Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

A Real Page Turner!

I wasn't expecting much when I purchased this book on sale. What a lovely surprise!! This book takes you in and you feel as though you are there sharing the moments. I am so glad I purchases this book and I would recommend it to all Marie Antoinette fans!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good Book

I was very happy with this book it was much better than the movie.It was very well written I recommend this book to Marie Antoinette fans you will be pleased.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Abundance offers a richly embellished glimpse into the personal life, thoughts and actions of Marie Antoinette. Ms. Naslund's book is written in such a way as to resemble an intimate diary of the life of the queen who we think we know so much about. It is made all the more personal because we know how it will end. Thoroughly recommended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just Plain Annoying

Marie Antoinette was obviously a woman who left quite an impact on the world (at least, enough of an impact to have books written and read about her...). You'd never guess it by reading this book. Perhaps it's because it is narrated in the first person from Marie's point of view. Perhaps it's because it's just fluffy writing. At most, Marie mentions the way the commoners swoon at her when she's in her carriage. No other indications anywhere of why she is the notorious woman who lives on through history. Even inside her own world and her own mind, I can only find deeper meaning based on my previous knowledge of Marie Antoinette. Honestly, I've learned more about this woman from my Versailles travel guides! Naslund presents her protagonist as being very annoying and very shallow. Granted, Marie Antoinette had her shortcomings (the former descriptions included), but Naslund really polarized these traits and never touched upon the WHY. I'm at the very end of the book and cannot wait for it to be over. I'm actually saying to myself, 'Can't she die already?' - and not because I see her as a villain like the revolutionaries did, but because she is possibly the most annoying character I've ever come across in a book. I wish I could at least say that the descriptions of the settings were good, but those too bordered on mundane. Skip this one.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You start to adore Marie Antoinette

The book is presented in first person by the last Queen of France herself. It goes from her becoming French to her execution. However, since it shows Marie Antoinette in such a positive light, I found myself wondering who she really was. Every one seems to know her as either this evil queen the led France into poverty or the girl misunderstood. If your looking for answers, this is not the book for you. If you just want to indulge in the life of royalty (the parties, not the execution) this is the book for you.

Great read

Marie Antoinette is captivating. Naslund depicts her in true Hapsburg/Bourbon form, as an elegant, gracious , and often misunderstood soul

Loved this book!

Fantastic read...truly an insightful view into the life of the Queen. I couldn't put it down! So much attention to detail.

Lovely details, a great story!

Set in the luxurious palace of Louis XV (and later Louis XVI) this historical fiction novel about the Marie Antoinette was lovely! I could imagine all the details of life at court, and I was caught up in the intriguing plot line. Naslund follows the life of Marie Antoinette from the age of 14 (when she first moves to France) all the way to her untimely death at the guillotine. A must read for fans of historical fiction with a touch of romance!

Excellent!!

I'm the type of person who always finds something wrong with historical novels. Especially when it's on an event or historical figure that I love which is the case with Marie Antoinette. Ms. Naslund had a perfect understanding of Marie Antoinette and the events surrounding her life. After I finished the book I was completely in shock with myself that I loved every detail of this book. It's one that I could read over and again and enjoy it as much as I did reading it the first time.

Review from kristireads.blogspot.com

Oh my goodness. I think I just found my new favorite book.

I swear, this book was absolutely fantastic! It is by far the BEST historical fiction novel about Marie Antoinette that I've ever read. Easily. And I've read quite a few.

My favorite part about this book was the historical correctness. Very few historical novels stay as true to the real events as this one did. I mean, why do authors always want to add in outrageous twists into Marie Antoinette's life? Ms. Naslund definitely understood that Marie Antoinette's story didn't need any major embellishments. Sure, she added very minor things in here and there, but they didn't change the main plot at all. They were mostly just little points that just enhanced the story and made it better. She didn't feel the need to add in completely fictitious events, like a trip to Sweden (like in Carolly Erickson's The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette). Like the saying goes, why fix what isn't broken? (Or why change what isn't boring? is probably a better phrase).

So, obviously, Sena Jeter Naslund did absolutely fantastic research. Almost every anecdote that I've read about in biographies was at least mentioned, but many of them were actually talked about in detail. Also, the author used REAL letters and quotes in her novel (but please note that not ALL the quotes are real!). This absolutely added more to the authenticity of it! I thought it was a really nice touch that not a lot of authors do, which really is a shame. Why not use the resources you already have? I loved those parts, because I really felt like I was learning so much more about Marie Antoinette.

And, of course, I HAVE to mention Axel Fersen. However, for the first time, it's not something bad I have to say. While Naslund did say include the love affair between Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen, I think that she did it in a way that actually made it more believable than a lot of biographies present it . Naslund actually wrote it how I imagined it. I always thought that they were just innocently in love, not a passionate, physical affair. That's just the impression that I always got for some reason. I really felt like Naslund and I were on the same wavelength.

I thought that she was particularly good at portraying Marie Antoinette's relationships. She effectively showed the innocent love and friendship between the King Louis XVI and the queen; the true friendship that Marie Antoinette and the Princesse de Lamballe shared; the true, motherly affection that she had for her children, and her relationships with everyone else. I felt like each character had a unique bond with Marie Antoinette, and there were always different characteristics of each person that attracted them to each other. It really added depth to the characters and made them seem like actual people instead of just imaginary, 2-D people.

