Book Review: The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie & Giveaway

The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie
Book 3 in the Mistresses of Versailles Series
ARC, e-book, 416 pages
Atria Books
March 21, 2017
★★★½☆☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received via Netgalley for Review with TLC Book Tours

In the final installment of Sally Christie’s “tantalizing” (New York Daily News) Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, Jeanne Becu, a woman of astounding beauty but humble birth, works her way from the grimy back streets of Paris to the palace of Versailles, where the aging King Louis XV has become a jaded and bitter old philanderer. Jeanne bursts into his life and, as the Comtesse du Barry, quickly becomes his official mistress.

“That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute quite another kettle of fish.”

After decades suffering the King's endless stream of Royal Favorites, the princesses of the Court have reached a breaking point. Horrified that he would bring the lowborn Comtesse du Barry into the hallowed halls of Versailles, Louis XV’s daughters, led by the indomitable Madame Adelaide, vow eternal enmity and enlist the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette in their fight against the new mistress. But as tensions rise and the French Revolution draws closer, a prostitute in the palace soon becomes the least of the nobility’s concerns.

Told in Christie’s witty and engaging style, the final book in The Mistresses of Versailles trilogy will delight and entrance fans as it once again brings to life the sumptuous and cruel world of eighteenth century Versailles, and France as it approaches inevitable revolution.

I have been fascinated with Christie’s Mistresses of Versailles series since the first pages of The Sisters of Versailles. French history in general is an area that I am not as familiar with and therefore the stories are always new and exciting. While I still found many of the things that I enjoyed about the prior novels in the series, Enemies of Versailles didn’t carry quite the same level of feelings that I had for the first two books. Let me explain.

In both The Sisters of Versailles and The Rivals of Versailles, the women featured were all lovers of the King. This lent the chapters a competitive nature and added to the scandal that it was of the time. The Enemies of Versailles pits du Barry, his last lover, against his eldest daughter, Adelaide, and then to some extent the dauphine and later Queen, Marie Antoinette. Understandably, there is a very different dynamic at play here; at the very least they are fighting over very different types of love and power. This wasn’t as compelling a driving force for me as had been previously. It was a different kind of rivalry than I had come to expect from this series that wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

Additionally, I couldn’t help but take the side of du Barry (because you always pick a side in these types of stories). While she was the King’s lover and raised up from the gutter, she was for the most part kind and easy to read her way of thinking in her chapters. Adelaide was more difficult. Her frustration with du Barry all was because of simply her role as the lover of her father was a sin and she wanted to bring him back to the right side of God. It truly felt like a little girl not getting her way, which wasn’t cute on like a 50 year old woman. She was vindictive and conniving, yet she was supposed to be above everyone else. So ultimately I enjoyed the du Barry chapters more. One thing that I did enjoy was when Adelaide was with her whole bevy of sisters. There interactions reminded me of that of the Nesle sisters from The Sisters of Versailles; the backbiting, the one-up-manship, etc.

This book presented a different view of Marie Antoinette as well. Typically books about her feature her as a central character and we see her in a sympathetic light, or juxtaposed against the view of her from the common people. This was interesting to see how the two factions, du Barry and Adelaide sort of fought for control over her when she first came to court. She is a more minor figure in this story, but she is still used as a tool in the battle between the women. I actually enjoyed her portion of the story, even seeing her in a different way.

Overall, this was a good read, but not my favorite of the whole series.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Let Them Read Books
• The Lit Bitch

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Sally Christie:

The Sisters of Versailles (Book 1)
[My Review]

The Rivals of Versailles (Book 2)
[My Review]

Find Sally Christie: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Giveaway!

As part of the tour, I have the opportunity to giveaway one copy of The Enemies of Versailles to a reader from the USA or Canada.  Entries can be made via the Rafflecopter form below!  The giveaway will run until March 29th, 2017.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Follow the Tour:

On TLC Book Tours Website

Monday, March 6th: Books Without Any Pictures

Tuesday, March 7th: Bewitched Bookworms

Wednesday, March 8th: Reading Reality

Friday, March 10th: Books à la Mode – Spotlight/Feature

Monday, March 13th: Historical-Fiction.com

Tuesday, March 14th: From the TBR Pile – Spotlight/Feature

Wednesday, March 15th: Let Them Read Books

Thursday, March 16th: Scandalous Women

Friday, March 17th: BookNAround

Monday, March 20th: Books ‘n Tea

Monday, March 20th: An Accidental Blog

Tuesday, March 21st: Read Love Blog – Spotlight/Feature

Wednesday, March 22nd: The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, March 23rd: Snowdrop Dreams of Books

Monday, March 27th: Must Read Faster

Tuesday, March 28th: Hoser’s Blook

Thursday, March 30th: Dreams, Etc.

