopotami. What are they?"
_______
"There is one book that always touches me," she says, "and makes me feel that there are other sensitive people in the world."
_______
"The forest is always murmuring," I say. "The great trees talk to one another with the rustling of their leaves."
"They put their heads together," she replies uncertainly, then smiles "and share secrets, like sisters."
_______
Every confidence we share is like a tongue of ribbon reaching out and connecting us.
MADAME, MY DEAR DAUGHTER
My dear mama! How many times she has launched her ships, freighted with criticism, under the flag of love. Will I ever sail under my own insignia?
The Land of Fantasy: A Snowy Night, 30 January 1774
After putting on my fur cloak, I cross to the window, so that I may look out at the snow in the courtyard before we ruin it. The sledges wait for us below, furnished with drivers and postilions, footmen, horses, but, without us, the scene seems empty and unreal. No, I witness an instance of simple being, caught in a still moment. It does not depend on us to have its reality. A footman leaning back against a sledge moves his shoulders forward, steps into new snow, and the scene is animated. It exists perfectly well - complete - without my presence.
______
What is the speed of thought? Of intense imagining? It must be faster than anything that moves on earth, faster than a slate falling from a roof, or lightning.
The Land of Intrigue: An Adventure in the Chateau de Versailles
To have fun in France, one uses cynicism, like a rudder on a boat, to steer the course. Or luck. Luck has brought me here. I sought excitement and found privacy.
THE CHEVALIER GLUCK
"Where there is a lack of other connections, of meaningful moments, in our lives, music can often fill the gap."
THE AFTERMATH OF THE VISIT
My most serious flaw, my brother says, is not my gambling or my love of entertainment or of parties, but the fact that I do not love to read. Reading, he claims, would broaden my experience of the world. The ideas to be found in serious books would deepen my thinking about every choice I make.
______
All my life my mother and my older brothers and sisters, except Maria Carolina, have confused me with their directives! They tell me to follow my heart, but when I start down that path, they insist that I turn my feet in another direction!
I hear myself sigh. I pick up the novel on the round table; my hand is hungry for the feel of its soft leather binding, for the theater it builds in my mind. Though I miss my brother and wish he were still here, despite confusion and a certain impatience, I will try to follow his advice. I lay the bright red book on the table. I will try to create a real life of love instead of experiencing it vicariously through the pages of a novel. It is necessary for me to change, and I will try again to do so.
GIVING BIRTH, 19 DECEMBER 1778
Suppose we could give away time, like a sparkling bracelet.
FAREWELL TO COUNT VON FERSEN
There is a buzz in the room, or have bees entered my brow, mistaking it for a hive.
THE DEATH OF THE EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA
May I beg permission to borrow Cupid's wings, then to fly over all the distance between us, thence to kiss my dear Mama most lovingly, with all my soul?
_______
Out the window, I see the broad terraces, an empty world blanketed in December snow, and where is a coverlet for my heart?
SIMPLICITY
From whence come these new ideas about fashion and decor? From the air. From the spirit of change. Ideas and feelings more invisible even than clouds can float into every brain to whisper: we must cast off old customs; they are too confining and inadequate to our present temperament and needs.
ON THE FATE OF CHARLES I, OF ENGLAND
"Malesherbes began by saying, 'You are a great reader, Sire, and you are more knowledgeable than you are thought to be. But reading counts for nothing if it is not accompanied by reflection.' "
THE DEATH OF MARIE ANTOINETTE
Ah yes, there are many lessons learned at the Conciergerie, this one of the overwhelming beauty of simple goodness. It is not the deeds themselves but the spirit in which they are done - the slightest glance of understanding - that comforts me.
January 4, 2009
An utterly delicious and satisfying read. Of course, given the book is about Marie Antoinette, we all know how it ends. But I really loved the buildup. This book is long as it takes us from when she first goes to France at 14 all the way up to her death. But it was a very fast read. Some of the viewpoints feel immature/childish but it's written from her POV so I think it's intentional given how young she was when this all began to unfold. There was a lot I didn't know about her and her marriage, so this filled in the gaps. There were definitely a few scenes that progressed time but not the story, which is why this is just short of 5 stars. But, overall, I just adored this book and was constantly sneaking in pages whenever I could.
