Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel by Juliet Grey
This consuming confection of a novel follows the intriguing transformation of the young and cosseted Austrian Archduchess into the audacious, compelling and stylish queen of France, Marie Antoinette. This is the first in a series of three by Juliet Grey that begins with the upbringing of the well-known Marie Antoinette. Before the Archduchess could become the now famous Queen of France and wife to the Dauphin and future King, Louis Auguste XVI, she had to transform into a lady fit to rule. The novel takes you through the transformation with lots of splendid and rich detail. I absolutely adored reading about her upbringing and what her childhood was like in Austria. Prior to reading this engaging novel, I was mostly knowledgeable of her life after she became the Dauphine of France. Reading and learning about the majestic Schönbrunn Palace. where Marie spent many of her childhood days was quite interesting! It would please me greatly to visit the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria, I can’t wait for that day to come.
I distinctly remember my first view of the Palace of Versaille (also known as Château de Versailles) when I was on a family vacation in fifth grade. I was young but Versaille truly made a lasting impression on my blossoming ten year old mind. The immaculate gardens, glorious fountains, lusciously elegant bedrooms and grandness of it all will never be forgotten. Marie Antoinette’s bedroom was the one of the two highlights of the opulent palace. Ornate, glittering, luxurious, gorgeous and grandiose are the best words that I can use to describe the palatial bedroom. The second was walking down the decadent, golden Hall of Mirrors. I have a photograph of me standing in the hall that I will have to find and put it up on my blog soon! Ever since the wondrous day that I walked around the fanciful Palace, I have had a fondness for European history and culture. I have read and watched many historical biographies on the royals of Europe throughout the different centuries. However, I enjoyed reading this elegant novel because it is written as a story from Marie Antoinette’s point of view, instead of an outsider commenting on historical facts about the powerful and exquisite Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna Von Habsburg (Marie Antoinette). This is a must read for any Sugared Lemon. It is eloquent and sweet, just the way I like things to be!
I will be honest, just writing this post made me yearn for something fancy. So I just had to stop by La Bonne Ville which is located at the beautiful Grand America Hotel and bought a variety of macarons and pastries that I think would even make Marie herself a little jealous! Quite possibly Queen B Blair Waldorf might be envious 😉
Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous and fancy Monday Ladies and Gents!!
Welcome! I’m Kathryn Elizabeth Parry and I run The Sugared Lemon. A Sugared Lemon is someone who is lovely and sweet combined with a mixture of sass and class. I love talking, learning, and sharing thoughts about fashion, cooking, travel and fun with people so JOIN IN! And remember, keep it classy ladies and gents