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    Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel
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    Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel
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    Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel
    Ebook501 pages8 hours

    Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel

    By Juliet Grey

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    This enthralling confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows the transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless, powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette.
     
    Why must it be me? I wondered. When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny?

    Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.

    Before she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change everything about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen.

    Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries, lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, Becoming Marie Antoinette will utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike.

    Praise for Becoming Marie Antoinette

    “A thoroughly enjoyable novel, brimming with delightful details. Grey writes eloquently and with charming humor, bringing ‘Toinette’ vividly to life as she is schooled and groomed—molded, quite literally—for a future as Queen of France, an innocent pawn in a deadly political game.”—Sandra Gulland, bestselling author of Mistress of the Sun and the Josephine Bonaparte trilogy

    “In her richly imagined novel, Juliet Grey meticulously recreates the sumptuous court of France's most tragic queen. Beautifully written, with attention paid to even the smallest detail, Becoming Marie Antoinette will leave readers wanting more!"—Michelle Moran, bestselling author of Madame Tussaud

    “A lively and sensitive portrait of a young princess in a hostile court, and one of the most sympathetic portrayals of the doomed queen.”—Lauren Willig, bestselling author of the Pink Carnation series
     
    “Wonderfully delectable and lusciously rich, an elegant novel to truly savor. Juliet Grey’s Marie Antoinette is completely absorbing.”—Diane Haeger, author of The Queen’s Rival

    “[A] sympathetic take on the fascinating and doomed Marie Antoinette.”—Publishers Weekly
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateAug 9, 2011
    ISBN9780345523877
    Unavailable
    Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel

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    Reviews for Becoming Marie Antoinette

