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 ...
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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.
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I enjoyed reading it in the first person. Marie Antoinette became a person who did and acted as she was trained to do and act. One wonders why she didn't mature as much as she could have to become aware of the Third Estates' needs, but she did not. As I was reading it, I kept humming songs from "Les Miz" and was thinking of how interesting it was to view the French Revolution from the aristocratic point of view.
Velma
Oct 3, 2007
French Tales
Abundance is a perfect title for this novel. It is narrated in first person as Marie Antoinette tells the story of her life beginning with her marriage to Louis, the dauphin of France to her death at the hands of a revolutionary mob. It relates with delicious detail the extravagance of her early life in France and the grittiness of her situation at the end. Was she responsible for her tragic death? Some people have taken exception that in this novel she accepts little responsibility for the problems of France, but I wonder how those people would see themselves in a similar situation. Nevertheless, this is a beautifully told tale of a woman and her life.
donna
Sep 17, 2007
an abundance of misunderstandings
This novel, which is written in the first person by Marie Antoinette herself, is an excellent historical novel. Marie Antoinette's life was full of drama from the time she came to reign in France until her untimely death for crimes that were not her fault. This is a touching portrayal of the Queens marriage and children. I totally enjoyed it.
WarEagleMom
May 18, 2007
Drama and Political Intrigue
Sena Jeter Naslund's fictional account of Marie Antoinette's life at the Court of Versailles, will appeal to a wide range of readers. This story has drama and political intrigue, often associated with political thrillers and has all the usual elements associated with historical fiction as well. The book provides an entertaining look at the life of Marie Antoinette, with enough accuracy to leave the reader feeling as though they had read an important biography of this historical figure. For readers who saw the recent movie release, Marie Antoinette, you will find many similarities. This book may just satisfy your craving for more Marie Antoinette!