Friday, March 31st: Book Reviews and More by Kathy – Spotlight/Feature

Monday, April 3rd: A Holland Reads – Spotlight/Feature

Wednesday, April 5th: Becky on Books

Friday, April 7th: A Literary Vacation

 

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Review: Farewell, My Queen

Farewell, My Queen

GMT Productions

100 mins.

USA Release: July 13, 2012

Rated: R

Much like a book, I learned from this film that you should not judge a film by its poster, because this one threw me far off. The cover shows Queen Marie Antoinette and her dear friend, the Duchesse de Polignac parting ways before the French royal family fled the palace. Paired with the title, Farewell, My Queen, you would assume this film is about the relationship between the two; but that is not the case. Polignac only comes and goes in a couple small scenes and thus the film poster overstates her importance to the film.

This film is told from the perspective of Agathe-Sidonie who is employed as a reader to the Queen. It follows her as she moves in and out of the realms of servant and royalty giving the viewer glimpses of both worlds at this time of upheaval – which was a useful storytelling device. We are lea to believe that Agathe-Sidonie possibly thinks herself in love with – or at least infatuated with – the Queen, but I never really believed it. I didn’t feel that we got to know her as well as we should have given that she was the point of view character. Diane Kruger plays Marie Antoinette beautifully, sometimes sedate and sometimes a little bit stirred, but a portrayal that felt based in reality rather than caricature, as many portrayals of her are.

The film covers a very short time period, merely days, the height of the turmoil roiling outside the palace just prior to the storming of the Bastille through the end of the royal family. Being insulated mostly within the court, you don’t feel the rising panic until it is too late. What the film does do well is to illustrate just how different the perspective of the court was from what was actually occurring in the city.

This was a beautiful and atmospheric film, which felt even more so for being in the French language. It required a lot of concentration to follow the language and storyline combined, but it was a pleasant film.

Normally I would post a trailer, but I think that it doesn’t represent the film well, so instead I am posting this scene, that was much more true to the tone of the story:

 

 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Review: Marie Antoinette (2006)

Marie Antoinette
Columbia Pictures Corporation
123 mins.
October 20, 2006
Rated: PG-13
★★★☆☆

This was my second time watching this film and the experience was much different this time than the first. The first time I watched it I was viewing it for a women’s art class focusing on the direction choices of Sofia Coppola. I remember being very unhappy with the film and if I wasn’t picking it up again to watch as a part of my Caught on Tape series for Marie Antoinette it would have been a one-time only viewing. However, I am kind of glad that I watched it a second time, I have a new appreciation for it, even if I still don’t love it.

There were some elements that I liked. I was happy to see that they actually included the crossing of the border scene from Austria to France. It was an important scene, but I thought that it was a little underwhelming. I did love the scenes (especially the first one) where Marie is being dressed by her ladies – it showed just how ridiculous some of the French customs were. There were also some great artistic elements that were included in this film such as the presentation of the baby being painted out to allude to its loss, the Madame Deficit series of paintings, and the last shot of the damaged palace. I thought these were well utilized to represent some greater elements that were more or less left out of the film.

And that brings me into what I mostly dislike about the film. I felt that this film left out a lot of references to the greater goings on in France at that time. There is very little indication of the revolts and unrest for the populace of France. This was possibly to show the insulated nature of the court of Versailles, but it lost something for the audience – the impact of the ending, it just felt out of place. I also was not a huge fan of the modern music selections chosen for this film.

With regard to the representations of the characters, I thought that this was an okay representation of Marie Antoinette. She was a little bored, a little frivolous, and a little bit of a woman who stood her ground; however, I didn’t feel that Kristin Dunst was up to the challenge of this complex woman. I was satisfied with Jason Schwartzman’s portrayal of King Louis XVI – this was my favorite representation across the 3 films I have seen. He was equal mix of a little bit awkward, but still a somewhat commanding presence.

Overall, the film was a little boring, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as the first time I watched it.

Check out this trailer:

 
 

Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Review: The Affair of the Necklace

The Affair of the NecklaceAlcon Entertainment
118 mins.
December 7, 2001
Rated: R
★★★☆☆

The Affair of the Necklace was a critical event toward the downfall of Marie Antoinette and it was a pretty deceitful and full-bodied scandal, so I was very excited to see how it played out on the screen. I’m not the biggest fan of Hilary Swank, which put this not quite on the top of my watch list, but I pushed past that and enjoyed this film for what it was.

The film gives a basis for why Jeanne de Valois sought out Marie Antoinette and how she happened to become involved in the great scheme. It was nice to have a backstory as I had not heard of one before and it fleshed out the character of Jeanne, although I’m not sure if it is historically accurate or not. I have always found myself on the side of the Queen in this scandal, but this at least made me feel for the character and why she was doing what she was (again, I don’t think her reasons here are historically accurate). I think the way that the film put together the whole Affair was very well done. All of the intrigues felt compelling and interesting; I really enjoyed it. This film is focused primarily on this one event and does not much go into the events transpiring outside the castle walls – so the inclusion of the scene beheading Marie Antoinette felt out of place here as there was no historical context provided.