September 4, 2011
Just arrived from US trough BM.
It took me some time to go through the plot of this book. The beginning was a little boring since Antoinette's story was interlaced quite a lot with her mother's letters. The plot flows more naturally after Marie Therese death. Since I've already read Antonia Fraser's book, both stories are complementary in the sense that in Fraser's story, Antoinette biography is ended by the Royal family escape to Varennes and in Naslund's her prison and execution is described in details. Another interesting point not mentioned in Fraser's book is her relationship with Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun, a famous painter and portraitist who managed to escape to the fury of the French Revolution.
It took me some time to go through the plot of this book. The beginning was a little boring since Antoinette's story was interlaced quite a lot with her mother's letters. The plot flows more naturally after Marie Therese death. Since I've already read Antonia Fraser's book, both stories are complementary in the sense that in Fraser's story, Antoinette biography is ended by the Royal family escape to Varennes and in Naslund's her prison and execution is described in details. Another interesting point not mentioned in Fraser's book is her relationship with Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun, a famous painter and portraitist who managed to escape to the fury of the French Revolution.
September 20, 2023
The thing I love about the genres of history and historical fiction is I usually learn something along the way. Definitely true with this read.
This is the story of Marie Antoinette, told through her eyes. It begins in the year 1770 with Marie leaving Austria, at the age of 14, to marry the Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste (the future Louis XVI). The story encompasses her life as Dauphine and then Queen of France.
The story made me re-think most of what I knew about Marie. She was not a wicked self-absorbed woman, but portrayed in this book as a loving caring wife, mother and steadfast friend to a select few of the French court.
Through out the book there are correspondences between her and her mother, the Empress Marie Theresa of the House of Habsburg. Although the relationship seemed cold, it was the times they lived in I suppose. The Empress relied on the Austrian Ambassador to France, Comte de Merci to send her reports on Marie's behavior. Through these reports she knew all that went in the French Court and reprimanded or praised Marie in her letters. The thing I love about the genres of history and historical fiction is I usually learn something along the way. Definitely true with this read.
This is the story of Marie Antoinette, told through her eyes. It begins in the year 1770 with Marie leaving Austria, at the age of 14, to marry the Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste (the future Louis XVI). The story encompasses her life as Dauphine and then Queen of France.
The story made me re-think most of what I knew about Marie. She was not a wicked self-absorbed woman, but portrayed in this book as a loving caring wife, mother and steadfast friend to a select few of the French court.
Through out the book there are correspondences between her and her mother, the Empress Marie Theresa of the House of Habsburg. Although the relationship seemed cold, it was the times they lived in I suppose. The Empress relied on the Austrian Ambassador to France, Comte de Merci to send her reports on Marie's behavior. Through these reports she knew all that went in the French Court and reprimanded or praised Marie in her letters. Although she had 14 siblings, her mother was the only relation she held onto through-out her life.
Marie Antoinette's fall from grace made me sad. The turbulent time in France, caused by deterioration of the financial situation in France and the politics of the court were not the fault of the Queen. She spent her last years locked in a tower prison with her 2 children. She met her execution with remembering her mother's lessons on courage.
Although she had 14 siblings, her mother was the only relation she held onto through-out her life.
Marie Antoinette's fall from grace made me sad. The turbulent time in France, caused by deterioration of the financial situation in France and the politics of the court were not the fault of the Queen. She spent her last years locked in a tower prison with her 2 children. She met her execution with remembering her mother's lessons on courage.
This is the story of Marie Antoinette, told through her eyes. It begins in the year 1770 with Marie leaving Austria, at the age of 14, to marry the Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste (the future Louis XVI). The story encompasses her life as Dauphine and then Queen of France.
The story made me re-think most of what I knew about Marie. She was not a wicked self-absorbed woman, but portrayed in this book as a loving caring wife, mother and steadfast friend to a select few of the French court.
Through out the book there are correspondences between her and her mother, the Empress Marie Theresa of the House of Habsburg. Although the relationship seemed cold, it was the times they lived in I suppose. The Empress relied on the Austrian Ambassador to France, Comte de Merci to send her reports on Marie's behavior. Through these reports she knew all that went in the French Court and reprimanded or praised Marie in her letters. The thing I love about the genres of history and historical fiction is I usually learn something along the way. Definitely true with this read.
