Farewell, My Queen by Chantal Thomas

Farewell, My Queen by Chantal Thomas

Publisher: George Braziller Inc. (June 2012)

257 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $7.99)

Book Rating: 3 Stars

This book tells the story of the last three days at Versailles (July 14-16, 1789), from the point of view of a servant, particularly a young woman whose occupation it is to read to the Queen, and in the end is asked to dress as the Duchess de Polignac while they make their escape to divert danger from the Queen's favorite. I found this story slow-moving, at times rambling, at times ruminating. Having just finished 'Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser', I found this lacking detail, but looking back, I think that was the point. The servants and many courtiers had little or no information about what was going on until it was upon them, leaving only the bewildering reflections of an intricate world falling apart at an amazing pace. It also showed the stark contrast between the few servants that remained loyal to stand by the royals and the great masses that fled to save themselves, with varying degrees of internal conflict. I'm hoping the movie version, which I have not seen yet, will better hold my interest.

Movie Adaptations/Modern Retellings/Related Works:

Farewell, My Queen (2012)-Subtitled

Lea Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Virginie Ledoyen

Movie Rating: R

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry