History Corner / Book Review: Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel by Juliet Grey

Today history segment in a large book (480 pages), but well worth the read. Even if you aren't a history lover, this detailed book will keep you reading, even though you know Marie Antoinette's eventual outcome!


Synopsis: 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 changeeverything 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.


About the Author: Julie 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.


Review:  I became aware of this novel when Michelle Moran, whose Madame Tussaud totally captivated me!, recommended it on her Facebook Page.  her official word on this book is "In her richly imagined novel, Juliet Grey meticulously recreates the sumptuous court of France's most tragic queen. Beautifully written, with attention paid to even the smallest detail, Becoming Marie Antoinette will leave readers wanting more!"


I can't agree more! This novel takes you from when Marie Antoinette is 10 years old and the youngest daughter of the Empress of Austria until she turns 18 and about to become Queen of France. There is SO much detail! We are taught in school to NOT think of her as a sympathetic character. But when you read books like this, based on actual writings and historical research, you realize that she was a pawn when the marriage to the young Dauphin was brokered, and worse she submitted to numerous painful and tedious ministrations, to maker her 'more worthy' of being selected. Yet they knew almost nothing of the Dauphin, and he could do as he wished. Can you imagine having braces (!!) set on your teeth with nothing but a shot of brandy to soothe your nerves, and brandy swiped on your gums before the procedure, which took over 7 hours?


The unwritten theme of the Hapsburgs was not to war, but to marry. And Marie Antoinette saw her older sisters married off to different countries to make Austria a super power. her mother had 16 children (13 lived to adulthood), and while she may have truly loved her husband, her daughters were pawns. It was interesting to see how the girls were raised and how they later came to control their husbands, and thus help Austria in backroom dealings.


When we think of Versailles now, we think opulence and majesty. But in fact, it was just shy of a pigsty in common areas. Grey does an excellent job of contrasting the court in Austria with it's proper etiquette and modes, with the brashness of the supposed esteemed French court. By doing so, you realize how much a fish out of water the 14 year old Marie Antoinette was when she landed there. It was stunning to see how much a modern princess she was in many ways, and how out of touch the French court was with their subjects, and how a 14 year old girl had to show them how they should be acting! You will come to not only be sympathetic, you will be in awe at all she had to endure and conquer.



I can't wait for the next book in this 3 part series! If it is as richly entertaining as this one, it will be a wonderful read! I recommend reading this book first, then Madame Tussaud, as Grey's next book won't be out until 2012, and Moran's book is a wonderful accompaniment to the series!





Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from the Amazon Vine Program ! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it!