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The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette (2005)

by Carolly Erickson

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8893023,808 (3.42)15
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For more than two centuries Marie Antoinette has been vilified as the heartless, frivolous queen who spent lavishly while her people starved. Now, in the tradition of The Birth of Venus and The Other Boleyn Girl, this moving new novel tells her side of the story. Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her lifeâ??from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution. Carolly Erickson takes us deep into the psyche of France's doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing flight from France in disguise, her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her beloved son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again. Erickson brilliantly captures the queen's voice, her hopes, her dreads, her suffering. We follow, mesmerized, as she reveals every detail of her remarkable, eventful life, from her teenage years when she began keeping a diary to her final days when she awaited her own bloody appointment with the guillotine.… (more)

  1. 10
    The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (Livesinthestars)
    Livesinthestars: Both books are historical fiction based on women often trying to follow their own desires in a time when their gender was often rendered powerless.
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Showing 1-5 of 29 (next | show all)
It was just okay for me. It was very easy reading - read it in one day! Nothing that I didn't know and although it is historical fiction - "hearing" it in her own words didn't engage me any further. Marie had a tough situation as Louis XVI should never have been King - he didn't want to be. She was forced to make decisions she wasn't educated to do. Additionally, she was spoiled and bored and they all spent money they didn't have. I still admire her and her inner strength that she had to rely on at the end but as far as the book went - was just "meh" for me. ( )
  ChrisCaz | Feb 23, 2021 |
I could not get past page 70 on this one. No depth, though I suppose portraying Marie Antoinette as a silly teenager when indeed that is what she is makes sense. However, if you want to read about a young princess having to deal with a dysfunctional royal court, I suggest you read A Royal Affair instead. ( )
  WiebkeK | Jan 21, 2021 |
This book was pretty good. I have not read much about Marie Antoinette, though I did see the movie the recent movie and liked it.
This book is told from Marie's pov, which is nice. She is kind of naive, silly, but innocent. Her husband Louis is portrayed as mentally deficient-not in terms of learning but he seems to suffer from an ability to relate to others-perhaps high functioning autism?
The novel does cover a long standing sexual relationship with a swedish captain. I do not know how historically accurate it was, the novel has him advocating for her when she was in the tower.
The pacing was good and the action moved right along. I could not really identify with MA but I did feel kind of sorry for her. ( )
  LoisSusan | Dec 10, 2020 |
An enjoyable, if fluffy, account of Marie Antoinette's life if she had kept a diary. But why wasn't this fictional ever discovered in all the searches and seizings of her property? Oh well, guess that's why it's "historical entertainment". Oh, and be warned, there's a fairly high gore factor. ( )
  LizBurkhart | Sep 5, 2019 |
I must confess I really knew very little about Marie Antoinette before reading this, so cannot verify the historical accuracy, though that is addressed in the author's note. This historical novel paints her as a tragic, strong and well-intentioned but often maligned woman, saddled with an indecisive king. Written as a series of diary entries from the time when she is a young girl at home in Austria until her last moments before execution. The story runs the range from frivolous pursuits to bloody massacres, so read be prepared! I'm definitely interested in reading more French history. ( )
  shaunesay | Jun 21, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 29 (next | show all)
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To Raffaello
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They say the fearsome thing doesn't always work well.
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For more than two centuries Marie Antoinette has been vilified as the heartless, frivolous queen who spent lavishly while her people starved. Now, in the tradition of The Birth of Venus and The Other Boleyn Girl, this moving new novel tells her side of the story. Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her lifeâ??from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution. Carolly Erickson takes us deep into the psyche of France's doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing flight from France in disguise, her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her beloved son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again. Erickson brilliantly captures the queen's voice, her hopes, her dreads, her suffering. We follow, mesmerized, as she reveals every detail of her remarkable, eventful life, from her teenage years when she began keeping a diary to her final days when she awaited her own bloody appointment with the guillotine.

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