Hilary Swank was successful in the role of Jeanne mostly because not too much was expected of her here. She basically walked around in a pretty dress and schemed – nothing too difficult. Oh there is one tasteful sex scene – but that was actually pretty comical!  I wasn't a huge fan of the portrayal of Marie Antoinette here - she felt very stoic and distant.

Overall, the film was a fun presentation of a very intriguing event – without being too heavy and not expecting too much.  Not really sure why this is rated R though... 

Check out this trailer:

 
 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Movie Review: Marie Antoinette (1938)

Marie Antoinette
Metro-Goldwyn-Myers
157 mins.
August 26, 1938
★★★★ ½☆

 

I first encountered this film in the form of the below trailer when I was working on researching films for Caught on Tape: Marie Antoinette. I love old classic films and of the options I found this was the film I was most excited about.

Let me start with the good things here. I LOVED Norma Scherer as Marie Antoinette. I found her performance a believable representation. She was bubbly and happy without coming off as frivolous. She was able to pull of exquisite sadness without over the top drama. There were two very powerful scenes that gave me chills: when she is presented with the gift of an empty cradle by Madame du Barry for her anniversary and following the execution of her husband. True, she was a little old to play the first scenes where Marie finds out she will be married to Louis of France, but I could ultimately get past that. I also really liked how they told the story. It covered all of the big moments – finding out she will marry France, awkwardness of her early relationship with Louis, the Diamond Necklace Affair, and the Revolution. And…above all, I certainly appreciated that they did not use the “let them eat cake” line!

There were a couple elements that I didn’t like however. The most glaring was Tyrone Power as Count Axel Fersen. I never felt any emotion from him. I could understand Marie being interested as he provided what she was looking for: companionship and someone who loved her for her. Honestly, his performance was lackluster. Their love story wasn’t the center of this film, which you would think it was based on the film posters. The other element that felt out of place was the ball scene – it felt more like a scene from one of Jay Gatsby’s parties from The Great Gatsby – felt nothing like what I would envision from a French ball.

Overall, this was one of those films that I thoroughly enjoyed! Even with an intermission.

Check out this trailer:

 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Caught on Tape: Marie Antoinette

As you might well imagine, Marie Antoinette is one of the favorite subjects of historical films because the story is both dramatic and tragic (similar to how there is a plethora of Tudor films). Oh, and don’t forget those glittering beautiful gowns!! Today’s segment of Caught on Tape looks at the portrayal of Marie Antoinette in film from 1938 to the present. Who portrayed her best? Let’s find out!

Farewell, My Queen (2012)

“In July 1789, the French Revolution is rumbling. Far from the turmoil, at the Château de Versailles, King Louis XVI, Queen Marie-Antoinette and their courtiers keep on living their usual carefree lives. But when the news of the storming of the Bastille reaches them, panic sets in and most of the aristocrats and their servants desert the sinking ship, leaving the Royal Family practically alone. Which is not the case of Sidonie Laborde, the Queen's reader, a young woman, entirely devoted to her mistress; she will not give her up under any circumstances. What Sidonie does not know yet is that these are the last three days she will spend in the company of her beloved Queen...” 

Farewell, My Queen focuses on a few short days during the French Revolution as things start looking bad for the royals. The story is told through the eyes of one of the Queen’s servants, so you get an insider, but outsider view of the drama unfolding. A lesbian storyline was included in the relationship between the Queen and the Duchess de Polignac, which probably didn’t happen but was added based on scandal sheets of the time. Farewell, My Queen has received many prestigious recognitions. Diane Kruger plays Queen Marie Antoinette. It is a French film and is based on the award winning novel, Les Adieux à la reine, by Chantal Thomas and is absolutely visually stunning. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. This scene below is an excellent representation of the relationship between the two women as portrayed in this film.

Here is my full review.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

“The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen and ultimately the fall of Versailles.”

Portrayed by Kristin Dunst, this is the Marie Antoinette film I feel that the majority know (notably for its semi-recent release and star stature (both in the acting and the director, Sofia Coppola). It won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design which I whole-heartedly agree with, they are gorgeous costumes. I watched this film a while ago as part of a college women’s art class (as well as the rest of Coppola’s films) and wasn’t really impressed with any of this director’s works. I felt that the film lacked depth and was very surface and frilly. I also didn’t really like the integration of very modern, punk type music, with the historical drama – very jarring. It has been criticized by historians for hardly featuring any information on the political situation of the time and a far from accurate portrayal of the Queen. Not a favorite of mine and not my favorite portrayal of Marie Antoinette. The clip below fairly represents my thoughts on the whole film.

Here is my review of the whole film (note, my thoughts might have changed a little bit from the above).

The Affair of the Necklace (2001)

“In pre-Revolutionary France, a young aristocratic woman left penniless by the political unrest in the country, must avenge her family's fall from grace by scheming to steal a priceless necklace.”

The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was one of the elements that contributed to the downfall of the Queen. Although everything that had happened had transpired without her knowledge, the spin was that the Queen was spending precious money on frippery while the populace was going hungry. A great concept for a film. The film primarily focuses on the story of Jeanne de Saint-Remy de Valois (played by Hilary Swank) who is party of the rouse to steal the necklace. The Queen is but a secondary character here, played by Joely Richardson. Inspired by the events the film does take many historical liberties and the negative reviews of the film are mostly focused on the performance of Swank. I quite like the scene I chose below because it entirely focuses on the Queen and the arrival of the necklace (I’m not a fan of Swank either).

My review of the film can be found here.

L'Autrichienne (1990)

“A French film focusing on the last days of Marie Antoinette, primarily his imprisonment, trial, and its aftermath.”

This film was produced as part of the celebrations of the French Revolution’s bicentenary and based primarily on the transcripts of the trial of the Queen. Marie is not beautiful here as in the 3 previous films, but rather dressed down in the simpler gowns for prison. It has a sad feel to it, none of the breaks of gaiety. I found the entire film available on Youtube, but I haven’t yet found English subtitles. The scene below shows Marie in prison.

Marie Antoinette (1938)

“The tragic life of Marie Antoinette, who became queen of France in her late teens.”

The 1930’s loved to make historical dramas. The film was based on the non-fiction book, Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman, which was published in 1932. It was one of the most expensive films of the year, but did quite well for itself. Norma Shearer plays Marie Antoinette and Tyrone Power plays Count Axel Fersen (both big Hollywood names of the time).  Norma Shearer was pretty excellent as Marie - maybe too old for some of the early scenes, but was able to walk the delicate line between frivolous/dramatic/lonely.  The costumes are said to be very accurate, and should be since they are said to have the highest cost for a films costumes ever! While it might not be the most accurate in its storytelling, I love these old films! The scene below is Marie’s arrival at Versailles.

Here is my entire review of this film.

Have you seen any of these films? Or any others I didn’t mention? There are MANY more films and television representations than I chose to highlight here. I like the look of Farewell, My Queen the best, but enjoy the story from Marie Antoinette (1938) the most. The trend seems to be to make a film on her whole life, the last couple of days of her life, or The Affair of the Necklace. I would love to hear what you think!




Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Confessions of Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey & Giveaway

Confessions of Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey
Book 3 in Marie Antoinette Trilogy
ARC, Paperback, 466 pages
Ballantine Books
September 24, 2013
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review for HFBRT tour

“Confessions of Marie Antoinette, the riveting and sweeping final novel in Juliet Grey’s trilogy on the life of the legendary French queen, blends rich historical detail with searing drama, bringing to life the early years of the French Revolution and the doomed royal family’s final days.

Versailles, 1789. As the burgeoning rebellion reaches the palace gates, Marie Antoinette finds her privileged and peaceful life swiftly upended by violence. Once her loyal subjects, the people of France now seek to overthrow the crown, placing the heirs of the Bourbon dynasty in mortal peril.

Displaced to the Tuileries Palace in Paris, the royal family is propelled into the heart of the Revolution. There, despite a few staunch allies, they are surrounded by cunning spies and vicious enemies. Yet despite the political and personal threats against her, Marie Antoinette remains above all a devoted wife and mother, standing steadfastly by her husband, Louis XVI, and protecting their young son and daughter. And though the queen and her family try to flee, and she secretly attempts to arrange their rescue from the clutches of the Revolution, they cannot outrun the dangers encircling them, or escape their shocking fate.”

The final installment of Grey’s trilogy of Marie Antoinette covers the final portion of the queen’s life, the downfall of the monarchy. I find this phase of Marie Antoinette’s life to be full of all the real drama she faced – not just the petty stuff, but the time when everything become very real for her. MA goes from being entirely ensconced in her dream world of plays, fripperies, and dances to the gritty world of the people in their revolution. Decisions become a matter of life and death – and each decision has to be weighed out. This is some pretty heavy stuff and is the more serious in tone of the three novels. Despite the tendency of the events toward the macabre, Grey does a great job of continuing to evolve the character of Marie Antoinette and Co. Like other novels where you know from the start that the ending is going to be anything but happy, the author puts you into the mind of Marie Antoinette and makes you believe that there is a chance that the outcome could be different.

Out of the three MA novels I think I liked this one the least (despite my giving them the same star rating) and I can’t exactly place the reason. It might be because of the heavier tone.

There was one thing that I didn’t really like in the style of the novel and that was the usage of another narrator, a member of the revolutionaries, in addition to Marie Antoinette. From what I remember from the first two novels, Marie Antoinette was the sole narrator, so I didn’t really like the addition of this new narrator that I didn’t have a history with already. I understand the inclusion of this narrator – with the first person narration of MA you miss out on what is really happening on the street during the Revolution – but I think I would have liked the flow better without this second narrator.

Overall, as a whole, this series does a great job in my opinion of representing the complete Marie Antoinette and her evolution of character.

Author Juliet Grey also has written the prior books in the series Becoming Marie Antoinette and Days of Splendor Days of Sorrow. You can visit Grey’s website for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

My reviews of other books by this author:

• Becoming Marie Antoinette
• Days of Splendor Days of Sorrow

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Austenprose
• Broken Teepee

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

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You can follow along with the rest of the blog tour by visiting the HFVBT website or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #ConfessionsOfMATour.

I also have a giveaway of one copy of Confessions of Marie Antoinette up for grabs to a US resident as part of the tour.  Giveaway is open until October 27th.  Submit your entries through Rafflecopter below.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: Marie Thérèse, Child of Terror by Susan Nagel

Marie Thérèse, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter by Susan Nagel
Unabridged, 18 hr. 14 min.
Books on Tape
Rosalyn Landor (Narrator)
March 4, 2008
★★★½☆☆

Genre: Non Fiction, Biography

Source: Downloaded the audio from my local library

“The first major biography of one of France's most mysterious women--Marie Antoinette's only child to survive the revolution.

Susan Nagel, author of the critically acclaimed biography Mistress of the Elgin Marbles, turns her attention to the life of a remarkable woman who both defined and shaped an era, the tumultuous last days of the crumbling ancient régime. Nagel brings the formidable Marie-Thérèse to life, along with the age of revolution and the waning days of the aristocracy, in a page-turning biography that will appeal to fans of Antonia Fraser's Marie Antoinette and Amanda Foreman's Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire.

Nagel's gripping narrative captures the events of her fascinating life from her very public birth in front of the rowdy crowds and her precocious childhood to her hideous time in prison and her later reincarnation in the public eye as a saint, and, above all, her fierce loyalty to France throughout.”

I have not spent much time previously reading about the time period surrounding the French Revolution and accordingly I did not know much about Marie Thérèse, Madame Royale, either. When I have seen her appear in historical novels she is typically a child with an apparent attitude problem – and I was sure that there was more to her than that, however until now I didn’t know just what it was. Nagel’s book follows Marie Thérèse from the opulent Bourbon court, to incarceration at the Temple Prison, to exile at various courts of Europe, Restoration in France, and to the final exile and her death. There was SO much more to this woman’s life than I had any idea of!

The woman that evolves from Nagel’s portrait is a very strong woman who would do anything for France. Even after all that she went through during the Revolution she forgave the people and wanted to go back to bring the country back to glory again. She had more resolve and forgiveness than most people. By the end of the book you truly come to know Marie Thérèse is her own right – not just as the daughter of Marie Antoinette. She is truly someone that more people should know about – especially in her later life.

The first section of the book dealt primarily with the retelling of the life of Marie Antoinette – how she came to France, her petit Trianon, issues with her marriage, etc. There was little mention of Marie Thérèse throughout this section. I felt that with this being a book of Marie Thérèse, not Marie Antoinette that this section was WAY too long. I understand that the author needed to set up the scene and establish Marie Thérèse’s deep love for her mother – but it felt like I was reading a Marie Antoinette biography instead.

I also had an issue with the Dark Countess portion of the book. There is one rumor that Marie Thérèse was switched with another at some point after leaving the Temple Prison and that the real Marie Thérèse was actually this person known as the Dark Countess living far afield and that the person who was portrayed to the world as Marie Thérèse was an impostor. This was all explained more in the afterword, however throughout the book when this thread was brought up, I had no idea what this had to do with anything and found that I couldn’t connect it. I think it would have been more effectual to place the whole discussion of the Dark Countess in the afterword.

Overall, this was a wonderful biography of a woman who is lesser known than her mother, but whom more should be known about.

★★★★½☆

The narration here was excellent. The narrator had a French accent which made the story being told feel more natural. It was also great to learn pronunciations of names and places that I have always struggled with. I actually found myself repeating after the narrator to learn how to say things.

You can listen to a sample of the audiobook below (links to Audible):

 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers: 

• Chrisbookarama
• Tea at Trianon

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Susan Nagel:

Mistress of the Elgin Marbles

Find Susan Nagel: Goodreads| Blog |

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Days of Splendor Days of Sorrow by Juliet Grey & Giveaway

Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow by Juliet Grey
Book 2 in the Marie Antoinette trilogy

ARC, Paperback, 448 pages

Ballantine Books

May 15, 2012

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review – also participating in HF Virtual Book Tour

“Paris, 1774. At the tender age of eighteen, Marie Antoinette ascends to the French throne alongside her husband, Louis XVI. But behind the extravagance of the young queen’s elaborate silk gowns and dizzyingly high coiffures, she harbors deeper fears for her future and that of the Bourbon dynasty. 

From the early growing pains of marriage to the joy of conceiving a child, from her passion for Swedish military attaché Axel von Fersen to the devastating Affair of the Diamond Necklace, Marie Antoinette tries to rise above the gossip and rivalries that encircle her. But as revolution blossoms in America, a much larger threat looms beyond the gilded gates of Versailles-one that could sweep away the French monarchy forever.”

I have never been a huge fan of Marie Antoinette, or the French Revolution for that matter, but author Juliet Grey has a way of making this period new and exciting for me. In her first book, Becoming Marie Antoinette the author made me feel for the young girl who was leaving her home and being forced to become someone else entirely in a world vastly different than the court she left behind. In this installment, Grey shows us a Marie Antoinette who is coming into her own as queen and dealing with some MAJOR life changing incidents. Grey makes a Marie Antoinette who is humanized and someone that the regular person can relate to with all of her fears, wants, and concerns for her family and friends. Not only does she flesh out Marie Antoinette but we really get to know other members of the French royal circle – from the King and Queen’s families to their friends and hangers-on.

She does not miss out on including the important events, such as the Diamond Necklace affair, the meetings with the revolutionary forces in France, and the American Revolution – but she makes these events feel fresh and new. I liked reading about the courts perception of Benjamin Franklin – what a hoot! It was also interesting to see how the Diamond Necklace Affair actually played out.

The one thing that annoyed me throughout this book was the almost constant references to vulgar nickname given to Marie Antoinette – l’Autrichienne. The first time it was mentioned and explained I appreciated it and the character’s rumination about it. However by the 6th or 7th time (and yes it was at least that many) I was like, “I get it already, let’s move on!”.

Overall this was a very interesting read. The ending leave you on a slightly happy note in amongst all of the turmoil that happened in the end of the book – however knowing what is to come in book three, you can’t enjoy it too much.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Medieval Bookworm
• Quirky Girls Read

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Juliet Grey:

Becoming Marie Antoinette (Book #1)
[My Review]

Confessions of Marie Antoinette (Book #3)
[My Review]

Find Juliet Grey: Website
 

Follow the Tour

On the HF Virtual Book Tour website or onTwitter with the following hashtag: #DaysOfSplendorVirtualTour.

Giveaway!

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Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Interview with Juliet Grey

I have the wonderful opportunity to introduce all of you readers to a new novelist in the historical fiction genre.  Juliet Grey's new book, Becoming Marie Antoinette, was released on August 9th and has already made quite the impression.  As the first book in a trilogy about the life of Marie Antoinette we get to see what made Marie who she would later be.  I had the chance to ask Juliet some of my most pressing questions about this book, the trilogy, and what it was like to take on someone who has been frequently written about.  So without further ado...

What is it about Marie Antoinette that brought you to her story?

I researched the lives of Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis Auguste, the dauphin of France for a nonfiction book; and the more I learned about the pair of them the more I realized how maligned they were. In essence, they became scapegoats for all the ills in France. Up until about 15 years before their marriage, their respective countries had been enemies for 950 years. Always perceived as the outsider, Marie Antoinette was blamed for everything from bad harvests and crop failure to the national deficit when France’s treasury was already bankrupted by Louis XV’s government by the time Marie Antoinette arrived. In fact, the biggest reason for France’s empty coffers during her husband’s reign was the enormous amount of money spent on military aid to the American colonists during our revolution.

There have been many books written about Marie Antoinette and this period in French history. What would you say sets your book (and the rest of the upcoming trilogy) apart from what is already out there?

Becoming Marie Antoinette is devoted completely to her early years (from age 10-18), a period that many novelists gloss over or rush through in order to get to (or spend more time at) Versailles. I didn’t have to rush because have two more novels to develop all of that. In Becoming Marie Antoinette I show the events and years that shaped the girl who became the woman, the queen, of the later years and explode many of the stereotypes depicted in some of those novels. No other portrayals show in detail, if at all, the extensive makeover she had to undergo as a preteen. That information was even hard to find in her biographies. I hunted for the names of each of the men responsible for transforming the archduchess Maria Antonia and where possible tried to find portraits of them because it was really important to me to be as accurate as possible, even though I was writing a novel. It was a matter of pride with me to see how much I could find without having to make it up. Another thing that sets my personal depiction of Marie Antoinette apart is that she did not go from heedless to headless, as some of her portrayers would lead people to believe. She was not a bubbleheaded spendthrift. Nothing exists in a vacuum. I was convinced that there was a rationale behind everything she did and in my novel when she behaves a certain way I make sure to justify it.