This is the story of Marie Antoinette, told through her eyes. It begins in the year 1770 with Marie leaving Austria, at the age of 14, to marry the Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste (the future Louis XVI). The story encompasses her life as Dauphine and then Queen of France.
The story made me re-think most of what I knew about Marie. She was not a wicked self-absorbed woman, but portrayed in this book as a loving caring wife, mother and steadfast friend to a select few of the French court.
Through out the book there are correspondences between her and her mother, the Empress Marie Theresa of the House of Habsburg. Although the relationship seemed cold, it was the times they lived in I suppose. The Empress relied on the Austrian Ambassador to France, Comte de Merci to send her reports on Marie's behavior. Through these reports she knew all that went in the French Court and reprimanded or praised Marie in her letters. Although she had 14 siblings, her mother was the only relation she held onto through-out her life.
Marie Antoinette's fall from grace made me sad. The turbulent time in France, caused by deterioration of the financial situation in France and the politics of the court were not the fault of the Queen. She spent her last years locked in a tower prison with her 2 children. She met her execution with remembering her mother's lessons on courage.
Although she had 14 siblings, her mother was the only relation she held onto through-out her life.
Marie Antoinette's fall from grace made me sad. The turbulent time in France, caused by deterioration of the financial situation in France and the politics of the court were not the fault of the Queen. She spent her last years locked in a tower prison with her 2 children. She met her execution with remembering her mother's lessons on courage.
June 7, 2011
So far, lovely reader--very detailed --like a dairy. 15 Cds--was far cheaper than the book-via ebay.
June 2nd, 2011. I feel the book would have rated 3 stars, but he lovely reader, via the BBC-makes this love tale of Marie Annoinette a pleasure and a delight to listen to. The florid details of the author, while tiresome when reading, come alive with the audio. I came see the palaces and gardens so easily. I see how Marie started early on causing her later demise. The history is most accurate, and I have googled along with the audio--learning much along the way.
It starts with her literally leaving everything Austrian Behind her-including her dog Mops, and being clad in all that is French prior to entering her new homeland. !5 years old, and at 20 of age a Queen-still a virgin too. The discussion of her spending, her portraits-some done by a lady artist no less. The King finally learning to love her completely and both never cheating physically on the other.
It was interesting to learn her eldest daughter survived the executions that took so many heads. She was traded for someone.
The florid writing style goes well with how Marie is presented by the author. The reader is 5 stars, the book being 3, had I had to read it. It has been a good learning experience for my hubby and myself.
June 2nd, 2011. I feel the book would have rated 3 stars, but he lovely reader, via the BBC-makes this love tale of Marie Annoinette a pleasure and a delight to listen to. The florid details of the author, while tiresome when reading, come alive with the audio. I came see the palaces and gardens so easily. I see how Marie started early on causing her later demise. The history is most accurate, and I have googled along with the audio--learning much along the way.
It starts with her literally leaving everything Austrian Behind her-including her dog Mops, and being clad in all that is French prior to entering her new homeland. !5 years old, and at 20 of age a Queen-still a virgin too. The discussion of her spending, her portraits-some done by a lady artist no less. The King finally learning to love her completely and both never cheating physically on the other.
It was interesting to learn her eldest daughter survived the executions that took so many heads. She was traded for someone.
The florid writing style goes well with how Marie is presented by the author. The reader is 5 stars, the book being 3, had I had to read it. It has been a good learning experience for my hubby and myself.
October 14, 2017
Firstly the picture of the cover of the book does it no justice, it's truly beautiful and textured so that it feels wonderful in the hand.
The author is sympathetic to Marie Antoinette even through the period of her worse excesses, this was an okay read. The depth of research is impressive, but ultimately we learn nothing new. At times the voice of Marie Antoinette seemed a little too vapid, too self-centred.
Obviously we all know how the story ends but I admit to being bored in the last third of the book and was tempted to put it down.
The author is sympathetic to Marie Antoinette even through the period of her worse excesses, this was an okay read. The depth of research is impressive, but ultimately we learn nothing new. At times the voice of Marie Antoinette seemed a little too vapid, too self-centred.
