Karen K. (kkowert) - , reviewed on 8/15/2011 + 44 more book reviews

Archduchess Maria Antonia Joseph Johanna of Austria, the youngest girl of sixteen children was just another political pawn in her mothers (Empress Maria Theresa of Austria) arsenal. At the tender age of ten, she was promised in marriage to Louise Auguste, dauphin of France in order to secure a political and military alliance with France. We may know the rest of the story of this notorious royal couple; however the story of the young Maries life was entertaining and painted a much more sympathetic picture than we usually get of Marie Antoinette.

The young Maria Antonia is portrayed as a frivolous, fun seeking youngster who loves the outdoors and who excels at getting out of her lessons. As the future queen of France, all that changes with her the mothers schemes and the Empress Maria undertakes a serious project to transform her unruly child into a queen. The transformation was both of the physical and mental kind. Maria was forced to wear braces to straighten her teeth (can you imagine the pain with 18th century dental procedures?). The Empress Maria Theresa of Austria spared no expense in employing a host of tutors to teach Maria to dance, perform the Versailles glide, play the harp and be a charming hostess.

And dont think for a moment that she would hesitate to relieve you of your duties if you do not transform me from an Austrian caterpillar into a French butterfly.

This is a coming of age story for the Austrian caterpillar that is forced into the politics and intrigue of the French court. Teaching Maria proper French, geography and politics turns out to be a much more daunting task. One of Marias tasks was to learn French history and she learned about a queen that proclaimed Let Them Eat Cake. I wonder if the author put that in because she believes Marie Antoinette has unfairly been yoked with this infamous saying.

Well, its a silly thing to say, then. Let them eat cake. She should have gone out among the people and fed them. Its what I would have done.

The book kept me engaged and I would consider this historical fiction light with good descriptions of court life, fashions, etc. This book covers the years 1766 1774 and there are 2 more upcoming books in the trilogy of Marie Antoinettes life. Although I have a few minor complaints about the writing, I will be reading the next book in the trilogy. It may seem very picky of me to choose 3 words in an entire book; however I would not recommend using any of the following words in a sentence: pulchritudinous, encomiums or transmogrifying. I dont mind if an author uses words I have to look up, but if the young woman is portrayed consistently as uneducated, why would she use a sophisticated word in a letter to her mother?

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