Anita C. reviewed on 9/13/2010 + 32 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Excellent biographical resource. I had no idea that any of Marie Antoinette's children survived the French Revolution, much less went on to make their mark on history. This book is a well-researched account of the life of Marie-Therese Capet, oldest child of the doomed rulers of France at the time of the revloution, Louis XVI, and his queen, Marie Antoinette. While footnoted, it is still written in a style that can be enjoyed by the average reader. Marie-Therese embodied the tradition of centuries of monarchic rule to all of Europe after the terrors of the French revolution abated. Only 11 years old at the time she was imprisoned for her heritage, she possessed pluck and intelligence and managed to survive years of captivity, losing her parents and siblings to The Terror. After her release, she dedicated her life to keeping alive the dynastic hopes of her branch of the Bourbons and trained her nephew for a future ascent to the throne of France when that monarchy should be restored. Given the times Marie-Therese lived in, her story runs the gamut from grandeur to pathos. It is all included in this work.

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