    4/5

    138 ratings30 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Marie Antonia, the youngest Austrian Archduchess knows that her carefree life won't last forever. One day, her mother will decide who she is to marry for political value only. When Antonia learns she is to marry Louis Auguste, the dauphin of France, she struggles to realize the full implications of this decision. When she is declared unfit to become the French Dauphine, work begins transforming the naive Antonia into the French Dauphine, Marie Antoinette. Lessons in French, dancing and walking lessons, painful dental work and boring political and history lessons are dumped on to the young girl. At Fourteen, she is sent to France to marry. This too proves painful, as all things Austrian, including her beloved dog, Mops are stripped from her. She charms her new Grandfather, the King, but fails to make an impression on those most important at court, including Mesdames Tantes, the King's Mistress and her husband. But Marie Antoinette must make the best of her situation.This first novel in a planned trilogy showcases the young Marie Antoinette, shadowing her transformation from Archduchess to Dauphine. While still so young at fourteen, she shows fortitude and maturity, but lacks a guiding hand. She is almost flimsy compared to the backbiting French Court. Grey does an outstanding job showing Marie's fighting spirit, as well as her kind heart. In an age, where marriage often didn't equal friendship or affection, Marie takes the time to cultivate both with her husband, which is very touching. I enjoyed this novel immensely!!
    • 5/5
      Becoming Marie Antoinette is the first installment of the Marie Antoinette trilogy by Juliet Gray. This is a fun and educational read.I previously knew very little about Marie Antoinette, only that she was the queen of France who was beheaded during the French Revolution and that she once said, of the starving masses, "Let them eat cake!" Now, I feel sympathetic toward her, having the weight of the world placed upon her young shoulders beginning at the tender age of 10, when it was first suggested that she should marry Louis XVI and cement the treaty between Austria and France. She was constantly reprimanded by her ambitious mother, who withheld the simplest demonstrations of affection or comfort, then at 14 sent to Versailles without the slightest hope of ever seeing her beloved Austria or family ever again.Once married and living in the palace at Versailles, I admire the way our heroine strove diligently to follow the often ridiculous French etiquette and to live above reproach. It was also fun to read about the crazy behavior of the upper echelon and to hear about the unusual circumstances of Marie Antoinette's marriage with a husband so shy that he could barely touch her for years and how she learned to love him, offering patience and understanding, for all his shortcomings.And, just for the record, Marie Antoinette never did say, "Let them eat cake!"This novel ends as Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI ascend the throne of France, and I am eagerly anticipating the next two books to learn how the rest of her story unfolds.
    • 2/5
      There is a lot of detail in this novel -- what this salon looked like, what color and fabric gown Lady So-and-so wore, how the title character's teeth were straightened with primitive braces. The details were interesting, but didn't leave much room for a story, so there wasn't one. The whole of this volume has Marie Antoinette preparing for her marriage to the dauphin of France, getting married, then trying to consummate her union. For 400 pages. It is the first in a trilogy, but I'll not bother to read the rest of the trilogy, as the first one didn't have enough action to keep me interested. Not recommended for any but the most devoted fans of Marie Antoinette.
    • 5/5
      My Opinion: Everything I know about Marie Antoinette I learned in school during history class, which was more of an overview of her time as the last queen of France, mostly centering on the French Revolution, her execution, and of course, the famous phrase "let them eat cake." When I saw this book listed on NetGalley I was instantly curious to learn more about the girl Maria Antonia, in essence what events shaped her into the woman and queen she would one day become. I wasn't disappointed either! I found her story fascinating, starting out as a wide eyed innocent who was molded by a domineering mother into the most powerful woman in France. She grew up relatively sheltered as the youngest daughter (her mother had 16 children!) of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and was thrust into the high drama that was the court at Versailles at the tender age of 14. There was so much intrigue and so many rules of conduct and etiquette that she had to learn, as any misstep could lead to crushing humiliation and loss of social standing, which would have been disastrous as she was under the command of her mother to get close to the King of France, her husband's grandfather, Louis, to strengthen the political ties between France and Austria. Add to this, her inability to get her husband, Louis Auguste, to consummate her marriage so they could produce an heir, which was vital to the succession of the monarchy, not to mention her own personal well-being since the Catholic church back then considered being a barren royal as worse than adultery!I felt that this book did a great job at balancing historical fact with a compelling fictional story. The facts lent credence to the story, which in turn gave it an authenticity that wouldn't have been there had it just been a fictional novel about a historical figure. I look forward to reading the next installment of this compelling trilogy because even though I know how it will eventually turn out, I look forward to continuing the journey and finding out where the author is going to take me next :D
    • 4/5
      Marie Antoinette and Versailles are two things that people continue to be intrigued about. How would it be to be that wealthy and to have that much recognition? What was she really like and what must Versailles have been like in its day? In Juliet Grey's novel, we get a bit of an idea in this piece of historical fiction. Much of the novel surrounds Marie Antoinette's childhood and teen years, wherein she was groomed and prepared for an eventual marriage to Louis XVI of France. Although Austrian, Marie was forced to change things about herself to become more of what her French husband might like. There is an especially traumatic scene with a doctor/dentist, where she is given a pretty barbaric set of braces to change her teeth. Having had braces as a teenager, I couldn't even fathom the pain she went through--without numbing medication--to get those braces. Excruciating is all I have to say about that scene!Throughout the novel we are privy to Marie's preparations and emotional upheaval about her own future. It had to be frightening to need to model yourself so much after the desires of someone you didn't even know, not to mention the fear that must have come from knowing you would be giving up your entire world for another. However, Marie does just that and moves into her marriage with Louis XVI, which becomes an even newer and different trial of loneliness and confusion. The book paints a blossoming friendship between Marie and Louis, as they had little by way of passion or desire in their marriage. It does seem pretty weird that the two didn't have a physical relationship for so long. Historians have come up with a few medical reasons why Louis XVI might not have been able to consummate the marriage, but no one knows for sure, because it obviously did eventually happen. Much of the final section of the book surrounds Marie's frustration and confusion over her lack of a sexual relationship with her husband. Had it not really been based in history, I would have also found it all a bit exhausting to keep dwelling on it, but I think I would be pretty confused if I had to wait years to finally have a real marriage. As mentioned above, there are some really interesting scenes that jumped out at me and had me look at Marie Antoinette's story in a different way. I've always thought it must be lonely and somehow difficult to be a monarch--as strange as that sounds--but never in quite the way I did after reading Grey's novel. There is a lot of detail to the novel, and a lot of back story of her childhood that are pretty interesting to consider. In a sense, the novel helped to humanize Marie Antoinette for me as she maybe had not been before. Overall, I enjoyed the novel, and with the open ending of this first book, I'm eager to see Marie grow into a woman and to see her story find some resolution. I'll definitely be reaching for the next book when it comes out in May!
    • 4/5
      This was one of those novels where I began the book with doubts and ended it as a fan. That's always a pleasant experience, and I was glad to find out that this was the first book in a series.I thought that at the outset, Becoming Marie Antoinette is a little heavy on the historical detail. I felt a little as if I were reading a history book dressed up as a novel, but not enough that I wanted to stop reading. Marie Antoinette is an interesting historical figure, and I was fascinated by the details of her childhood in Austria and particularly by her relationship with her mother.By the time Marie Antoinette arrives in France, I felt that the author was warming up--not to her subject, because her passion for the historical period is evident from the start--but to the rhythm of writing a historical novel. The story begins to take over from the details, and once the author hits that stride the narrative begins to flow very nicely.The relationship between Marie Antoinette and the Dauphin is very nicely handled, and perfectly believable. Grey's imagining of two characters who had to grow into adulthood in the hothouse atmosphere of the French court and find a way to make their own relationship work, spurred on by the notions of duty that had been impressed on them since childhood, was convincing.All in all, a very satisfying novel, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
    • 5/5
      Excellent read, lots of the life and times of court life.
    • 3/5