Obviously we all know how the story ends but I admit to being bored in the last third of the book and was tempted to put it down.
August 2, 2017
An excellent book, I recommend it highly. The author does a marvelous job telling the story from the perspective of Marie Antoinette herself, beginning with the day that she leaves her home in Austria as a very young teenager.
September 4, 2022
This is a fictional account of Marie Antoinette’s life, as she moved from being a princess in Austria to the queen of France before the French Revolution overthrew the French monarchy.
I listened to the audio and it just didn’t draw me in much, so since I was often distracted, I did miss much of it. I have read only one or two other books on Marie Antoinette. I found some of the vocabulary used in the book a bit… “pretentious”? I can’t think of a good word – “high-falutin’”? (LOL!) I suppose pretentious works. That certainly didn’t help get me more interested. I am still rating it ok, as it did pick up a bit toward the end during the Revolution. I did find interesting what happened to Marie and Louis’ son and daughter after their parents were put to death. I likely did read of that previously, but I had forgotten.
I listened to the audio and it just didn’t draw me in much, so since I was often distracted, I did miss much of it. I have read only one or two other books on Marie Antoinette. I found some of the vocabulary used in the book a bit… “pretentious”? I can’t think of a good word – “high-falutin’”? (LOL!) I suppose pretentious works. That certainly didn’t help get me more interested. I am still rating it ok, as it did pick up a bit toward the end during the Revolution. I did find interesting what happened to Marie and Louis’ son and daughter after their parents were put to death. I likely did read of that previously, but I had forgotten.
July 25, 2017
Maravillosa. Es la primera palabra que se me viene a los labios al pensar en esta novela.
Siempre he gustado mucho de las biografías de personajes cuyas vidas me resultan interesantes, y he leído unas cuantas, pero ninguna como en este caso: novelada y contada en primera persona por Marie Antoinette. Quizás por este hecho la he disfrutado tantísimo, aparte de por tantas cosas de la historia, los personajes y de la sociedad francesa de la época que he aprendido. Todo ha sido una maravillosa sorpresa, un grato descubrimiento.
María Antonieta me ha mostrado sus pensamientos desde que, con catorce años, llegó a Francia para ser Delfina, luego sus pensamientos de adolescente, de esposa, de Majestad, de madre, de frívola Gran Dama, luego de sufridora, viuda y reo a muerte.
Me ha gustado cotejar las personalidades de sus allegados en la Corte que nos muestra esta historia, con lo que nos muestran los documentos de la época, las enciclopedias, y me ha gustado especialmente ponerles rostro a todos ellos.
También me ha parecido muy interesante y acertado que la autora usara cartas reales de la época, fragmentos reales de conversaciones y documentación recogida en diversos archivos históricos. Todo ello lo hace más real, más cercano.
De 10.
Siempre he gustado mucho de las biografías de personajes cuyas vidas me resultan interesantes, y he leído unas cuantas, pero ninguna como en este caso: novelada y contada en primera persona por Marie Antoinette. Quizás por este hecho la he disfrutado tantísimo, aparte de por tantas cosas de la historia, los personajes y de la sociedad francesa de la época que he aprendido. Todo ha sido una maravillosa sorpresa, un grato descubrimiento.
María Antonieta me ha mostrado sus pensamientos desde que, con catorce años, llegó a Francia para ser Delfina, luego sus pensamientos de adolescente, de esposa, de Majestad, de madre, de frívola Gran Dama, luego de sufridora, viuda y reo a muerte.
Me ha gustado cotejar las personalidades de sus allegados en la Corte que nos muestra esta historia, con lo que nos muestran los documentos de la época, las enciclopedias, y me ha gustado especialmente ponerles rostro a todos ellos.
También me ha parecido muy interesante y acertado que la autora usara cartas reales de la época, fragmentos reales de conversaciones y documentación recogida en diversos archivos históricos. Todo ello lo hace más real, más cercano.
De 10.
January 20, 2020
This extremely thorough but fictionalized account of the life of Marie Antoinette was just ok for me.
The dialogue felt dry and the pace was too slow.
Also some of the internal dialogue was just odd. The entire birth scene of Madam Royale is just ludicrous.
