Madame Royale [Hardcover]

Elena Maria Vidal (Author), Elena Maria Vidal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

An historical novel on the French Revolutionary Age. This intriging story deals in particular with the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, and the search for her little, lost brother. All of the major characters were real people, and the situations are based on fact. Madame Royale was written as a response to readers of Trianon, who wanted to know "What happened to the daughter?" and more about the surviving personages of the story. The period which follows the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, called by historians "the Bourbon restoration" (1814-1830), was outwardly one of rest and peace for France. Yet beneath the surface, the forces of revolution were engaged in a ruthless duel for power with those of the reaction. The conflict, played out in salons and boudoirs, in newspapers, novels and pamphlets, was nevertheless a fight to the death, from which one party would emerge the conqueror, while the other would sink into the oubliette of exile or imprisonment. The Left had many weapons. As for the reactionaries, they possessed mediocre, frail or aged princes, with followers whose religious convictions were sometimes prone to be superficial or bigoted. They had, however, one weapon, and that weapon was a woman, a woman who embodied in herself the tradition of legitimacy, of a heritage reaching far back into the mists of the early centuries of Christianity. Of cold demeanor with a heart of fire; of bitter aspect, with an unfailing generosity, her undying faith and zealous devotion to God, His Church, and the poor led her to be the heroine and defender of the idea of the Christian state. Daughter of a martyred king and queen, she was Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France, the Duchesse d'Angouleme, who from childhood had been called "Madame Royale." Hardcover, smythe-sewn, cream paper, 350 pages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The overarching backdrop of this heartrending story is that none of us can choose the circumstances into which we are born, and yet those unique circumstances are the very proving ground of virtue, our own gymnasium of charity. ~Genevieve Kineke --Canticle Magazine, May-June, 2007

An unforgettable portrait of a royal life...Madame Royale is a fantastic tribute to one of Europe's most tragic but courageous princesses.
--Gareth Russell, author of THE AUDACITY OF IDEAS and POPULAR

From the Author

The children of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were not the only innocents to suffer during the Revolution. Many French people, particularly the peasants of the Vende, rebelled against the Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity that were being imposed upon them through bloodshed. They resented their churches being taken over and eventually closed by Republic, while the priests were killed or exiled. They took up arms and Austrian scholar Eric von Keuhnelt-Leddihn describes the harsh brutality which the Revolutionary government exercised upon the uncooperative citizens. General Westermann and his bleus were especially notorious for their sadism towards children. There were atrocities all over the Vende, and in Lyon and other French towns and cities where the Revolution was not appreciated. It was the blueprint for the mass murders of the totalitarian regimes of later centuries. Many children died, many young lives were shattered at the dawn of the modern world. Madame Royale was the living symbol of all the lost children of France.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Neumann Press (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911845976
• ISBN-13: 978-0911845976
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elena Maria Vidal grew up in the countryside outside of Frederick, Maryland, "fair as the garden of the Lord" as the poet Whittier said of it. As a child she read so many books that her mother had to put restrictions on her hours of reading. During her teenage years, she spent a great deal of her free time writing stories and short novels.

Elena graduated in 1984 from Hood College in Frederick with a BA in Psychology, and in 1985 from the State University of New York at Albany with an MA in Modern European History. In 1986, she joined the Secular Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Elena taught at the Frederick Visitation Academy and worked as a private tutor as well as teaching children's etiquette classes. During a trip to Austria in 1995 she visited the tomb of Empress Maria Theresa in the Capuchin crypt in Vienna. Afterwards she decided to finish a novel about Marie-Antoinette she had started writing ten years before but had put aside. In 1997 her first historical novel TRIANON was published by St. Michaels Press. In 2000, the sequel MADAME ROYALE was published, as well as the second edition of TRIANON, by The Neumann Press. Both books quickly found an international following which continues to this day. In 2010, the third edition of TRIANON and the second edition of MADAME ROYALE were released.

In November 2009, THE NIGHT'S DARK SHADE: A NOVEL OF THE CATHARS was published by Mayapple Books. The new historical novel deals with the controversial Albigensian Crusade in thirteenth century France. Elena has been a contributor to Canticle Magazine, Touchstone Magazine, The American Conservative and The National Observer. In April 2009 she was a speaker at the Eucharistic Convention in Auckland, New Zealand. In August 2010 Elena spoke at The Catholic Writers Conference in Valley Forge, PA. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the Eastern Shore Writers Association. She currently lives in Maryland with her family and is working on a historical novel about her Irish ancestors. Elena blogs at http://teaattrianon.blogspot.com/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic!, August 2, 2006

By 

Christine Irvin (Houserville, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madame Royale (Hardcover)

A review of Madame Royale by Elena Maria Vidal

So much of what is going on in politics and the world today I understood better after reading E.M. Vidal's Madame Royal. This is a romantic and intriguing novel, much better written than Trianon, which I also loved. And yet there is so much more to it than just a story of the tragic daughter of Marie Antoinette. So much of the injustices of the modern era and culture of death are foreshadowed in this book. All the characters are so real and I felt like I knew them. My favorite part was when Therese slaps Caroline to keep her from going into Paris with the pistols in her belt. Very exciting - but more than just exciting!! It is an incredibly meaningful novel and journey into the past in order to clearly see the present.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vidal does it again!, July 31, 2006

By 

Georgette M Naqui - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madame Royale (Hardcover)

Marie Therese Charlotte is the subject of this sequel to <em>Trianon</em> which takes up the story of the French Revolution in the wake of the unjust beheading of her father and mother, the King and Queen of France, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

What struck me about Marie Therese's story (or "Madame Royale" as she was called by her parents and those of the court in happier days), as presented in this wonderful novel by Elena Maria Vidal, was the incredible strength of character she possessed! After a series of heart-rending traumas that would have reduced most people to a puddle of despair, she ended up with the court of the exiled king of France, Louis XVIII, successor and brother of Madame Royale's own father, Louis XVI. This new king, her uncle, had been part of the conspiracy to bring his own brother to the guillotine so that he himself could be king. All during her stay amongst his exiled court, Marie Therese was obsessed with the burning question of what became of her brother, who would have been King Louis XVII. She was in a very difficult position, living with this one who deposed her father, while trying to find out news of her brother's whereabouts or even if he was alive or dead, because any hint to her uncle of her inquiring into it would imply treason against him. She literally walked on eggshells, yet, with the nimbleness of a champion fencer and the strategizing ability of the most deft chess player, she pursued the answer to her question.

This is a moving and beautiful story of a great woman's strength, nobility and indeed, holiness.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Sequel, July 3, 2006

By 

Karolina Tomalka "Linka" (State College, PA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madame Royale (Hardcover)

I was so excited to see a sequel to Trianon. The author presents the amazing story of Marie Antoinette's and King Louis' daughter - Madame Royale. Just as in Trianon, you feel that you are in the story - it is so vivid. Even though this is a novel, what impressed me is the historical accuracy. I can't wait for Ms. Vidal's next book!