Another thing that sets Becoming Marie Antoinette and the rest of the trilogy apart is that while most of the events of the books are grounded in historical fact, in addition to the “greatest hits,” which people will expect to see, and which deserve to be there (things like births, deaths, her husband’s coronation), what intrigued me most as I did my research were the little things, or snatches of actual conversations or diary entries; and I tried to incorporate them as often as possible. My research materials are peppered with post notes saying “use this!” stuck to them.

What has been the most challenging aspect of writing this novel?

Managing the scope of the era’s history—politically and socially, because I wasn’t just dealing with France, but the Western European and North American colonial stage at the time. I had to be sure to keep it centered on Marie Antoinette’s story, but because it’s told from her point of view and she’s only a girl during Becoming Marie Antoinette (spanning the age from about 10 to 18), she only has a limited view of this vast world and there’s also only so much she would know. But I had to let my readers know what else was going on at the time and why her marriage to the dauphin of France was so vital to world politics. I kept thinking about that Zen-like image of the beat of the butterfly’s wing that eventually causes a tsunami. Actually, I lie. I just thought of that as I wrote this. But it’s just as apt.

Was there anything that you learned about Marie Antoinette during the research process that surprised you?

I had to omit some of the references to her numerous charitable and philanthropic gifts because they weren’t organic to the narrative, but she was tremendously compassionate and wore her heart on her sleeve. Marie Antoinette has been wildly misrepresented by textbook writers as insensitive to the suffering of her people—the woman who supposedly exclaimed “Let them eat cake!” when she heard the poor had no bread, although that characterization couldn’t be farther from the truth. Anyone who knew anything about Marie Antoinette’s character would know she never could have said it, or anything remotely like it. For the record, the actual phrase is qu’ils mangent de la brioche and if it was said at all, it predates Marie Antoinette by several generations, possibly uttered by the Spanish-born Maria Theresa, wife of Louis Quatorze, the Sun King.) In any case, during my research I repeatedly came across references to Marie Antoinette’s charity.

Can you give us an idea of what we will be seeing in the rest of the trilogy?

The middle novel, Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow, covers the glamorous, if turbulent, years of her reign (including all the events of the notorious affair of the diamond necklace), picking up with the death of Louis XV in 1774 and the ascension of her husband Louis XVI to the throne, and ending in July, 1789 with the fall of the Bastille and the immediate events of its aftermath. The final book in the trilogy takes us from 1789 right up to the scaffold with Marie Antoinette on October 16, 1793. And . . . did she consummate her passion for Count Axel von Fersen? You’ll have to wait for the next two books to see how I develop this most controversial and disputed of historical love stories.

Thank-you Juliet for taking time from your crazy writing schedule to enlighten us!

Juliet Grey has extensively researched European Royal History and is a particular devotee of Marie Antoinette.  She and her husband divide their time between New York City and southern Vermont.  You can visit her website for more information about the book.



Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Giveaway: Becoming Marie Antoinette

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

Book 1 in the Marie Antoinette trilogy

ARC, Paperback, 480 pages

Ballantine Books

August 9, 2011

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher as part of TLC Book Tour

"This enthralling confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows the transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless, powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette.

Why must it be me? I wondered. When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny? 

Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon. 

Before she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change everything about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen. 

Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries, lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, Becoming Marie Antoinette will utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike."

Becoming Marie Antoinette is the first book in a planned trilogy about the life of this notoriously well know Queen of France. In this first outing, author Juliet Grey takes us on a journey from the Austrian court at Schonbrunn where Maria Antonia spent many of her younger days to the glistening palace at Versailles where Marie Antoinette emerges. For me, this was my first real foray into a novel about this queen and I was not at all disappointed with the details of her growing up that were included.

Most books on Marie Antoinette skim over the details of her younger life to get to “the good stuff” - her downfall courtesy of Madame Guillotine. One of my favorite aspects of this book was that the first half of the book really focuses on her formative years growing up under the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. You really get a feel for that court - which also does not usually get much of a novel treatment - and Marie’s family. Her sisters, especially Charlotte and Josepha, were her closest companions. We also learn a lot about their mother, Empress Maria Theresa and oldest brother, Emperor Joseph. It was refreshing to get to know a court that is not usually represented in fiction.

One of the most vivid scenes for me was during the time Marie had to go through improvements to become acceptable to marry the dauphin of France. I did not realize that they had braces back then and the process that was described sounded very familiar to my own experience with braces at age 10. This scene was probably the one thing that really endeared Marie to me - although I have to imagine that her experience with them was probably worse then mine!

