Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette [B2154]

2006 HCDJ in nice clean condition. From the author of "Ahabs Wife" and "Four Spirits" comes her most astonishing work yet--a portrait of a young queen called Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette was a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of the fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King of France. Deeply disappointed and isolated in her own intimate circle, and apart from the social life of the court, she allows herself to remain ignorant of the country's growing economic and political crises, even as poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion and revenge. The young queen, once beloved by the common folk, becomes a target of scorn, cruelty, and hatred as she, the court's nobles, and the rest of the royal family are caught up in the nightmarish violence of a murderous time called "the Terror."

With penetrating insight and with wondrous narrative skill, Sena Jeter Naslund offers an intimate, fresh, heartbreaking, and dramatic reimagining of this truly compelling woman that goes far beyond popular myth-and she makes a bygone time of tumultuous change as real to us as the one we are living in now.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "It's something to read about history of the beginnings of the French Revolution-how the elite conspired to blame the immigrant queen for the state of depravation the people found themselves in instead of agreeing to be taxed to help out their fellow countrymen-as the US's democracy fails for similar reasons-lies, conspiracies, and greed. It puts de Tocqueville's prediction at the time, "the American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money," into context. Eminently readable. Another example of masterful storytelling by Sena Jeter Naslund."; "Engaging historical portrait of Marie Antoinette. You feel sorry for this woman who was made to be the scapegoat for the faults of others."; "Historical fiction done right feels like a classic. The compromised fortunate know how to trick the world into thinking they're on its side. Sound familiar?"; "This is a sympathetic portrayal of Marie Antoinettes life. I enjoyed it very much as I love the visual splendor of that time. The writing is rich with detail but easy to follow."; "Exquisitely written and deeply immersive, this heartbreaking reimagining goes beyond myth to reveal a tenderhearted outsider whose courage shines in her darkest hours."