Wordless Wednesday

Book Review: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette

Author: Carolly Erickson
Title: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, YA
Pages: 343
First Published: 1997
Where I Got It: Borrowed from Library

*This review can also be seen over at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell*

"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 life—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 the reader 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; her fears on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing attempted flight from France in disguise; her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her young son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again.

Erickson brilliantly captures the queen’s voice, her hopes, her dreads, and 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."


As many of you know Marie Antoinette is my second favorite female historical figure, so I'm bound to be rather skeptical. Yes, knowing the real and true history of the Queen...it's hard to ignore the obvious (at least to me) inaccuracies. This, like many movies, are made to be overly dramatized and entertaining. Not a history lesson, so taking off my "history goru" hat and just enjoying the story made things 100% better.

I enjoyed the ride that Carolly Erickson presented. I did feel like she hurt the Queen's case more then helped though. She made her seem very selfish and vain. Yes, she was like that in real life, but this version of the Queen was rather different from other versions. Not only was she selfish and vain, but she was annoying at some points. It's hard to explain really, but I was NOT at all a fan of this version of the Queen. Granted it IS suppose to be in diary format, but still...

Also, I was surprised to learn that this falls into the YA category. Interesting...I didn't get the feel of "YA"ish to it. Eh, oh well. 

Even though I wasn't a fan of the Queen that Erickson presented, I must applaud the author for her writing skills. It was lovely and she made the world of France come to life. She made the fictitious and real-life characters blossom to life. I have read another book by Carolly Erickson...I am starting to like her more and more. Perhaps another book is on the horizon. We shall see.

In the end, this was okay. There are A LOT of historical inaccuracies and I wasn't too keen on the version of the Queen the author painted, but it wasn't bad. A nice read for a hot day by the pool. You do get the nice splash of drama, romance, fun, and in the end... tragedy. I would recommend this to open-minded History lovers and for those that like Historical Fiction. I shall stamp this with...mmmmm....(very undecided)...mmmmmm....3 stars.

Favorite Character(s): Count Ferson (such a dreamboat), Louis (can't help but want to pinch his cheeks), Madame de Barry (she always entertains me...I think I may be her for Halloween next year) and Princess Lambelle.
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Marie Antoinette (not too keen on how she was presented) and the Empress (meh)

*CaroleRae*

Music Monday

Happy Monday everyone. Its another hot day here in the lovely state of Michigan :/ At least we got a little break the other day, because it was storming and raining like crazy. It was nice. Well, today was Day Two in my physical therapy for my knee. Gah. I'm in so much pain...at least I'll have two days off. Woot woot! Well, let's play some music to help me chill. 

First, I'm kind of addicted to this song. I whistled the tune all day at work today, so I have no choice but to play it. hahaha. It seems dirty, but according the artist, himself, its not. After watching the video, I'm feeling like he's playing innocent. Oh well...its still a good song. This is Whistle by Flo Rida:

I know I already read and reviewed 'The Seduction of the Phoenix', but I wanted to share this song that highly reminds me of Jin and Francesca. Unfortunaly for both of them, "one more night" would never come. They'll be together forever, because its a romance. lol. This is One More Night by Maroon 5:

Haven't shared a video fanmade video in a while. I'm going to share two by the always fantastic Tiukudaa. Both are about Marie Antoinette. The first one is crossover though. It's a quick glimpse of a romance between Marie and Captain James Norrington (who I loved) from 'Pirates of the Carribean'. The second one is just a montage. Enjoy:

Hope you enjoyed my selections for this week. ^.^


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<3CR

Book Review: Queen of Fashion

Author: Caroline Weber
Title: Queen of Fashion
Genre: NonFiction, Biography
Pages: 412
First Published: 2006
Where I Got It: My shelf (Gift from a friend when I turned 16)

"'The Queen of Fashion', Caroline Weber's suspenseful, remarkably well-documented, and surprisingly humanizing account of the role style played in Marie Antoinette's fate and legacy, the author adds texture, shimmer, and depth to an icon most of us thought we knew already."

This is probably the 5th times I've read this novel. I received this book as a gift for my sweet 16th birthday (the theme was masquerade/costumes, which I went as Marie Antoinette). One of my good friends got this book for me. When I got it, I wanted to go home and read it right then and there. However, I restrained myself.

I decided to re-read it once more, because I can't get enough of Caroline Weber's amazing writing style and depth into the world of fashion of that time period. She does a wonderful job explaining how Marie Antoinette used fashion to gain acceptance and approval in the French Court. Also, she does a dazzling job bringing all the clothes to life. This is a dazzling book about fashion and how it was used in every day life.

It's very interesting. If you have any interest in Marie Antoinette or the time period, you should read this. Yes, there are some pictures in there, but they're there to aid you in a visual. I adore the pictures! I think she should have included more. Oh well.

I will warn you now...it does have it moments of dry spots. I think most books have at least one or more of those. Other than that, I adore this book and I have no choice but to give 5 stars.



<3CR

Book Review: The Knight of Maison-Rouge

Author: Alexandre Dumas
Title: The Knight of Maison-Rouge
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Classic
Pages: 448
First Published: 1845
Where I Got It: Library

"Paris, 1793, the onset of the Terror. Brave Republican Maurice rescues a mysterious and beautiful woman from an angry mob and is unknowingly drawn into a secret Royalist plot - a plot revolving around the imprisoned Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and her enigmatic and fearless champion, the Knight of Maison-Rouge. Full of surprising twists, breakneck adventure, conspiracies, sword-play, romance, and heroism, The Knight of Maison-Rouge is an exhilarating tale of selflessness, love, and honor under the shadow of the guillotine. Dumas here is at the very height of his powers, and with this first and only modern translation, readers can once again ride with the Knight of Maison-Rouge."

It was a nice ride. This book is like the ferris wheel at amusement parks. It's just a simple and relaxing ride. It's not the most popular ride, but everyone pretty much enjoys it. This is not Mr. Dumas' best book.

'The Knight of Maison-Rouge' is not a typical book I usually read. It heavily shows the Revolutionaries side and a little bit of Marie Antoinette's side. Too be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. Yes, it did show a different viewpoint and it shows a very strong-willed and courageous Marie Antoinette. Which is different, because many novels about the Queen shows her as weak and how to succumbs to just playing the victim.

Alexandre Dumas is a fantastic author, but this was not his best. He does a wonderful job, but it was....not interesting. Like I said, the ferris wheel of his novels. Just a cute tale to take a break from all the breakneck rides that are so exciting you may lose your lunch. There were some twists and turns, but it was very predictable. The main character was kind of an idiot and very naive. I couldn't stand Maurice. The ending was horrid and made me mad. Besides that, it was not a horrible book. Just not a classic and I'll probably never read it again. Out of five *s, I grant this one 3 stars. It would be 2.5, but I don't give decimals, so I rounded up.


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