Confessions of Marie Antoinette: Marie Antoinette Series, Book 3

As Shakespeare wrote, "Heavy is the head that wears the crown." Juliet Grey has expanded on this thought in her new book "The Confessions of Marie Antoinette". Most of us know the basics of Marie's life. The young Austrian princess who became a queen while still a teenager. The woman who spent like she had a credit card with no limit, and, in the eyes of the French people, spent France into ruin. She was the epitome of the aristocracy that had held the people in a caste system for centuries, and because of this, led to her ultimate destiny under the blade of the guillotine. But this is what we all know. Ms.Grey has gone beyond the Marie Antoinette of legend and has ultimately made her human once more. This book is not a happy read. In fact, it may very well make you tear up as I did. It begins right where the last book leaves off (which I feel I have deprived myself of a good back to back read as I did not read "Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow" and really wish I did. I didn't realize this was a third installment of a trilogy or else I would have.) with the French people storming the streets of Paris, making their way to the gates of Versailles, demanding change. They are at first subdued by the promises of bread from the royal larders, but it does not take long for Louis and Antoinette to realize that the people are hungry for more than just bread; they are hungry for liberty.The escalation of the revolt is astounding. There is the famous quote that on the eve of the citizens storming Versailles, a palace guard comes running in, sweating and tells Louis the Parisians are at the gate. Louis looks up and says, "Is it a revolt?" The guard says, "No, sire. It's a revolution!"The author takes a few paragraphs here and there to take us out of the 1st person narrative, and brings us into a 3rd person side story of a sculptor named Louison. She is one of many swept up in the current of the revolution and throughout the book, her story allows us to escape for a few moments from Antoinette's narration, allowing us to see things from this perspective. Louison is not strongly supportive either way. She feels sympathy for the monarchs who are quickly being stripped of everything from their power to their most basic comforts. I always felt there must have been many who felt this way, but with the carts rolling by every day full of condemned traitors of the nation and the nonstop flow of conspirators and blood, the fear they felt must have been too much to bear, so they say and do nothing.Antoinette and Louis are at first given the comfort of living together with their children, and the king's devoted sister, the Princesse Elisabeth, and are allowed the comforts of a family living in genteel poverty in the Tuileries Palace (a nice enough place to live, especially in comparison to what the future holds, but a far cry from Versailles). One by one, these comforts are taken away, just as one by one their rights are taken as well.Several attempts at escape are made, including the famous flight to Varennes where, only kilometers from the Prussian boarder, they are caught and sent back to Paris in a slow procession of humiliation, On the 21st September, 1790, the king and queen become Citizen and Citizess Capet (September 21 happens to be my birthday, so I found that interesting). The couple and their family are moved to the Temple; a medieval fortress that was named after the Knights Templar and every inch the embodiment of a medieval turreted nightmare.Things begin to move at an even faster pace after the move to the Temple. Louis is soon told he may only take meals with his family, and he is to be lodged elsewhere in the Temple. He knows at this point he is living on borrowed time. A few weeks later, they come for him and after a tearful embrace (here is the part of the book that made me cry bullets! It's been quite some time since this has happened.) he promises to come back for a final goodbye which he never makes. Louis is put under the guillotine and the "tyrant" is dead, for the "tree of liberty is watered by the blood of tyrants" says Robespierre. This proves to be even more difficult a time for Antoinette than she could have foreseen, since the new regime can't seem to decide if the nation would be better served through her exile or her death. Ultimately, history shows us more were screaming for her death than her exile. To compound her pain, they move her son, now Louis XVII to those who still uphold the monarchy, to the same rooms that his father occupied before he was led to his death. For days she can hear him crying for his mother, and the awful guards who are to take charge of his education, teach him the songs of the revolution and tell him to yell at the top of his lungs that his mother is a whore, or else face corporal punishment, Poor Antoinette has to hear his "lessons" from her lodgings and one day even overhears him through the floorboards saying "haven't they killed that whore yet?" Louis Joseph dies of neglect and exposure two years after his mother's death,Then the inevitable. Marie Antoinette is led from the Temple to the Conciergerie, also known as "death's antichamber" to await her own execution. She is subjected to the most cruel treatment that one can imagine during this time, including a precession of citizens led through the prison to gawk at her as if she is an animal in a zoo (where the side story of Louison finally crosses with that of that of Marie Antoinette in an emotional unspoken moment between these two women who, outside of this moment, might never have met). Marie Antoinette is put under the blade on the 16th October, 1793.This is a sad book, although I would highly recommend it for lovers of historical fiction, lovers of French history, or those who like myself, have a fascination with Marie Antoinette. Juliet Grey did her subject justice with this well flowing narrative filled with real to life characters and history lessons that are not written in the way of a textbook. You cannot fail to walk away knowing something new. 4.5 stars.

I raced through the first two books, and thought about the characters during the day. I looked at portraits of Marie Antoinette and tried to visualize her doing the things in the books, and what life must’ve been like for her. I was totally and happily immersed.Then I got to the last book, and knowing the ending, started to slow down. It took me 3 days to read the last 200 pages because I didn’t want it to end. I was invested in Marie and her people that every pettiness and cruelty then went through hurt my feelings.Thank you for this gift, Juliet. As someone who wonders if I was born in the right era, you beautifully pulled me in. Now what will I read? I pity my next author, ha!

First of all, I don't understand why Netflix hasn't started a series of this trilogy books. The life of Marie Antoinette was so interesting and she seemed to have been such a captivating person that we are reading about her life up to this day. This book is amazing when it comes to descriptions of events and facts. I researched the facts and everything in the book is factual. Her letters are also there too. It's an amazing book. I read all three of them after buying the first one in Versailles.

These three books were rely great reading. Although the reader was aware of the ending it was very fascinating to know details of Marie Antoinette. I found her to be rather frivolous butexpected of royalty. Understanding her .marriageI was not surprised to find out she had an affair.Feeling especially sorry for her as a mother when she had her children taken from her was difficultfor me as a mother.

This is the third book in a series and from my limited knowledge of the French Revolution (I just started really studying this period), the material covered is accurate. Being told from the perspective of Marie Antoineete, at times my heart broke for the fear she must have felt. The author does a wonderful job of telling the story.

The third novel and final novel. Continues to capture impeccable details of the day. One must read to truly understand the profound brutality that overshadowed Paris during this time period. The story provides a fascinating glimpse of the heart and mind of one of the world's most misunderstood queens. I highly recommend.

It was very emotionally written and brought me to tears. It was, at times, a depressing read but her life was tragic.

This was a great book, my favorite of the trilogy. Expect a clear, detailed account of the story of Marie Antoinette's fall. Do not expect a light harded book to make you feel good, because it will not. If you want a book that will enlighten you as to what actually happened to Marie Antoinette AND her family, including the King himself than this is the book for you.

This allows you to see the truth or most of the revolutionTrilogy is much worth reading

wife loved this book

Very enjoyable read another one for my collection.

good

FAB FAB FAB! Very cleverly written