HISTORICAL
FICTION
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Marie Antoinette en chemise by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
(1783): portrait of the queen in a "muslin" dress; this
controversial portrait was viewed by her critics to be improper for a
queen
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Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre
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The Storming of the Tuileries Palace
Jean Duplessis-Bertaux painting, 1793
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Satirical cartoon
lampooning the excesses of the Revolution as seen from England
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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The Queen's Dollmaker
by Christine
Trent
Adventure, passion
and friendship
After a brief encounter with the
Austrian Dauphine Marie, young Claudette Laurent struggles to survive
after a Paris fire leaves her an orphan. Everything she has ever
known is gone ---her family, her father's dollmaking shop, and all the
simple luxuries of life. She boards a ship for London only to
discover that the conditions are far from what she ever imagined.
Despite her distance from the past, both physical and and emotional,
one thing remains in her heart --- the beauty of her father's work.
Bit by bit, Claudette's dream to carry on the work of her father
comes to fruition, so much so that the Queen of France herself takes
notice. Seizing the opportunity to travel home, Claudette becomes
a witness to the turmoil as France stands on the brink of revolution.
THE QUEEN'S DOLLMAKER
is a riveting historical fiction novel filled with adventure,
friendship and passion set in a period of political
upheaval as the French Revolution causes radical changes in French
society. The
heroine Claudette witnesses the events of Marie Antoinette's life first
hand, from her entry into Paris until her death. Seen through
Claudette's eyes, a woman who is both an outsider and insider to the
royal court in her role as dollmaker, a reader sees Marie Antoinette as
the woman behind the royal image. The common view of the queen as
the disdainful and detached spoiled woman pales in comparison to
Christine Trent's ability to put show all those forces around the
queen. Christine Trent creates a sympathetic portrait of
this controversial figure by delving into historical details, retelling
the story from a more personal point of view that readers witness them
as if they too are standing right there. Through Claudette, the
human weaknesses, the emotions and the the lesser known endeavors to
curb courtly excess of Marie Antoinette come to life.
Claudette's struggles to survive and make a life for herself are just
as powerful as the portrait of Marie Antoinette. Claudette's
memorable adventures, both heartbreaks and her successes, glue
one to the pages. One hopes with her, cries with her, laughs when
those who have put her down finally get their due, and recoils from the brutality of the
times with her.
Claudette is an admirable woman, a woman who keeps her dignity in less
than noble times and situations. She is hardworking, intelligent,
practical and creative. She sets high standards for herself and
strives to achieve them against almost impossible odds. When
opportunity presents itself, she does not hesitate to act. She
does not hesitate to better herself nor does she hesitate to reach out
to others. Wherever she goes, she forms friendships with
others. Loyalty characterizes her friendships, friends made in
the most dire circumstances with little hope for gain or a kind of
friendship with the queen herself. Romance plays a pivotal role
in Claudette's life, sometimes a dangerous one, as she struggles to
choose between two men and as those men align themselves to the
politics of the time.
THE QUEEN'S DOLLMAKER brings the
French Revolution alive in ways even history and movies have not
through the author's portrayal of minute details. Despite knowing
the history and the events that will occur as the timeline counts down,
this reader was so caught up in the story that I found myself hoping
against all odds for a different ending. I simply grew to love
the characters, even those historical figures for whom I might not
otherwise feel much empathy. Christine Trent tells a powerful
story that puts the reader right there in the moment! In THE QUEEN'S DOLLMAKER, Christine
Trent integrates historical research into the very fabric of her tale
without ever sacrificing the fictional pleasure of the novel as a
form. In-depth
characterization, a tight
captivating plot, and emotional insight maximized by narrative
technique all make this book very hard to put down. Excellent!
Publisher: Kensington
(December
29, 2009)
Author
website
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
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