Marie-Antoinette is a subject of enduring fascination. Antonia Fraser's biography of the queen has sold over 100,000 copies Winner of the Prix Femina in France 'Enthralling historical novel-writing at its romantic best, filled with all the debauchery, betrayal, power and tragedy of Marie Antoinette's court in its last days' Santa Sebag Montefiore 'Generates in the reader a real sense of being a fly on the wall, eavesdropping on the affairs of the great and not so good' Helen Falconer, Guardian 'A racy, pacy story with a cast of rogues and villains and a wardrobe to make you swoon' You, Mail on
Chantal Thomas, a specialist in 18th century literature, is Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France. Farewell, My Queen is her first novel.
The final days of the French Revolution are viewed from a curious perspective in this graceful, exquisitely detailed novel, narrated by Marie-Antoinette's reader ("deputy reader, I should say"), Madam Agathe-Sidonie Laborde. Ensconced in her Vienna apartment 20 years after the downfall of Louis XVI and his queen, the 65-year-old Laborde recalls her life with Marie-Antoinette during the pivotal power shift in July of 1789. An introductory chapter sets the scene, portraying the opulence of court life in Versailles, but also its epidemics and miasmas. Built on a swamp, it is plagued by invasions of insects and rats, and their swarming foreshadows the looming collapse of the monarchy. Events come to a head over the course of three days-July 14-16, 1789-and Thomas concentrates her account on their span. Court life is so insular that the nobles react with disbelief as rumors spread about the storming of the Bastille. When the news becomes impossible to ignore, Marie-Antoinette finally makes her aborted attempt to leave Versailles, even as Louis XVI pulls his troops from the city in an effort to defuse the rebellion. As the end nears for the regime, Laborde makes a desperate effort to escape Versailles. The story of Marie-Antoinette's final days is well known, so the delights of this rendition lie in the details. Laborde is a keen observer of the queen's moods and appearance, and her attempts to cheer her mistress with well-chosen passages gives her story extra depth. Like the tiny enamel painting of Marie-Antoinette's bright blue eye that inspires Laborde's reminiscences, this is a cunning, gemlike miniature. (June) Forecast: Booksellers might do well to group this with Kathryn Davis's novel Versailles (to which it compares favorably) and two recent biographies of Marie Antoinette, Antonia Fraser's Marie Antoinette: The Journey and Evelyne Lever's Marie Antoinette: A Biography. Thomas's novel won the Prix Femina in France, where it was a bestseller. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Agathe-Sidonie Laborde's was a minor function at the grand and isolated palace of Versailles. She was one of Queen Marie-Antoinette's readers, her voice possessing a much-prized, opiate-like quality that put one to sleep. But during the stress-filled three days after the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, sleep is an enviable commodity. Agathe-Sidonie keeps the shining image of her sovereign uppermost as fickle courtiers, overtaken by panic and chaos, flee the palace in a "wild migration," abandoning servants, pets, and even their children; she is determined not to abandon her adored queen. Narrated in 1810-11, when the elderly, ill Agathe-Sidonie is living in Vienna under the protection of the tattered remains of the French aristocratic community, this first novel by Thomas (The Wicked Queen), director of the National Scientific Research Center in France, is a masterly, haunting account of the downfall of the ancien r?gime. Timid Agathe-Sidonie is the perfect witness, hidden in corners but capable of musing intelligently on monumental historical change and the particular tragedy of Marie-Antoinette. This Prix Femina winner is recommended for most libraries.-Jo Manning, Miami Beach, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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