I had a love/hate relationship with the writing style of this novel. First the good - I really loved the French and German that were peppered throughout the narrative. Even without know hardly any of either of those languages it was easy enough to derive the meaning from the context. During her years at the Austrian court this switch between languages served to show which state of mind Marie was in - slipping easily back into German when excited or upset. I did, however, have issues with some of the word choices used. There were times when it felt like I needed to have a dictionary constantly at the ready because every fourth or fifth word I didn’t know - and I tend to consider that I have a decent vocabulary. There was an overuse of “Thesaurus words” which really left me frustrated because they were either an unnecessary choice or frequently over used. It just made for much slower reading. Here is an example:

“Immediately I felt inadequate and wished that my own bosom was as pulchritudinous and had been molded to such perfection” (ARC pg 223).

Overall, I really enjoyed this take on the teenage years of Marie Antoinette’s life. We leave her on the verge of just becoming queen. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of Marie Antoinette and wants to see a more personable side of her. The second book Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow will pick up where we left our newly minted king and queen.

This is author Juliet Grey’s first novel in a planned trilogy. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

Reviews of this book by others:

• The Literary Life of the Well Read Wife
• A Bookish Affair
  

You can also watch the book trailer below:

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Juliet Grey

Days of Splendor Days of Sorrow (Book 2)
[My Review]

Confessions of Marie Antoinette (Book 3)
[My Review]

Find Juliet Grey: Website

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

New Book Alert - Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

It has been quite awhile since I have done a new book alert feature - mostly because I have just been posting so many other things and many other blogs do a great job of posting upcoming releases.  But this one caught my eye (the cover is beautiful) and I hadn't seen it around too much, so I thought I would share it with you all.

Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

Trade Paperback, 480 pages

Random House

ISBN: 978-0-345-52386-0

August 9, 2011

Book blurb:

This enthralling confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows the transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless, powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette.

Why must it be me? I wondered. When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny?

Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.

Before she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change everything about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen.
Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries, lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, Becoming Marie Antoinette will utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike.

Can't wait to check out this book! Isn't the cover gorgeous?

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent

The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent
ARC, Paperback, 384 pages
Kensington Press
January 1, 2010
★★★★★

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: From author for review

“A young woman, struggling to expand her London dollmaking trade, finds a surprising customer in Queen Marie Antoinette, an avid doll collector herself. This seemingly innocent exchange puts Claudette’s life in danger when she is lured to Paris under false pretenses. Money and jewels are being smuggled in dolls destined for the Queen, and have now been discovered by the fledgling revolutionary French government…”

Claudette Laurent is a burgeoning apprentice to her father, a well known dollmaker in Paris and she has a secret betrothal with her young love, Jean Philippe. One day Claudette wakes up and finds that part of the city is on fire and it is heading their way! After the smoke has cleared, Claudette finds herself an orphan and on a ship to England – bye, bye Jean Philippe! In England, Claudette makes some great friends, butts heads with the upper class, and eventually opens her own doll shop. When Queen Marie Antoinette becomes one of her best customers, Claudette becomes entangled with the scandal of the French court and rapidly evolving French Revolution.

This novel was my first read about the French Revolution (shocking, I know!). Trent does a great job of setting the mood of the upper class courtiers and the middle class trades people. You get an understanding of just why the Revolution took place. I found myself feeling very sorry for Marie Antoinette – she was constantly taken advantage of, and just when she starts to make her stride, she meets her end. I also enjoyed meeting a young Madame Tussaud, before she became the famous person everyone remembers.

It is a very interesting premise to have the main character, who is fictional, make her living as a dollmaker. There are many details about the dolls, the process of making the dolls, different types of dolls, and the function of these dolls in society. I didn’t know that Marie Antoinette was a big collector of dolls. I have always enjoyed reading about real characters who were not the main players in history, but this was also interesting because it was a character that does an unconventional job.

There was only one small issue that I had with the book and that was with the introduction. When Claudette was at her home and realized that there was a fire coming toward her house – her reactions seemed a little unbelievable. She was slow to leave and took the time to make her bed first – she didn’t act like the fire was a big deal. This was the only time though where her reactions seemed a bit off. Once Claudette got onto the boat to England though, the story took off and was phenomenal.

You can also read an excerpt if you are interested in getting a taste of Trent's writing style.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Always With A Book
• Devourer of Books

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Christine Trent:

A Royal Likeness
[My Review]

 

By the King's Design

[My Review]

 

Lady of Ashes (Lady of Ashes Book 1)

[My Review]

 

Stolen Remains (Lady of Ashes Book 2)

 

A Virtuous Death (Lady of Ashes Book 3)

 

The Mourning Bells (Lady of Ashes Book 4)

 

Death at the Abbey (Lady of Ashes Book 5)

 

Find Christine Trent: Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

 

 

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court