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History paints her as a shallow party girl, a spoiled fashionista, a callous ruler. Perhaps no other royal has been so maligned—and so misunderstood—as Marie-Antoinette.
From the moment she was betrothed to the dauphin of France at age fourteen, perfection was demanded of Marie-Antoinette. She tried to please everyone—courtiers, her young husband, the king, the French people—but often fell short of their expectations. Desperate for affection and subjected to constant scrutiny, this spirited young woman can’t help but want to let loose with elaborate parties, scandalous fashions, and unimaginable luxuries. But as Marie-Antoinette’s lifestyle gets ever-more recklessly extravagant, the peasants of France are suffering from increasing poverty—and becoming outraged. They want to make the queen pay.
In this latest installment of her acclaimed Young Royals series, Carolyn Meyer reveals the dizzying rise and horrific downfall of the last queen of France. Includes historical notes, an author’s note, and a bibliography.
A look into the life of the notorious queen Marie Antoinette. The story, told in a journal format, begins when Marie is very young and still living in Austria. It follows her life as she prepares to marry and become the dauphine of France...eventually becoming the Queen. The story follows her blunders and misconceptions, her disappointments and her few joys. We follow her through the end of her life at the guillotine.
This fictional account of what Marie Antoinette's life may have been like gives a new look into the infamous queen. It portrays her in different light, a confused child forced into the world of adults in a culture she not only doesn't understand, but one she wants to change for the better. The story was engaging and captivating. My heart went out to her and the entire royal family and the rebellion overtook their lives. While their decisions may have led to their downfall, we see how they may have known no better.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Marie-Antoinette leaves her country and everything behind at a young age to marry the dauphin of France. While excited at the prospect of making such an important match, she doens't realize what it will entail.
She soon learns there are numerous rules and protocols to follow - whether she believes them to be right or not. There are plenty of people who want her to fail, and not many wishing to become her friend. Marie-Antoinette fumbles through trying to please everyone, but makes waves in the process, often unintentionally.
Besides problems with the court rules, she finds she can't relate to her husband. They have nothing in common. While she attempts small talk, even that can't go very far. Even though he is of a similar age, he wants nothing to do with her. Their martial problems fuel gossip at court. According to the French people and her mother, it is her job to make the marriage work and her fault if no heirs are produced.
After the king's death, Marie-Antoinette lives more freely. She gravitates towards a younger crowd, inviting them to fancy parties held away from court. She fixes up a property given to the former king's mistress, and then begins work on a small village for her comfort. In these places, she feels free, away from the pressures of court and from prying eyes.
However, the construction and the parties cost a fortune. The French people are not amused, as many began to go hungry. They want justice for their troubles. Marie-Antoinette becomes their target, and soon no one is safe.
THE BAD QUEEN provides an in-depth look at one of the most famous royals often portrayed as a villain. In actuality, Marie-Antoinette was a young girl with enormous power who enjoyed entertaining. Meyer portrays her as a girl who doesn't notice the situation around her, who is loyal to her husband in times of trouble, and who doesn't understand the French, but one who will live on in history.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I enjoy reading anything about Marie Antoinette and this one does not disappoint! as this book caters to the younger age crowd, Marie Antoinette’s voice certainly ‘feels’’ younger. The book does a good job covering most of the main moments of her life leading up to her death. The book paints her somewhat in a sympathetic light, although ignorant and oblivious to what really is happening outside of the palace walls. Her large spending sprees and luxuries are a result of her desperate desire to please others, and to be surrounded by her friends (albeit, they all have another agenda). You can’t help but shake your head at these actions, but on the other hand, she was lonely, with no one to really talk to, and being under the constant scrutiny of others, you do sympathize and try to understand what’s she’s feeling. Her admirers and friends don’t help much in that matter either, as they just grab and take what they can. So although she’s done mistakes and she can disliked for her behavior, you can’t help but pity her as well. The way her story is told is perfect and the writing style is superb. Although it’s a huge thick novel, I found it easy to read, and quick to read through. The setting and descriptions are well done and realistic, so everything is easily pictured. The little rules outlining the beginning of every chapter are cute but it goes to show the lengths to which Marie Antoinette was raised and how she was expected to be at court. It’s rigid and very restrictive, and you can’t blame her for wanting to break rules to suit herself and her comfort - much to the chagrin of others in the French court. This was a great telling of Marie Antoinette tale for younger readers and I greatly recommend this for those wanting to know more about a misunderstood Queen. Those wanting to read a more adult version of this book, I’d recommend Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund. It’s a more detailed account of her life, and also very well done.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sapphire_Kelly
Posted October 25, 2011