      Bring out the rose-tinted glasses...Perhaps this historical novel focusing on the life Marie Antoinette was intended purely for a YA audience, but even so, the author has bent over backwards to give her readers an immensely sympathetic portrayal of the French queen who, even if she didn't say "let them eat cake", certainly contributed to the revolutionary fervor of the times by her obliviousness to the poverty of the country over which she ruled. Interestingly, Grey did do an immense amount of research novel and unlike many historical novelists, is able to portray it gracefully, incorporating it into the narrative. (Most amusingly, she shows us the real Versailles, filthy and badly run.) But that narrative itself makes Marie Antoinette sound like a conventional teenager of our times, from some of the dialogue to the attitudes and insouciance. Her naivete isn't credible, any more than Grey's effort to portray her as a fundamentally sensible girl who simply didn't like books or reading. It's a brisk canter through the years that led up to the death of Louis XV and the succession of the young Marie Antoinette and her husband and Grey touches on all the major events of those years without ever really providing the reader with a theme or focus beyond the biographical facts or her apparent belief that Marie Antoinette has been misunderstood. Most annoying to me was the writing, which included a lot of phrases that were hundreds of years out of date and waaaaay too many French phrases thrown in purely for effect. Why have a character say "oui" or "non"? It's not as if the English phrases for yes or no HAVE to be expressed in French -- any reader who doesn't realize that the book is set in France would have to be dim-witted indeed, and the phrases don't convey some subtle meaning in French that isn't translatable. I'm being generous in giving this book 2.9 stars and don't expect I'll be reading further installments of what I understand is to be a trilogy. Instead, I'll re-read "Abundance" by Sena Jeter Naslund, a richer novel about Marie Antoinette with more interesting insights and far better writing. This may be a good book for a younger reader curious about the real story, but any slightly critical historical fiction afficionado may struggle to find much to love here. I received an advance electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 4/5
      This was the first fictionalized book of Marie Antoinette I have read, and it's been many years since I learned anything about her in school, so I was fortunate to read and enjoy with a "blank slate" mind-set. So, I learned a lot. The troubles she had with her mother believing she wasn't good enough really touched me. I was astonished at the lengths they went to in order to make her a "suitable" bride for the French prince.While reading other reviews, I noticed that a lot of readers noticed how Marie would constantly refer to herself as not educated, yet speak with a highly educated tongue. This dichotomy can be over-looked; however, many words used in the book were either actually french, french-related, or referred to some obscure item/subject from that era. This makes a book hard to read if you don't know what those things are. Overall, it was an enjoyable book. A reader can learn a lot about the royal courts and Marie Antoinette's life before she was queen. The book is rather long and not a particularly fast read, but well worth it.*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher, Random House, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
    • 2/5
      I had many, many issues with this book. From the beginning I struggled with it. The cover just looks, and I don't know how to say this kindly, but so fake and the costume is very unimpressive that I wasn't sure to request it or not. My love for historical fiction won, plus I love reading about the French Revolution, and as a consequence, I love reading about Marie Antoinette too. I didn't like the writing style, it seemed like the author would throw the biggest words she knew in the book in order to compensate for the lack of era appropriate dialogue. I could tell the author liked Marie Antoinette, and the book seems to have an agenda to make you like Marie Antoinette. The problem is that after a while, and so many attempts by the author, the whole "see it wasn't her, it was really how the French court was, she was just trying to please everyone" agenda got boring, and backfires by making the reader dislike the protagonist anyway.
    • 5/5
      Let me start with one word for this book.Wow.Seriously, wow.I really loved this book. This was the first in a new series by Juliet Grey and I have to tell you I am anxiously waiting for the release of the second. The book covered Marie Antoinette's life up until her husband advocated the throne.The first half (or more) of the book was Marie's journey to becoming a queen. Braces, etiquette lessons, French lessons, learning who she can and cannot trust, a journey that no one would ever want to take. Yes, even for the throne.I was amazed by the intricacies of the french court. The lunacy of the people on it. The craziness of their marriage. It was just amazing.The book is classified as fiction, but honestly, it feels very biographical. The author even gives her references in the end and I feel like was written as it was happening.Please read this book. It was amazing.
    • 4/5
      My rating should actually be 4.5 stars, I enjoyed it so much but there was one small area that I wished had more emphasis. `Becoming Marie Antoinette' is the first book of a trilogy. I have decided to read the whole set because of the tremendous amount of research and uncovering the truth that the author, Juliet Grey has put into it. The writing is clear, never bogs down or gets boring. This first book covers the time that Marie Antoinette was a child of eleven to when her father-law, "Papa Roi" or Louise XV died. For those, who love to learn about the fashion of the royalty, this book is rich in detail about the panniers and uncomfortable corsets and gorgeous materials of the gowns and sparkling beauty of the gems. Austria was so ahead of France, fashion wise. Now, I am interested in finding the answer to why that was so. For those, who love to learn the truth behind the myths that grew about Marie Antoinette, Juliet Grey does an excellent job of straightening out false history. She writes very sympathetic portraits of young Marie Antoinette and the successor to Louis XV. At one point of the book, I was so wrapped in Marie Antoinette's situation that I wanted to grab her out of the book and drag her to our time period! I felt so bad about her destiny. My mother instincts wanted me to rescue her from all the mistreatment she was receiving and the impossible demands. I wanted let her play with her little pug, Mog and be the child that she could have been. But there is no way to change what she went through so I had to sit back and watch her life move forward. I also wanted her future husband to have a better life. The only thing that I craved for was more emphasis on Madame Du Barry, Louis XV's notorious mistress. The description of her actions made me interested in knowing more. I wanted more. I am now planning to read a book about Louis XV's mistresses. The portrait of Marie Antoinette is very compelling and makes me hungry for the next book of the trilogy, 'Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow. It should be out in the summer of 2012. I recommend this book to all historical fiction fans.
    • 5/5
      This book is the first in a trilogy about Marie Antoinette. This book was a great start in telling her story spanning from Marie's pre-teen years through becoming the queen of France. Marie in the book is naive, charming and refreshing. Louis, her husband, is made out to be somewhat backwards and bumbling. I was excited to read this book since I read the book Abundance a while back and I was anxious to compare and contrast. This book starts a bit earlier than Abundance and presents a picture of how Marie had to physically and mentally transform herself to become Marie Antoinette, queen of France. There were some overlaps in the story between the two books, but this version did have some refreshing views in it. Overall, loved the story and am anxious for the next part in the trilogy!
    • 4/5
      After an uneven introduction, full of awkwardly phrased infodumps and foreshadowing ('In my heedless haste to possess something beautiful, I had not considered the consequences'), Juliet Grey's first novel on the life of Marie Antoinette blossomed into a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating (fictional) biography of France's unfortunate queen. Following the early training of the young Austrian archduchess under the strict instruction of her mother the Imperial Empress, to the political union with the Dauphin at the tender age of fourteen, and the transformation of Maria Antonia into Marie Antoinette at Versailles, Grey documents the familiar markers of the young Dauphine's life leading up to the death of the king and her husband's ascendancy to the throne. Written in a simple, open style that suits the young girl, the first person narrative matures with Marie Antoinette, but remains friendly and confident throughout. The comparison with Sofia Coppola's 2006 film is obvious, bar a greater respect for historical accuracy, and all the key events are featured - the ceremonial change of wardrobe on the Austrian/French border where Marie Antoinette is parted from her pug 'Mops'; learning the intricate and uncomfortable rituals of Versaille; overcoming the emotional and physical distance of Louis Auguste; playing mind games with the King's sisters and mistress; meeting Count Fersen. For this reason, Juliet Grey's novel is accessible to YA readers, helpfully translating every single snippet of French ('Et maintenant - And now -') and explaining the political and historical background of the French court and Austrian empire, but thankfully not at the expense of a wider audience. Although the translations and foreshadowing continue throughout the novel - at one point, Marie Antoinette is told that the Sun King's wife Marie-Therese is reputed to have said of the French peasants 'Let them eat cake', to which the young Dauphine responds, 'She should have gone out among the people and fed them' - Grey's narrative really brings the people and places of history to life. The indomitable Marie Antoinette and her beleaguered husband Louis, who must constantly rise above the petty intrigues of Versailles and the heavy burden of what is to come, are sympathetic characters without needing to excuse their future mistakes. I am always impressed by the 'training' young Maria Antonia had to go through to claim the 'honour' of becoming Dauphine of France - she was only fourteen when she married Louis - and equally saddened by the corruption of her innocence and kindness at Versailles. Similarly with gentle-natured Louis, who never wanted the responsibility of ruling the country, and would have been happier working as a labourer or a locksmith. Like Juliet Grey, I too want to save them from the inevitable, and I dread to read the next two novels in the series - but I definitely will.
