Customer Reviews

Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles

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I have been to Versailles several times and visited the gardens surrounding the Trianons but nothing prepared me for the delight to be found in this fascinating book about the creation of the gardens in general, and specifically the design schemes and influence of Marie Antionette.

One is able to follow the earliest forms of the gardens created by Louis XIV, Louis XV and Madame Pompadour, with concerns for the botanical collections and for "fastasical glades and bosquets" so popular during their eras, progressing on to the innovative design ideas brought about with the assistance of talented collaborators Marie Antionette gathered around her to achieve her goals for a much more atypical garden than had been previously formed. Here we have a nod to the bucollic spaces of the English garden combined with her love of fragrant blooms and rare specimans, and for her love of theatricals and garden parties. The lovely Theatre, the delightful Belvedere and the Temple of Love, bear witness to her love for "vistas" viewed from various locations throughout the gardens. The Alpine Garden, comprised of rock formations and including flora which could be found growing in the Alps, created an adventurous and otherworldly element to experience and enjoy by those fortunate to be invited guests of the Queen. The Dairy, vegetable gardens and farm, allowed the Queen and her guests to experience a simplicity and relaxation far removed from the strict rules of the court which was both novel and enlightening for the time.

One is made aware of the sensibilies of the Queen and how she chose to effect her ideas. The atmosphere and ambience of the gardens and glades adjacent to the Petite Trianon which she loved for its qualities of privacy became spaces to share and enjoy with her close friends and immediate family in a way she could not experience within the strict codes of behavior demanded at the Palace of Versailles.

More than just the collaborative planning and overseeing of the design of the gardens, the Queen was exacting in her concern for the "details" needed to create it and one is made aware of how much more substance there was in her character, as well as, having a highly developed artistic sensibility. Her generoisity to the workers and artists she gathered around her for maintaining the gardens and buildings bears witness to her graciousness as a human being. These are qualities that we are often led to overlook or not made aware of when viewed in light of the more sensational aspects of her actions and personality historically repeated in a negative fashion.

"Marie Antionette and the Last Garden at Versailles." is a throughly enjoyable book with a well balanced presentation of the history of the gardens and those who made them possible. This puts the volume far beyond the "coffee table" variety. The black and white images are beautifully captured and in many ways conjour the past dramatically with a sense of silent nostalgia. But the gorgeous color photographs offer a rich feast for the eyes and imagination for today's visitor.

Thomas Lee Randleman

If you are thinking of buying this book, buy it!!! You won't be disappointed. Beautiful, moody, evocative pictures. Amazing historical and biographical information. I have not visited Versailles, but plan to in the future. Now, after reading this book, I plan to spend enough time in MA's gardens to really appreciate how significant they are to the evolution of garden's of pleasure and what they say about the person who became a legend.

I want to address the comments made by the previous post:
1. The photographs in this book were take by an artist, at the very top of his field. If you have a love of home design you either know who Francoise Halard is or you have unknowingly been admiring his work. Trust me, he's amazing. In one of the best-selling design books of the last ten years, "Vogue Living Houses, Garden's, People" Halard photographed no less than 25 of the 36 homes featured, along side the photos of some of the biggest names in photography, names like Bruce Weber, Tim Walker,Karl Lagerfeld and Horst. To have your home/lifestyle photographed by Halard puts you in the category of the most stylish and elite of our times. There is no one better today to photograph the gardens of Marie Antoinette than Halard. The black and white photos are very intentionally developed by the hand of this artist. They are not "poorly developed, blurred or of bad publishing quality" at all. Trust me these photographs are BEAUTIFUL.

2.The previous post should be deemed to have questioable motives. The only other reviews they have are for the books by the author they suggest you buy instead of this book. I'm sure the other book is very good as well, but writing a crappy post about a competing book is just lame, it seems like something a relative (or someone with a stake in the sales) would do. There is room on the bookshelf of any francophile for both of these books. In case my post begs the same question, I promise I have no interest in the sales of this book. As an avid reader and collector of books, I feel the potential buyers should have an accurate, fair review of this book.

So, in conclusion of this review, I suggest to anyone interested in Versailles and MA: buy "Marie Antoinette and the Last Garden of Versailles", it's a must-have!! And check out the "Versailles " book by Jean-Marie Perouse de Montclos, it looks good too and is on my want list.

Marie-Antoinette is something of an enigma, some feel she is the misunderstood tragic heroine of the Ancient Regime and some feel she is that Austria wh*re, who may or my not have said, let them eat cake, and spent France into Revolution, I feel she is probably all of this and more. One thing is for certain, she held herself and her family in honor as she took the guillotine, she died with grace befiting her stature, even if those around her threw things at her and called her unspeakable things. As for this book, it is very good, the images are well presented, some in black and white, others in color, and the text is informative without being too dry or scholarly. I appreciated the attention to such buildings as the glorious Belvedere and the gorgeous Pavillion, these two esquisite small buildings often get lost in the spendor that is Versailles, but they are actually two of the most beautiful stuctures on the Palace grounds. A few buildings such as the Petit Palais get sort of short shrift, but they have been covered extensively in other books and really are more thought of in the context of Louis XV and Pompadour. Overall, a good book that covers some new ground, fine images and interesting text make it a fitting homage to Antoinette and her small sanctuary at Versailles.

I wanted this to be definitive book it could have been, but with over half of the photos in a.) black and white, which would be ok, but not great, or b.)appearing to be poorly developed, blurred or of bad publishing quality, it just isn't the impact one would expect from a book about this subject. I would expect this of a "second" or "off-print" like you see at those outlet mall bookstores. But this was not noted on the website. If all books of this title in stock are of this poor quality it should be stated so that Amazon shoppers are aware of that fact. Maybe it was just the one I ordered which is too bad, since I bought it as a birthday gift for my husband. Luckily, Amazon had another great book and I bought it instead. If you are wanting a beautiful book trylooking at "Versailles" by Jean-Marie Perouse de Montclos.