This book is absolutely amazing. I read about Marie all the time. I love things with kinds and queens. I think if you loved this and have not yet. You should check out the other young royals books. They are equally as amazing as this one.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Marie-Antoinette was raised in Austria until she was fifteen years old, where she grew up the youngest of fifteen children. Most had been married long before, and now was time to watch the last few sisters and brothers leave and marry the man or woman who would best protect the Austrian throne. Antonia, as she was called in Austria, is to be married off to the dauphin of France - the next in line to the French throne. With all the work to do to get Antonia presentable to her future husband, Antonia has no time - nor the desire - to think about what lies ahead. When she is ready to be married, Marie-Antoinette is sent to France, where she begins her life as the dauphine of France. But what she finds there is not what she was expecting. At first life is rocky - adjusting to the new rules, such as wearing stays and no riding horses, and learning who it "looks good" to talk to and who it doesn't. Then it is smooth - as soon as she gets a hang of French life, no matter how much she dislikes it, Marie-Antoinette begins to live life like she believed she was entitled to as queen of France. She builds theaters, designs lavish gardens, makes beautiful dresses and order the most expensive of jewels. She commits herself to gambling, wasting her husband's money away for the sake of a desire that could not be quelled. This is only the beginning - the beginning of her downfall. While she trying to build herself up, Marie-Antoinette only paves the way for a major failure. After falling in love with Count Axel von Fersen but staying faithful to her husband (or so this book claims), the country begins to decline. The people of France are poor, they have no bread, and they blame it on the gambling, wasteful queen, Marie-Antoinette. The rumor on the streets is that when asked what to do with the poor, starving French men and women at the gates of Verseilles, the bad queen answered, "Let them eat cake!" The people are furious, enraged, and they are going to have vengeance. The story does not end happily. If you are looking for sappy romance with an ending that makes everyone warm and fuzzy inside, please...do not read this book. However, I highly recommend it. For those of you who like historical novels, this is a treat. And for those of you who dislike historical novels but like romance, adventure, and intrigue, this is a treat. The only thing that I would say against this book is that it is probably not a young man's first pick...but that's ok. Not every book is. And this book, while being excellently written and planned out, is not for young readers. Marie-Antoinette's life is very PG-13...from the things she did to the things that people said she did to the things that happened to her. Not only is this book fairly violent (more than I was expecting, that's for sure), but it holds some mild sexual comments and issues that should be considered. If I could sum up this entire book in one word, I'd choose the word chilling. It was excellent, but it made my heart race and goosebumps form on my arms. Especially the end. I couldn't believe the incredible ability with which Carolyn Meyers relates the last few years of Marie-Antoinette's life. It was cold, depressing, and full of sorrow. It really happened. The life of this bad queen was not meant to end happy, as she and her husband faced their deaths at the dreaded Madame la Guillotine.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I've only read one other book about Marie Antoinette, so when this one came up I thought I would give it a shot. Since, it seemed more of a young adult book, I thought maybe I might enjoy it more. While, I'm sure plenty of people (teens especially) might enjoy this book, I was surprised to find it didn't differ that much from the book I already read.
I'm having a hard time understanding Marie Antoinette as a person and this book doesn't help me much. I think this book focuses more on her youth which makes sense since it is a young adult novel. Being the youngest girl of 16 children, I get the feeling she didn't get much attention in her household. That is until her mother married her to the Dauphin of France. All of a sudden she's very much in the public eye. But, I don't think she was adequately taught on what the means. She tries to please too many people at first and doesn't know how to balance it all. And then she decides to focus on herself, with very little regard for the consequences. It's almost like she thought, "I'm royalty and I desire all of these things no matter what the cost."
Yet, I wonder if it didn't matter what she did. I wonder what might have happened had she listened to the advice her mother was constantly giving her. But, I think the French people were already disenchanted with royalty long before she was there. She could have lived like the rest of the people and the commoners probably would have still seen her as an outsider. It's heartbreaking to watch the people target her and the rest of the nobility. I think it would have be a terrifying to time to live in France.
I think you would enjoy this book if you haven't read anything else about Marie Antoinette. For me, it didn't add anything new to what I've already read. I would like a book that focuses more on her adult life. I've read that she cut household expenses and tried to do other things to ease the people's suffering. But neither of the books I've read touch on those things. I just feel like I'm missing something about her life.
Anonymous
Posted August 17, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
History paints her as a shallow party girl, a spoiled fashionista, a callous ruler. Perhaps no other royal has been so maligned—and so misunderstood—as Marie-Antoinette.
From the moment she was betrothed to the dauphin of France at age fourteen, perfection was demanded of Marie-Antoinette. She tried to please everyone—courtiers, her young husband, the king, the French people—but often fell short of their expectations. Desperate for affection and subjected to constant scrutiny, ...