    • 5/5
      Historical fiction. That is a genre of writing that I fell in love with when I started blogging. All kinds of historical fiction make their way to my shelves and Nook. So, it was without hesitation that I signed up to be a reviewer for this new novel by Juliet Grey. Both the novel, and the author are new to me, and I couldn't wait to crack the spine on this one. I was not disappointed in any way with this amazingly written, richly detailed, history filled novel. Juliet Grey did a fascinating job on this creation of this story. Maria Antonia, Austrian princess. What an amazing person. I absolutely loved each detail the Grey put into her. I could feel her emotions, and her struggles as she grew from Maria Antonia to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. I can't imagine going through the things she, being married off at 14 years old, and dealing with French court while still a child. It amazes me to see how vivid Grey made the French court. I felt as if I, myself, was a member of Marie Antoinette's society and court. Wow! Not only did I love Maria Antonia and her transformation, I loved the setting of the story, I loved the fact that this is the first in a trilogy. It's a fantabulous start and one that will be forever on my bookshelf. It's a story that will keep you up late into the night, and turning the pages, wanting, NEEDING to know what young Marie was dealing with. I highly, highly recommend this with a high 5 Book Rating. You'll be instantly transported to another place in time, and you'll put on the amazingly detailed dresses of the era, and walk the courts along side this Queen. But, be warned: this is a book to be read when you have LOTS of free time, as you'll become completely lost in the writing of Ms. Grey. I can't wait until the second book in this trilogy releases!
    • 4/5
      The whole time I was reading this book, starting when she was a young girl in Austria, with all she went through just to become worthy, physically and mentally, to be worthy to become marriagable to France, I kept thinking how bad this all turns out. Even the end of the book, which ends on an optimistic note, not the end of their lives, made me realize how little understood and how very overwhelmed she was. Liked this book quite a bit, it was interesting and very readable.
    • 5/5
      So many "facts" have come down through history about Marie Antoinette. But as her life is researched by contemporary authors much of what is known about her has been proven to be false. This first book of a trilogy starts with a young Austrian archduchess, before she became Marie Antoinette. It tells the tale of all the political machinations that went on to secure an alliance between France and Austria through the marriage of two young people - regardless of their feelings.But don't think that for one minute that this is a dry, boring book because it is not! It starts with a young, carefree girl and shows how her mother and the ambassador from France molded her into what they felt would be an appropriate dauphine of France. It was not an easy process for Maria Antonia was not one for lessons - she was quick witted but not interested in the history of her new country. She was pretty but a late bloomer into womanhood. They even put braces on her teeth - and that description about turned my stomach!What this poor child went through in the name of politics is just appalling. But makes for a fascinating story. Ms. Grey writes with a passion for her subject and with a love for a child who was basically thrown to the wolves. The French thought she was not good enough for their dauphin and he did not want to be married at all. She was 14 when she left all she knew to go marry a man she had never met. She was not even allowed to keep her pet dog!I found myself immersed in the life of this young girl; I could hardly put the book down. Ms. Grey's style is one that draws you into time and place and even though I knew what was going to happen I was still turning the pages as if I didn't. THAT is good writing. I can't wait for the next installment. I hope I am honored with a review copy.Oh, and isn't that cover to die for?
    • 5/5
      This isn't the Marie Antoinette you thought you knew. In this fresh take on the French monarch, she's perhaps the farthest thing from the lavish, pampered and selfish monarch who infamously told the French peasants to "eat cake." This time around, author Juliet Grey explores the development of a young Marie Antoinette as she grows up in the Hapsburg court and is transformed from Maria Antonia, youngest daughter of Maria Theresa, into Marie Antoinette, dauphine of France.At the age of 10, Maria Antonia hears rumors about visits from French ambassadors with her mother. Even at the tender age, Maria is paraded in front of the ambassador like a piece of meat for trade. After this, years of careful marriage negotiations ensue, where virtually everything about Maria is changed to accommodate the whims of the French. Once Marie is finally married to the French dauphin, Louis, and finds that the French Court is much more treacherous than she could ever possibly imagine.Becoming Marie Antoinette is a fabulously-written and fascinating new take on the monarch from debut author Juliet Grey. Not only is the period portrayed with exquisite period detail and painfully trust depictions of what life was probably like for poor Marie Antoinette, forced into an unhappy marriage with a man who knows little about his duties after being changed into someone else for the political gains of her family.Most importantly, Grey gives readers the opportunity to dive into the mind of Marie Antoinette and see what exists behind the history. Marie Antoinette is painted as a genuine young woman who knows the importance of duty and honor, but still longs for a life she enjoys and a passionate marriage with someone she loves. As a woman with morals and intelligence who it comes to court intrigue and politics, Marie Antoinette seems to be more a victim of her times than an over-indulged tyrant.The first book in a compelling new trilogy, Becoming Marie Antoinette is one of the most vivid and compelling historical fiction out there on the monarch that readers will devour -I even devoured this book in just one sitting. Highly recommended and I can't wait for the sequel.
    • 4/5
      Summary: Everyone knows who Marie Antoinette was, but how many people know the story of how she became one of the pivotal figures of the French Revolution? Born an princess to the Hapsburg Empress of Austria, she was a happy, free-spirited child. When her mother began negotiations with France for her marriage to the dauphin, however, the 12-year-old Antonia had to put her childhood behind her and start proving herself worthy of being the future Queen of France - a process that involved arduous hours of fixing her teeth and hair, learning a new language and how to walk in her new clothes, and mastering the manners and pastimes of a new court. And even once that preparation was complete and the marriage was accomplished, she was still a very young girl in a foreign land, facing hostility and manipulation from all sides... with a husband, the future king, who mysteriously refused to consummate their marriage, despite its vital importance to both their countries that she bear him a son.Review: While, in a lot of respects, this book is very solid and enjoyable historical fiction, it didn't quite live up to my expectations of it. On the good side, it's well-written, and Grey does an excellent job of bringing Marie Antoinette to life as a real and - if not quite relatable - certainly sympathetic narrator, instead of a mere caricature of a fancy dress and enormous hairdo. I also learned quite a bit about her childhood, much of it totally fascinating (although: man, 1760s orthodontia, no thank you!), and really got a good feel for how she fit into the Versailles court (or didn't, as the case may be.) My main problem was the limited time span covered by the book, and consequently how abruptly it ended. This book is the first of three planned biographical novels, and while the death of Louis XV seems like a natural break in the storyline - marking Marie's transition from dauphine to Queen - it left a lot of plot threads unresolved, most noticeably the cause and and outcome of Marie's continuing virginal status, which was a major theme in the back half of the book. The ending left me wanting more, not in the sense of being eager to dive into the sequel, but in the sense that I felt like a more complete story could have been packed into the preceding 400 pages. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: I think fans of novels about the French Revolution - and of historical fiction more generally - will enjoy this one, as long as they bear in mind that it's not the whole story.
    • 4/5
      *I received this book through GoodReads First Reads Giveaway*In this historical novel, Juliet Grey tells the tale of Marie Antoinette's early life from her childhood in Vienna through her years as the young dauphine of France. While most of the story was familiar, the earlier years of Marie Antoinette's life are rarely described in detail and here the author shows Marie Antoinette receiving numerous cosmetic treatments to make her more desirable as a royal bride. From the eighteenth-century braces to the extravagant hairstyles, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for the young Marie Antoinette as she prepared for her role as Queen of France. While not the best work I've read on her, Juliet Grey's novel does offer an engaging picture of the tragic queen's early years.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as part of the first reads giveaway and was so happy when I got it because I am a sucker for historical fiction. This book is the first in a three book series and begins when Marie Antoinette is a young girl and not yet promised to the French throne. The book gives a detailed account of the steps Marie Antoinette would have taken to ready herself for her marriage to the future king of France. I got lost in the story and looked forward to picking it up every chance I got. It was an easy read and I am so excited for the second book because it really did leave me wanting more.
