Tagged: versailles
The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
(Cover picture courtesy of Reading Treasure.)
Isabelle is a lacemaker in the town of Versailles. As she is delivering lace to the palace one day, she is almost trampled by a crowd of courtiers—only to be rescued by Marie Antoinette, the queen. Suddenly Isabelle is transformed from commoner to companion of the queen’s daughter, complete with a new name, wardrobe, and lavish lifestyle.
Isabelle is living a fairy-tale life, but soon she hears whispers of starvation and revolution. Can the terrible rumors about the royal family be true? And which side is Isabelle on?
Inspired by actual events, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s novel is a vivid picture of life behind the gilded walls of Versailles—and a wonderful story of friendship that blossomed during the chaos of the French Revolution.
For young readers, The Lacemaker and the Princess is the perfect introduction to the French Revolution. It presents the events in a way that makes them easy to understand but without insulting the reader’s intelligence, which can be one of the pitfalls of historical fiction for young readers. The unlikely ‘friendship’ (I’m using the term loosely here) between Isabelle and the princess Thérèse is one readers will fall in love with.
Isabelle is a wonderful character that many young readers will sympathize with, but Thérèse is your typical spoiled royal. She uses her power to order Isabelle around, even changing her name to the more fashionable Clochette, and stops at nothing to get her way. I suppose Thérèse is friends with Isabelle in her own out-of-touch-princess sort of way, but this is definitely neither an ideal or particularly healthy friendship. Isabelle is sort of friends with the princess, but she always has to watch her step around Thérèse to avoid losing her patronage.
Since I know next to nothing about the French Revolution, I cannot critique the accuracy of the novel as I could in novels about ancient Rome or Egypt. It feels accurate to me even though Isabelle is a made up character, and a quick Google search tells me that the general historical events are accurate. As for the details, your guess is as good as mine. However, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has included an author’s note that explains the historical context very well and it sounds like The Lacemaker and the Princess was made to be accurate.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer
(Cover picture courtesy of Carolyn Meyer’s website.)
History paints her as a shallow party girl, a spoiled fashionista, a callous ruler. Perhaps no other royal has been so maligned—or 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. Meanwhile, the peasants of France are suffering from increasing poverty and becoming outraged. They want to make the queen pay for her reckless extravagance—with her life.
The Bad Queen hasn’t made me like Marie Antoinette any more, but it has helped me understand her. Which was, of course, Carolyn Meyer’s goal when she wrote this book. Most readers will probably like the character of Marie, but I did not simply because our personalities are far too different. From her early childhood, she is a spoiled princess, a dreamer who is not interested in academics at all. I’m the exact opposite, so you can probably tell why I did not like her, but could at least empathize with her.
We follow her journey from when she is betrothed to Louis, all the way past her execution. Since this is written in journal form, we get to learn about the aftermath of her execution through the writings of her daughter. Readers will see the part of the French Revolution that people rarely see—its aftermath, including what happens to the children of the doomed couple.
The Bad Queen is not exactly fast-paced, but neither is it unbelievably slow, so it is quite an interesting read. Personally, I learned an enormous amount of French history in an enjoyable fashion because I know next to nothing of French history. The customs of the French monarchy were absolutely ridiculous, so I can see why Marie eventually rebelled against them. Truthfully, learning of the sheer excesses of the court at Versailles makes me wonder why the French peasants didn’t rebel sooner.
I would recommend this for ages 13+ because of some brief sexual content, but it really depends on the maturity of the reader.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.