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Abundance

By Sena Jeter Naslund, 2006, from the library

You should know

I'm not really into the French Revolution, but I do enjoy compelling biographies and well-written historical fiction from time to time.  This was recommended via Twitter.

So?

This is a novelized version of the life of Marie Antoinette.  I don’t know enough about her historical life to tell you how accurate it is or is not, but it was an engaging read.

The book begins as the Marie is leaving home for the first time to marry the young prince she has never met.  It continues as she adapts to French life in general and the royal court in specific, hears about wars and revolutions abroad and at home, and finally ends at the guillotine.  This is presumably not a spoiler, and if you didn’t know going in how it ends, shame on you.

Much of the book is presented in the form of letters between Marie and her family and confidantes.  This adds some nice outside perspective to a novel that is otherwise told from the protagonist’s point of view.

Rating

A pretty good beach read.
Much of it reads like a period romance novel, but the intrigue gives it a bit more weight.  Obviously, it doesn’t have a happy ending, but it’s light enough overall.