    • 5/5
      So many "facts" have come down through history about Marie Antoinette. But as her life is researched by contemporary authors much of what is known about her has been proven to be false. This first book of a trilogy starts with a young Austrian archduchess, before she became Marie Antoinette. It tells the tale of all the political machinations that went on to secure an alliance between France and Austria through the marriage of two young people - regardless of their feelings.But don't think that for one minute that this is a dry, boring book because it is not! It starts with a young, carefree girl and shows how her mother and the ambassador from France molded her into what they felt would be an appropriate dauphine of France. It was not an easy process for Maria Antonia was not one for lessons - she was quick witted but not interested in the history of her new country. She was pretty but a late bloomer into womanhood. They even put braces on her teeth - and that description about turned my stomach!What this poor child went through in the name of politics is just appalling. But makes for a fascinating story. Ms. Grey writes with a passion for her subject and with a love for a child who was basically thrown to the wolves. The French thought she was not good enough for their dauphin and he did not want to be married at all. She was 14 when she left all she knew to go marry a man she had never met. She was not even allowed to keep her pet dog!I found myself immersed in the life of this young girl; I could hardly put the book down. Ms. Grey's style is one that draws you into time and place and even though I knew what was going to happen I was still turning the pages as if I didn't. THAT is good writing. I can't wait for the next installment. I hope I am honored with a review copy.Oh, and isn't that cover to die for?
    • 4/5
      This was a very enjoyable historical fiction. I see it is #1 of a series. I don't know if I can read more of the series, just because I'm getting a little burned out on historical fiction. But Juliet did a great job in drawing the reader into the story and the lives of the characters. I don't think I could have lived back then. The fact that people peed on the floors of the corridors and the fact that they got very stinky but didn't bathe for days if not weeks at a time. I also don't think I would be able to stand all the people who had to take care of Marie Antoinette. She never had a moment's peace. And even though all those people were around her, she was very lonely. If you like historical fiction and are interested in Marie Antoinette, then pick this book up and give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      Marie Antoinette was born and grew up in Austria. When she was 10(ish) years old, it was determined that she would wed Louis Auguste of France, Louis XV’s grandson and heir to the French throne. However, Antonia (as she was called then) had a few hoops to jump through before the deal was sealed. When they did marry, Antonia was sent to France where she had to learn a new culture and at the same time be charming and have people love her, as she was to be the future queen. She continued to be pressured and influenced by her mother (from a distance).This is the first in a trilogy, so we only get as far into Marie Antoinette’s life as Louis XV dying and she and her husband succeeding to the throne when they are 18-years old. I have read a biography of her, but it was a few years ago, so I don’t recall a lot of what I read then. I did like how she was portrayed in this novel, and I appreciated the author’s note at the end, which explains that the majority of people and events in the book did happen. I am really looking forward to reading the next book.
    • 4/5
      Becoming Marie Antoinette is the first of the author's planned trilogy about the woman baptized as Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna of Austria, but remembered and historically vilified as Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Chronicling her all-too-short years from adolescence to her ascension to the throne of France in 1774, a well-rounded, human version of the woman emerges from the pages of this easy-to-read historical fiction. The later books in the series (Days of Sorrow, Days of Splendor is the tentative title of book two) will focus more on the time Marie reigned alongside her doomed husband, Louis XVI.While this novel can be historically uneven (the "nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen” stated on the back blurb is untrue because really, all she had to do was be born at the right time, to the right family; the author has her struggle to learn French but Marie Antoinette spoke French fine as Vienna was a multilingual city, however she had poor reading comprehension and writing skills) and take liberties with facts and dates, I more than enjoyed this look into a younger Marie Antoinette. Beginning when the petite archduchess is only ten, the novel chronicles several tense years as she tries to cement with marriage an alliance the Empress Maria Theresa desperately needs.Thrust between two all-powerful monarchs (the aforementioned Maria Theresa of the Holy Roman Empire and Louis XV of France) in a then-prevalent way of forging peace between warring European states, Marie has to please her mother and honor Austria all the while making France her country's ally. By trying to remain true to Austria all the while attempting to win the unfriendly French to her side shows the sheer impossibility of Marie's position in life. Amid impossible goals, treacherous relatives, scheming courtiers and her own impossible husband, it was remarkably easy for me to feel quite sympathetic for this character. Using this constant national game tug-of-war between the powers frequently creates a great deal of tension and pressure for the young girl for the entire novel. While she might be dauphine and first woman of France, Marie never is free or independent, nor truly, exuberantly happy. She attempts sex and/or affection many times with her husband, but he is painfully shy with her, almost a recluse. Marie, coming from a huge family of fifteen siblings and parents who married for love, is understandably upset by his lack of feeling and thus isolates herself from her one true ally for much of the novel.I've not read many Marie Antoinette historical fictions, or even ones centering on the Gallic world. I tend to stay amongst the British and their Plantagenet, Lancaster/York, Tudors, Stuart families, etc. Winning this novel on goodreads.com has opened my eyes to a new, creative writer with a fresh take on this centuries old parable of overindulgence and moral decay. Happily, in this novel of hers, Ms. Grey does not immediately launch into the salacious and popular tales of the archduchess. By showing Marie at her most charming and vivacious in her young carefree years at home in Austria, a subtle foreshadowing of her tumultuous life in France is immediately brought to mind. I was very interested in her large, fractious Hapsburg family (fifteen siblings! Maria Theresa was a woman emperor -- in her own right! her parents were a love-match!) and thus the days at Shonbrun or the Hofburg, a palace that boasted a serving staff of 2,000 people alone!, were the most interesting for me. Another thing this novel does well is dispense interesting facts and tidbits without interrupting or displacing the flow of the plot or Marie's development.Contrasting sharply with the long-held opinion of this Queen, Marie is shown to care for her Austrian subjects (and even her French ones when their own King does not!) as well as generally kind and loving nature. Hints of the troubles Marie will face later on in her noble are present as well; a certain disregard for consequences and rash actions/sayings is prevalent, though perhaps a bit too heavy-handed for my taste. Ms. Grey conveys the thoughts of the noblewoman better when she subtly alludes to Marie's less appealing traits. However, in the world of France, which was governed by the strict Salic law of its time, Marie does quite well in claiming what power she can and using it, all while doing what she can to influence her husband, to future king-to-be and thus a very strong potential ally for her family and home. The extreme disparity of life in the Hofburg, where the royal Hapsburg family was far more relaxed, dressing in far less formal clothing and even playing with 'common' children, the strict and rigid way of life in Bourbon Versailles is a constant reminder of just how out of place Marie feels for most of her teenage and early twenties in France. Constant reminders of how she does not fit in ("l'Autruchienne" being a clever if vulgar pun on the French words for ostrich [Austria] and for bitch) help to keep her off-balance and thus constantly caught between monarchs.In the end, the novel boiled down to this single question for me: Is this a Marie Antoinette I liked enough to read about for three novels (and if the second two are as large as their 444 page predecessor) and 1350 pages only to have her die at the end? And that answer is a loud YES. While it is not perfect, it IS an enjoyable and new look into one of history's most maligned women. Grey's writing is original and clever enough with familiar material from historical class to make it less learning and more experiencing life as Marie navigates through her life with Louis -- what she has of it left.
    • 4/5