As you can tell, I absolutely, 100% loved it! The only thing I didn't like was the cover design and art. I thought it looked much too busy, but it doesn't matter. I highly recommend this one over other Marie Antoinette novels, because this one actual teaches you what really happened, but in the form of a not-biography (since biographies seem to turn people off). It's more personal and emotional, so read it!!!

Excellent historical fiction

An excellent read if you like historical fiction. Any of the books by this author are wonderful. You can't go wrong. This is a keeper.

A good Preview of Marie Antoinette

Coming from a Marie Antoinette lover this book was great. The events are real and the letters are real but the author writes it as if she was Marie Antoinette which gives you great insight as to what it may feel like to have been Marie Antoinette. The emotion in the book feels real and you will find yourself in Marie Antoinette. Follow the book with a biography and the movie and your experience with this monumental queen will be the best. A biography is a MUST if you want to learn more... this book is best just to let you feel the emotions Marie had felt.

Amazing

Coming from a Marie Antoinette lover this book was great. The events are real and the letters are real but the author writes it as if she was Marie Antoinette which gives you great insight as to what it may feel like to have been Marie Antoinette. The emotion in the book feels real and you will find yourself in Marie Antoinette. Follow the book with a biography and the movie and your experience with this monumental queen will be the best.

Must be added to your collection

This is a wonderful historic fiction book. It shows another side of Marie that is not often potrayed in movies.

You feel as if you were actually her friend

She talks to you as if she would talk to you in real life ! verry dramatic,romantic,THRILLING ! But i felt there should be more at the end when she dies but its good enough !

loved it

This is by far one of the best books I have read in the recent years. I don't have much time to read but when I do it is lovely to find a book as great as this one. I love the way Marie Antoinette is portrayed considering you usually only hear the negative. This offered another side to the Queen which was refreshing. I am a big fan of historical fiction so if you love this genre you will love this book.

A reviewer

Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess named Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen who went to France at fourteen years old and married Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette had many conflicts such as not being able to conceive a Dauphin, keeping the people of France under control, being in love with Axel von Ferson and having an affair with him, and more. Her conflict when she was a child was that her father died, and she was very close to him. However, the main conflict in the middle of her life was marrying the Louis XVI, who at that time was the Dauphin, and having to conceive at fourteen. However, Louis XVI doesn¿t pay attention to Marie Antoinette and focuses on hunting, which means that Marie Antoinette wasn¿t considered a full wife. She also fell in love with Axel von Ferson during this time and had to manage an affair with him while having either his or Louis XVI¿s five children: Marie Therese (born December 19, 1778 died October 19, 1851 of age), Louise Joseph (born October 22, 1781 died June 4, 1789 of tuberculosis), Louis Charles (born March 27, 1785 died June 8, 1795 in a prison), a miscarriage, and Sophie (died at nine months old). Her later years in life conflict was with the people of France, who wanted to kill her because she didn¿t do anything about the bread shortage in France that would starve the people- instead she just bought more outfits and fired some of her servants, leaving 173 servants left (and she complained she had no servants to do anything)!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fascinating, Well Written Historical Novel

For one who knew almost nothing about Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution or the Reign of Terror before reading this historical novel, the book was fascinating. It was well-written. Its appeal lay in both transportation to another time and place, and the glamor of European royalty, but also in its grittier parts. I thought it achieved a balanced, sympathetic view of major and minor characters -- none were painted as mastered by the darker side of human nature or innocent of significant flaws. I admired the author's statement in the preface that she believes Marie Antoinette's life a valuable one. The brutality of the Reign of Terror is appalling and fearsome 'some of it reminded me of stories of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the fate of the Romanoff dynasty'. And I wasn't aware of the Parisian 'gutter press' of France's 18th century, or the sordid quality of the apparently unfair allegations of debauched behavior by Marie Antoinette. We have it easy, don't we? I thought 'Ahab's Wife' was brilliant and have yet to read Ms. Naslund's novel 'Four Spirits,' but am looking very much forward to it, and any other novels that she writes.

A reviewer

I loved this book. I loved Naslund's use of Marie Antoinette's own words, combined with her fictionalized thoughts in the same tone, to paint a portrait of a relatively normal woman, despite the completely abnormal situations into which she was born and married. I was absolutely wrapped up in her story and engrossed in her thoughts, from beginning to end. My friends are all lined up to read it, too--I recommended it to just about everyone.

Give or Take

I myself am a Marie Antoinette junkie. I have read many books from her point of view, and also, non fiction. I bought this book thinking it would also be going on my bookshelf as soon as I read it. Unfortunately, this book was monotonous in some points, and the most exciting parts were the beginning and end. I hate to even admit this, but I even didn't WANT to read anymore. Believe me, this is a VERY rare occasion in my life. There were plot holes that didn't go anywhere (hidden room) and inconspicuous lies according to Marie Antoinettes life that have been proved wrong by history. For me, this was a waste of time, but if you are a person who likes sugarcoats, this is the book for you.