I've had natural childbirth. It's not at all dreamy. It's painful and hardwork.
I'd definitely read another book by this author.
The dialogue felt dry and the pace was too slow.
Also some of the internal dialogue was just odd. The entire birth scene of Madam Royale is just ludicrous.
I've had natural childbirth. It's not at all dreamy. It's painful and hardwork.
I'd definitely read another book by this author.
October 31, 2023
4.5
In Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette, we follow 14-year old Marie from her marriage to Louis Auguste to her death by guillotine. The story is beautifully written; the author's voice gently pulled me into Marie Antoinette's mind and world. I learned quite a bit too, as there is much history interwoven in the story. Abundance is so well-imagined and presented that the 600 pages turned quickly for me.
What a time. What a life. What a death. I highly recommend, especially for readers of historical fiction.
In Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette, we follow 14-year old Marie from her marriage to Louis Auguste to her death by guillotine. The story is beautifully written; the author's voice gently pulled me into Marie Antoinette's mind and world. I learned quite a bit too, as there is much history interwoven in the story. Abundance is so well-imagined and presented that the 600 pages turned quickly for me.
What a time. What a life. What a death. I highly recommend, especially for readers of historical fiction.
August 24, 2009
What I knew about Marie Antoinette before reading this book (spoilers ahead if you don't know anything at all about her): She was married to Louis XVI, she said "Let them eat cake," she was queen during the French Revolution, and (possible spoiler here)-------------------------she was beheaded. That was it.
Three out of four isn't bad. She never actually said "Let them eat cake." According to the author, it was the wife of Louis XIV, two generations earlier, who said that. So, if you ever win tons of money on Jeopardy for knowing the correct question to this answer, I expect a small slice of the pie for enlightening you on that point. :-)
Okay, seriously, I'm avoiding writing this review, because I'm not going to do the book justice. The whole appeal is how Marie Antoinette just came to life in these pages for me. So she was a real person--it's hard to make characters seem this real, whether they're historical figures or not. In fact, it might be harder when most people just have a vision of a thoughtless queen who wasted money while her people starved. But she was so complex, I just can't even begin to spell it out. I didn't always like her, but she was always real, and I could see how some of what happened was her fault, but some things were beyond her control.
I got to the last section, during the revolution, and found myself wanting to drag my feet through it and avoid the unavoidable. But I wanted to see exactly what happened, and Sena Jeter Naslund's writing style is just beautiful to me, so I found myself actually racing through it. And she handled the ending beautifully. I should never have doubted her. The wild emotions going through Marie Antoinette, the disbelief, avoidance, everything just seemed authentic. I guess we can't really know what was going on in her mind, but I can buy this version.
I have to say that Sena Jeter Naslund is a beautiful, beautiful writer, but what really impressed me was her foreshadowing in this book. It could have been all clunky, clumsy, and obvious, but instead it was very delicate and deft, and every time I picked up on something, I found myself thinking something along the lines of, "Oh, you are good, Ms. Naslund. Hats off to your artistry."
So, I highly, highly recommend this book. I can't believe I let it languish at the bottom of my "borrowed-to-read" pile of books for so long. Don't you do the same.
Three out of four isn't bad. She never actually said "Let them eat cake." According to the author, it was the wife of Louis XIV, two generations earlier, who said that. So, if you ever win tons of money on Jeopardy for knowing the correct question to this answer, I expect a small slice of the pie for enlightening you on that point. :-)
Okay, seriously, I'm avoiding writing this review, because I'm not going to do the book justice. The whole appeal is how Marie Antoinette just came to life in these pages for me. So she was a real person--it's hard to make characters seem this real, whether they're historical figures or not. In fact, it might be harder when most people just have a vision of a thoughtless queen who wasted money while her people starved. But she was so complex, I just can't even begin to spell it out. I didn't always like her, but she was always real, and I could see how some of what happened was her fault, but some things were beyond her control.
I got to the last section, during the revolution, and found myself wanting to drag my feet through it and avoid the unavoidable. But I wanted to see exactly what happened, and Sena Jeter Naslund's writing style is just beautiful to me, so I found myself actually racing through it. And she handled the ending beautifully. I should never have doubted her. The wild emotions going through Marie Antoinette, the disbelief, avoidance, everything just seemed authentic. I guess we can't really know what was going on in her mind, but I can buy this version.