      This book is exactly what it says on the tin: how Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, was molded into Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. It was an arduous process that began when she was ten years old; that was when the first overtures came from Louis of France proposing a match between his grandson the Dauphin and the appropriately aged daughter of the Austrian court. From that day Antonia's life took a swift turn from a rather carefree childhood into the increasingly difficult – and dangerous – realm of royal bride. In the four years that passed between the first overture to the completed contract, Antonia had to learn to manage all of the finer points of a new court – from hair and makeup and new styles of clothing (including "less forgiving" corsets) to history and music, to a language she never cared to apply herself to, down to the unique manner of walking no great lady of Versailles would consider not practicing. Meanwhile she continued under the close scrutiny of two courts, waiting for her menses to begin and for her to develop a more womanly figure. Over her head cut-throat negotiations continued between her mother and her prospective husband's grandfather – these continued to the point that Antonia finally reached France. It seems as though it was only through the empress's extreme doggedness that the wedding ever happened at all. The short version of the story is that being a princess was far from being all beautiful fabrics and rich food and stunning gardens. And Prince Charming was not to be expected. The narrative is presented with, for the most part, Antonia's tight third person point of view, broken occasionally for things she could not know about by the insertion of letters and official documents. The language is young, maturing (slightly) as the book progresses and the narrator matures (slightly); the age of the voice is very well modulated. Lately I've been expressing my concerns about writers using real people as characters in their fiction. (I seem to be one of the only people bothered by this, so this is mainly talking to myself, I suppose.) So why am I singularly untroubled by Becoming Marie Antoinette? I think it lies in three things: distance, author's motivation/respect for the subject, and the standing and condition of the person in question. Whether it's logical or not, time passage makes a difference to me: the 1770's are, or seem, much more distant even than the early 1800's; the farther back into history a book is set, the less it troubles me, whether because the longer ago it was the more a person becomes a figure of history or because family currently living is less likely to be hurt or something else I haven't determined yet. I do know that using someone who was living and breathing within my lifetime is highly offensive to me, while using, say, Chaucer, as Margaret Frazer does, is rather intriguing. To the second point, Becoming Marie Antoinette is a biographical novel, with an intent to both entertain and educate. (Both goals very nicely achieved, by the way.) From the author's notes, Juliet Gray developed a passionate fondness for Maria Antonia, and one of her missions is to try to combat the common image of the flighty and irresponsible queen. My impression of some of the works that use Jane Austen, the example who has been on my mind of late, has been far more along the lines of "Jane Austen is fashionable! I'll make her a detective and sell millions of books!" If nothing else, it's undignified, and lacks the respect Jane Austen is due. But it's standing, I think, that makes the biggest difference to me. It's in what I hypothesize the subject's outlook to be. Would she mind her avatar being co-opted, words being placed in her mouth that she never would have dreamed of saying and actions attributed to her that she never would have considered? Obviously, I have no deeper insight into the two women this paragraph is about than I have been able to gain from my unscholarly reading. But for Jane Austen, oh, yes, I have no doubt in the world that she would have more than minded. She was a private citizen. Private in terms of someone who had no public presence – her books were initially published anonymously – and also very much private in terms of having no desire for parading or being paraded in public. (I hesitate to refer to her as "Jane" in my reviews; it would have been such an intolerable presumption.) Marie Antoinette? I don't know. She was accustomed to her every move being scrutinized and discussed, used to everyone knowing who she was and what she said and did. My instinct – all I have to go on, really – is that she would have been charmed and flattered. And that makes a huge difference in my perception. There is one more thing that comes into play here. Voice. Becoming Marie Antoinette is written as if Maria Antonia is telling the story. Some of the other books I referred to earlier, the Jane Austen Detective books, are supposedly recently discovered Austen memoirs. Presuming to write in Jane Austen's voice is … I saw the adjective "ambitious" used in a review, and that is certainly a kind word for it. I used "hazardous" once; we'll go with that to be nice. Here, though, the hazard does not exist. For one thing, there is little enough to compare to, especially for the layman; for another, there is a genuineness – and, yes, respect – for the subject which solidifies the whole. Becoming Marie Antoinette an eye-opening book, obviously partisan, for a woman who needed partisans. It's the first of three following the princess-become-dauphine-become-queen through to the end, and I'll be interested in the rest of the story.
    • 3/5
      Becoming Marie Antoinette starts at the beginning where Marie Antoinette is still balancing her courtly lessons with her desire to chase after butterflies. She hardly seems ready to reign and dance through the political webs of French court, especially with a husband equally ill-prepared. Juliet Grey brings this young woman to life and captures her voice so vividly that one cannot help but to love her. I especially enjoyed the moments when Marie tries to capture Louis’s attention – their relationship seems so beautiful in its awkwardness. The only downside that I noticed was the ending. Granted, Becoming Marie Antoinette is simply Book 1 in a series, but I had wished it had continued a little bit longer just when the story starts to take off.
    • 4/5
      This first of three projected novels about Marie Antoinette is getting a good deal of buzz among readers and reviewers of historical fiction for its detailed portrayal of the period and its in-depth characterization of the future French Queen. In interviews Juliet Grey has pointed out that with this series she is interested in redeeming a much maligned historical figure, who, while usually portrayed as “heedless to headless” was, in fact, a much more sympathetic character. As Grey points out, the history of Marie Antoinette was written by her enemies, the victors of the French Revolution. Now there’s a new version, and it’s worth reading.Grey begins with the ten-year-old Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria on the day her mother, the Empress of Austria, began negotiations for the marriage of her youngest daughter to the Dauphin of France. She opens with a charming scene outdoors between “Toinette” (her family nickname), Charlotte (her favorite sister) and their governess, who is attempting to teach them French, but the girls are more interested in chasing butterflies and painting their governess’s face with their watercolors when she falls asleep in the sun. The scene has the difficult job of connecting us to a child enough so that we care about what happens to her and will read on. In this, Grey succeeds. She makes an excellent beginning in her opening sentence, “My mother liked to boast that her numerous daughters were ‘sacrices to politics.’” Other chilling details about the girls’ future roles and their mother’s demanding and distant treatment of them create a sharp contrast to the two mischievous girls whom we get to know quite intimately. They seem ordinary in their desire to distract their teacher and in the carefree way they get mud and grass stains on their silk gowns. That Toinette is clearly terrible at her lessons and can’t learn much of anything is another detail that hooks us in. How on earth is this little girl going to become a queen? Grey succeeds both in making us like this child and in causing us to worry about her. Marie Antointette’s journey to the French throne turns out to be complicated and full of pitfalls. While this is a work of fiction, Grey has based her characterization in history while allowing herself the liberty to imagine what went on both behind closed doors and within the minds of her characters. She has written nonfiction about this period and queen, and listening to her discuss her research, I’m willing to trust that she’s constructed a legitimate “read” of this famous woman, although I’m sure the debate will continue in scholarly and historical fiction circles. Certainly Grey’s version of Marie Antoinette is engaging. For me the strength of this book lies in Marie Antoinette’s richly developed inner world—how hard she tried to fulfill her mother’s demands, how vulnerable and unprepared she was for the gossipy, infighting French court, how much she yearned to be loved but mostly wasn’t, the bizarre but sweet relationship she shared eventually with her husband. For many people the elaborate detail about clothing, hairstyles, etiquette and court customs will be among the most delightful aspects. I have to confess that sometimes I got bogged down in the repeated dressing and hair-do scenes. Part of the point of them was to show that the young woman herself found them too much, so they served a purpose within the novel, but I sometimes wished for more plot less fashion. Marie Antoinette’s training in the Austrian court to prepare her to be an acceptable bride for the Dauphin was particularly detailed: dance steps, parlor games, walking styles, even, most astonishingly to me, braces made of gold to straighten her teeth. The reader does feel for this poor girl whose every moment seems calculated to point out her deficiencies and improve them. We are left with a vivid portrayal of a young woman who had no control over the path her life took, having been the pawn of her mother and many French and Austrian men as they tightened and manipulated ties between the two countries. Her efforts to define her own place and role are all the more interesting against this backdrop. That she succeeds at all in “becoming Marie Antoinette” is quite remarkable, and it’s worth going along on the journey.
    • 4/5
      Becoming Maria Antoinette is book one of the Maria Antoinette Trilogy by Juliet Grey.

