Of all the books I have read over the last year, The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette is my favorite of the "picture books," as it is illustrated in luscious detail. The pic on the left shows one of the extraordinary constructions Marie and the ladies of her court were fond of wearing. And there are many anecdotes, such as, "You love flowers, Madam; and so I have a bouquet to give you." Legend has it that with these words Louis XVI made his wife the gift of the Petit Trianon.
Another excerpt states that "On one occasion she persuaded her friends to dress up as shopkeepers, pastry cooks and chocolate-makers in little stalls linked by garlands of flowers and leafy bowers. To receive "the Norths" as she called the grand duke and duchess of Russia, she laid on a sumptuous festival which began in the theatre. In her hair the grand duchess wore a bejeweled bird mounted on a spring above a rose made of rubies."
In fact, there are just enough details in this book describing Versailles, that my next picture book selection will be one giving me the full tour.
I am currently reading The Secret Memoirs of Princess Lamballe. The Princesse de Lamballe was the granddaughter of Duc de Penthievre, and the great friend of Marie Antoinette. I just watched the PBS film version of life of Marie Antoinette, of which there are great many more details on the demise of Marie Antoinette including her time in the Tuileries and the be-heading of Princess Lamballe. Not the pretty picture told in stories, as with the Copolla film, but many more historically accurate details, if you have an appetite for more!
Several years ago, before the Copolla movie was released (possibly while it was being filmed), I read Marie Antoinette Princess of Versailles, a Royal Diary. This story begins on January 1, 1769, as a diary entry of the 13-year-old Archduchess Maria Natonia Josepha Johanna. It really put into perspective the vulnerability of a child whose mother had recently arranged her marriage to Louis August. I actually liked this one, but would discourage anyone from reading The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette. An interesting concept, but not executed as well as the former title, a children's book.