I have to say that Sena Jeter Naslund is a beautiful, beautiful writer, but what really impressed me was her foreshadowing in this book. It could have been all clunky, clumsy, and obvious, but instead it was very delicate and deft, and every time I picked up on something, I found myself thinking something along the lines of, "Oh, you are good, Ms. Naslund. Hats off to your artistry."
So, I highly, highly recommend this book. I can't believe I let it languish at the bottom of my "borrowed-to-read" pile of books for so long. Don't you do the same.
March 1, 2012
At the age of fourteen, Princess Maria Antonia of Austria was sent to France to be married to the fifteen-year-old Dauphin (crown prince) Louis Auguste, thus forging an alliance between their countries and re-christening her as the French Dauphine, Marie Antoinette. Such alliances are cemented by producing heirs, but it takes several years and ascension to the throne before this marriage is consummated successfully, and a second pregnancy before a prince is born. The queen-to-be diverts herself with court life and gambling in the years prior to motherhood, less interested than her husband in reading or learning about the people they rule. When years of poor crops, poverty, and anger at the extravagances of the royal court finally provoke the French people to revolt, the queen never quite believes that their love for the monarchy, who have been chosen by God to rule over them (the "divine right of kings"), could have been so diminished, even as her family and friends are driven into exile, imprisoned, and put to death.
Marie Antoinette's public image has been undergoing some favorable revision in the last few years; for one thing, historians have absolved her of that "let them eat cake" quote. This historical novel, narrated in "Toinette's" voice, begins with her journey from Austria to meet her husband and goes to, literally, the end, as the guillotine drops toward her neck. She comes across as fairly likable, sweet, sheltered, and rather clueless, genuinely having little understanding of life outside the court. Her attitude toward the French people seems more oblivious and unaware than venal or malicious, although the agitators among the revolutionaries paint her, and the rest of the aristocracy, as evil. Not many of the supporting characters are very well developed, but that actually seems in character for a first-person narrative about someone who really is the center of her world. The writing itself is a bit pedestrian, and the story drags in spots, but that's probably appropriate in describing lives that are very privileged and to some degree aimless. And as with most fiction built around historical figures, you already know how it has to end.
Marie Antoinette's public image has been undergoing some favorable revision in the last few years; for one thing, historians have absolved her of that "let them eat cake" quote. This historical novel, narrated in "Toinette's" voice, begins with her journey from Austria to meet her husband and goes to, literally, the end, as the guillotine drops toward her neck. She comes across as fairly likable, sweet, sheltered, and rather clueless, genuinely having little understanding of life outside the court. Her attitude toward the French people seems more oblivious and unaware than venal or malicious, although the agitators among the revolutionaries paint her, and the rest of the aristocracy, as evil. Not many of the supporting characters are very well developed, but that actually seems in character for a first-person narrative about someone who really is the center of her world. The writing itself is a bit pedestrian, and the story drags in spots, but that's probably appropriate in describing lives that are very privileged and to some degree aimless. And as with most fiction built around historical figures, you already know how it has to end.
December 21, 2007
Even if I hadn't read the author bio, I definitely recognized the power of the poet in this novel. There were several points throughout my reading of this where I stopped after a sentence and repeated it aloud to myself. The prose is glitteringly gorgeous and positively bleeds romance. Naslund's Antoinette is a passive, crystalline creature whose unfailing adherence to etiquette and good manners speaks more to the times she lived in than to the essence of her character. She's distant although empathetic to the very end. Naslund's writing style parallels the opulence of 18th century France and the indulgences of her heroine and I definitely believe that without the beauty of the prose, this book would have lost much of its narrative purpose. For after all, Marie Antoinette's life really was not marked by anything exceptional that she had done or that her husband, Louis the XVI had done for their country. Repeating aloud to her ladies-in-waiting and in private to the King that she only wants what's best for France was not enough. The central events that shaped this woman's life of privilege and ennui was what happened to her in the beginning, her transfer from Austria to France and what happened to her in the end, her imprisonment and eventual execution.
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