      This book follows the life of the young Maria Antonia Archduchess of Austria from the moment of her betrothal to the Dauphine of France when she was just ten years old to her first years in France previous to her husband, the future Louis XVI ascension to the throne.

      Maria Antonia has always known she would marry an important man, somebody beneficial to Austria. What she had never thought was that she would be married so young.
      Antonia has mixed feelings about her betrothal to the Dauphine, she is sad to leave her house and her siblings so soon but at the same time she is very excited because one day she will be Queen of France and that is something of great importance, not just for her but for her mother’s political interests. But things were not as easy as signing a contract, Maria Antonia was found to possess many faults, as her lack of education and lack of proper court behavior and some physical imperfections too as crooked teeth and bad hair. To be able to make the French happy she goes through a very exhaustive preparation and transformation, no only intellectually but physically. She received lessons for many hours a day, while been subjected to the painful orthodontic treatment of the XVIII century (I don’t even want to think about that, auch).
      Finally her betrothal is finalized and months later Maria Antonia is leaving her family, home and country behind to start a new life as Maria Antoinette the Dauphine of France.
      Her first years in France are not easy, she is very young still and married to a teenager who doesn’t have any interest in her or in politics. She also doesn’t know who can she trust or whom to believe in a court full of gossip and intrigues, where everybody wants to use her as a pawn including her mother the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

