Helpful Score: 2
An interesting take on life behind the scenes in the palace of Louise XVI and Marie Antoinette. As a reader that limits her historical fiction intake, the "story" must grab me to make me forget that it takes place beyond our current times. From the summary, I was intrigued by the look at the French side of history, as I often read about the English kings. The addition of an affair and Marie Antoinette's obvious fame were definitely points to pull me in.
Written from both the perspective of Axel, the queen's mister and his sister who is said in the prologue to have her chapters fill in the gaps, I loved hearing her take on her brother's life.
I even learned a thing or two! Beyond learning what went on in the marriage between Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, I was excited to read about France's role on the Revolutionary War and what a Swedish man's input was on behalf of the French in the war. The chapter written by his sister including letters he wrote from the states, including my home town of Williamsburg, VA, were informative and entertaining.
A fan of historical fiction and those who love a little behind the royal scenes would enjoy this book.
Written from both the perspective of Axel, the queen's mister and his sister who is said in the prologue to have her chapters fill in the gaps, I loved hearing her take on her brother's life.
I even learned a thing or two! Beyond learning what went on in the marriage between Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, I was excited to read about France's role on the Revolutionary War and what a Swedish man's input was on behalf of the French in the war. The chapter written by his sister including letters he wrote from the states, including my home town of Williamsburg, VA, were informative and entertaining.
A fan of historical fiction and those who love a little behind the royal scenes would enjoy this book.
Incredible read. This is a fascinating portrayal of the last days of the king and queen of France. The key protagonist was the queen's lover, Count Axel von Fersen. The author relays the tale from the count's perspective using his experience and his own words. At times Axel's sister, Sophie, steps in for a chapter or two. It was fascinating to read what happened as so much of the text comes directly from letters and Axel's diary. At times I thought about putting this read aside but it provided such a deep look at France, the king, Louis XVI, and the queen, Marie Antoinnette, and what happened that I could not stop reading.
Like so many people who have viewed these royals without compassion I discovered as we often do, that there is so much more to the story than we've heard and come to believe. This was a most revealing book. So insightful! So glad I read this one.
Like so many people who have viewed these royals without compassion I discovered as we often do, that there is so much more to the story than we've heard and come to believe. This was a most revealing book. So insightful! So glad I read this one.
From the back cover:
Francine du Plessix Grays beautifully realized historical novel reveals the untold love story between Swedish aristocrat Count Axel von Fersen and Marie Antoinette. The romance begins at a masquerade ball in Paris in 1774, when the dashing nobleman first meets the mesmerizing nineteen-year-old dauphine, wife of the reclusive prince who will soon become Louis XVI. This electric encounter launches a love affair that will span the course of the French Revolution.
As their relationship deepens, Fersen becomes a devoted companion to the entire royal family. Roaming the halls of Versailles and visiting the private haven of Le Petit Trianon, he discovers the deepest secrets of the court, even learning the startling erotic details of Marie Antoinettes marriage to Louis XVI. But his new intimacy with Marie Antoinette and her family is disrupted when the events of the American Revolution tear Fersen away. Moved by the cause, he joins French troops in the fight for American independence.
He returns to find France on the brink of disintegration. After the Revolution of 1789 the royal family is moved from Versailles to the Tuileries. Fersen devises an escape for the family and their young children (Marie-Thérèse and the dauphinwhom many suspect is in fact Fersens son). The failed attempt leads to a more grueling imprisonment, and the family spends its excruciating final days captive before the king and queen face the guillotine.
Grieving his lost love in his native Sweden, Fersen begins to sense the effects of the French Revolution in his homeland. Royalists are now targets, and the sensuous aristocratic world of his youth is fast vanishing. Fersen is incapable of realizing that centuries of tradition have disappeared, and he pays dearly for his naïveté, losing his life at the hands of a savage mob that views him as a pivotal member of the ruling class.
Scion of Swedens most esteemed nobility, Fersen came to be seen as an enemy of the country he loved. His fate is symbolic of the violent speed with which the events of the eighteenth century transformed European culture. Expertly researched and deeply imagined, The Queens Lover is a fresh vision of the French Revolution and the French royal family as told through the love story that was at its center.
Francine du Plessix Grays beautifully realized historical novel reveals the untold love story between Swedish aristocrat Count Axel von Fersen and Marie Antoinette. The romance begins at a masquerade ball in Paris in 1774, when the dashing nobleman first meets the mesmerizing nineteen-year-old dauphine, wife of the reclusive prince who will soon become Louis XVI. This electric encounter launches a love affair that will span the course of the French Revolution.
As their relationship deepens, Fersen becomes a devoted companion to the entire royal family. Roaming the halls of Versailles and visiting the private haven of Le Petit Trianon, he discovers the deepest secrets of the court, even learning the startling erotic details of Marie Antoinettes marriage to Louis XVI. But his new intimacy with Marie Antoinette and her family is disrupted when the events of the American Revolution tear Fersen away. Moved by the cause, he joins French troops in the fight for American independence.
He returns to find France on the brink of disintegration. After the Revolution of 1789 the royal family is moved from Versailles to the Tuileries. Fersen devises an escape for the family and their young children (Marie-Thérèse and the dauphinwhom many suspect is in fact Fersens son). The failed attempt leads to a more grueling imprisonment, and the family spends its excruciating final days captive before the king and queen face the guillotine.
Grieving his lost love in his native Sweden, Fersen begins to sense the effects of the French Revolution in his homeland. Royalists are now targets, and the sensuous aristocratic world of his youth is fast vanishing. Fersen is incapable of realizing that centuries of tradition have disappeared, and he pays dearly for his naïveté, losing his life at the hands of a savage mob that views him as a pivotal member of the ruling class.
Scion of Swedens most esteemed nobility, Fersen came to be seen as an enemy of the country he loved. His fate is symbolic of the violent speed with which the events of the eighteenth century transformed European culture. Expertly researched and deeply imagined, The Queens Lover is a fresh vision of the French Revolution and the French royal family as told through the love story that was at its center.