      Becoming Maria Antoinette was a really nice surprise. I have read books about Maria Antoinette but all of them were about her reign days and not the years previous to being queen, for that reason I found this book very interesting and enlightening. I didn’t know orthodontic treatments were practice during those days nor did I know how young she was and all the preparations she has to go through to be ready for France.

      I found Mrs. Grey writing style ensnaring and real. For example Maria Antoinette’s character, she starts as a ten year old, her conversations and thoughts were clearly those of a girl her age, but as she is maturing those thoughts and dialogues mature as well. It’s the same with the evolution of the character of Louis XVI.

      My final thought: I really enjoyed Becoming Maria Antoinette. I found it well written and historically accurate. It’s obvious Mrs. Grey did a tremendous job with her research, she knows what she is talking about, she owns her knowledge and gives it life throughout vivid descriptions of daily life situations. Descriptions that days after finishing the book I can still envision in my head.
      Becoming Maria Antoinette was my first book by Juliet Grey but it won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to continue Maria Antoinette’s journey with the next installment of this series Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow due out summer 2012.
    • 4/5
      Marie Antoinette has long been a favorite character of mine in historical fiction. The French court, the elaborate pomp and circumstance, and then there is the setting --- Versailles. In Becoming Marie Antoinette, Grey takes us past the court window dressings introducing us to a young girl struggling to fit in and be someone much more French than her Austrian roots allow.The Austrian court is a quiet refuge for a young Marie Antonia, the youngest daughter of the empress. She has a lot of freedom and never having been much of a scholar, she does her best to avoid every lesson possible. When she’s told she will be marrying the Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste, she spends her days dreaming of marriage and children. However, she fails to understand her future marriage is more than a simple arrangement; it will be the culmination of a treaty between the Austrian empress and the French king. Her days spent dreaming in the garden are over. Her mother, knowing she needs to impress not only the French ambassador but eventually the French king, his court, and the country’s people, Marie Antonia’s education begins again with a decided slant towards making her not just appear French but to be French.Understanding for the first time the gravity of her marriage, Marie Antonia takes everything seriously from learning to endure French hair and clothing to performing the Versailles glide --- a way of walking through the halls of the palace --- perfectly. When her wedding plans are finally announced, the young daydreamer has been transformed into a young woman who may not entirely understand her new role, but is willing to try. Anxious to finally meet her husband, she does her best to make a good impression on everyone she meets during her journey. When she finally arrives, more changes await her, the least of which is being stripped of everything Austrian to be replaced completely with French versions including her name. She submits; Marie Antonia becomes Marie Antoinette.Determined to be nothing if not loved, Marie Antoinette makes it her duty to impress: her husband, the king, and the court. Unfortunately, not everyone finds her alluring and especially not her new husband. A quiet man of few words, she can’t figure out how to get through to him and the rumors of a virginal marriage bed begin to haunt her. With no place to find solace in a court constantly full of gossipy, curious courtiers, she attempts to understand the man who is her husband.What’s so interesting about this particular story is that we meet a young Marie Antoinette who has no head for academics but is able to make just about everyone love her. She’s fun and while she knows her freedom won’t last, she’s resigned to making the best of it. While the Marie Antoinette we meet isn’t the refined and glamorous woman of most historical fiction, she’s certainly a lovable character and most of that is due to her age. She’s young, incredibly young even for her age. And while you may know what’s coming her way, she seems blissful at least to a certain point. It’s when she comes to understand the difficulties that lay ahead for her, you begin to not only like her but feel for her. A foreign archduchess, she’s not looked upon kindly and realizes fast there are few she can trust in her new home.The relationship with Louis has its poignant moments and frankly some embarrassing ones as well. But you also see two young adults attempting to figure out what’s expected of them and how they plan to live up to those expectations. Finding they love each other along the way lends sweetness to a story that can easily be trounced on by an overbearing French court. There are a few places in the story when I did wish for less information as Grey has obviously done her research but overall those moments don’t cause harm. In many ways this is a coming of age story, but it’s also full of some interesting characters you don’t want to let go of even at the end which is good because Becoming Marie Antoinette is the first in a planned trilogy.