Customer Reviews

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 (The Royal Diaries)

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Written about the "headstrong" Austrian archduchess Maria Antonia (as the future Queen of France was called as a child), this book portrays her as a girl who wants to be herself. Tired of her mother's incessant attempts to mold her into a beautiful, ladylike Queen, Maria Antonia just wants a chance to develop her own character and make decisions for herself. This book also deals with Maria Antonia's marriage to Louis XVI, the Dauphin (or Crown Prince) of France. Maria Antonia has been meticulously prepped so that she will make a good impression on the Dauphin and his grandfather, the incumbent French monarch. However, when she actually meets her fiance, Maria Antonia discovers to her shock (and horror) that he is not at all handsome and that he is overweight--which is completely the opposite of what she was expecting him to look like. But Maria Antonia and her husband grow closer throughout the final third of the book and become good friends at last. They are on the verge of falling in love when the book ends. Maria Antonia also has to deal with Countess du Barry, the King's mistress. Du Barry is unfriendly to Maria Antonia and goes out of her way to insult the young Dauphine. In spite of this, Maria Antonia is expected to talk to du Barry and be courteous to her--which the Dauphine refuses to do. The book also talks about Maria Antonia's bond with her older sister Elizabeth, who was once a great beauty but whose skin is now scarred as a result of smallpox. Titi, or Theresa, who is Maria Antonia's seven-year-old niece (the daughter of her older brother Joseph and his late wife Isabella of Parma), is also a close friend of the Archduchess. A principal character in this book is Queen Maria Theresa (Maria Antonia's mother), who is controlling and strict (but not cruel). This book interested me in the history of the Habsburg family (of which Maria Antonia was a member). The author aptly describes the scenery of Maria Antonia's home(s) in Austria--expertly enough so that I could recognize every single landmark mentioned in the book when I visited Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, coincidentally a few days after I finished the book. An excellent read!

This book is great. She was married at 13! My favorite part tells about Marie Antoinette in France and she thinks the French etiquette is sometimes too much. I agree. She teaches her husband lots of Austrian things he has never heard of. Overall this book deserves the best rating. I recommend this book for book worms and girls ages 10-14.

The year is 1769; the place, Austria. The pressure is on thirteen-year-old Maria Antonia, youngest daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa, to excell so that she will be chosen to marry the future king of France. Antonia, as she is called, must learn French language, fashions, customs, and etiquette so that she can impress the king's messengers. She is given no time to act her age; when she does attempt to enjoy life as a girl should, she is severely punished. When she is sent away to France, her life is little better - she makes enemies of the mistress of the current king, who is the grandfather of her husband-to-be. She is forced to observe customs she can barely keep straight. And she is having a hard time getting along with her fiance. I viewed Marie Antoinette differently after reading this book. It was obvious from the book and the afterword that Marie and her husband were not trained well by their parents and teachers on how to become good rulers, and Marie had been taught from the time she was young that the most important thing was to look good. This is most likely why they became such bad rulers and ended up losing their lives.

"Marie Antoinette, Princess of Versailles" is a wonderful edition of the Royal Diary Series. Kathryn Lasky went all out on research and detail.

Born Maria Antonia, Marie Antoniette was the daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg. This book recalls her years before and during the early parts of her marriage with the Dauphin, Louis Auguste (soon to be Louis XVI). She loses many friends on her journey to become the future Queen of France, not knowing she would be the last.

This time in her life, depicts Antonia's (affectionately named by her mother and austrian friends) childhood in a naive carefree way such as it is with many young rich royals. The fussing of her marriage to Louis Auguste. The politics and the resentment given to Madame Du Barry, mistress of Louise Auguste's grandfather, King Louis XV. Lasky tells all, the culture, the fashion, the politics, and the ridiculous etiquette of the court at Versailles.

Marie Antoniette could have been a spoiled child as many thought but she was all too naive about the realistic world. She could have very well turned into that rueful Queen because of the arstictocrats and hypocrites at Versailles. Even though the story has 'happy' beginning, Toinette (affectionately named by Louis Auguste) will lead a tragic life to uprise the revolution of France and to end the French Moncarchy.

Marie Antoinette had a mother who ruled a country and kept peace not with war but with marriages. Marie was to be a part of the plot of peace. An arranged marriage with an akward Dauphin Louis, results in a very sad Marie Antoinette. Constant pressure from her mother, and the the ever-pressing French Court. Marie who was not one to obey the French Ettiquette, may have not always got along with the French. She alone, changed the french way of behaving for the rest of history. But unfortunatley, her faults lead to her untimely death. This book was jammed-packed with information and therefore is one of my favorites. Combining history with pleasure is a great idea! I would recommend for ALL ages

This book is the "diary" of Marie Antoinette, from the time she is 13, known as Antonia, and only archduchess of the Holy Roman Empire. At the end of the book, she is fifteen, dauphine of France, and wife of the future Louis XVI, who comes complete with a bad complexion. At first she hates the French court, and all the fake people, especially Madame du Berry, a former prostitute and now the King (Louis XV)'s mistress. This book was good, and gave me a good impression of Marie Antoinette. She was a bad ruler for the times, especially because she seemed to have no sense of the common Frenchman's plight. A good read.

I liked this book a lot. A lot of people have a bad image of Marie Antoinette but this helped to understand why she was such a horrible queen - she had no idea what was going on nor was she ready to be a queen. You saw through her diary that she was a real person and that she was once a teenager, which was a really neat experience. I thought this was a great book as are all the other Royal Diaries and Dear America books.

Marie is a young lady who is being married off to Louis XVI in France. She spends her time learning to dance, talk, walk, curtsy, French, and other things on how to act as a lady in the French court of Versailles (nothing like math or financial things, which eventually led to her demise due to her inexperience in ruling). But Marie is alone and is moved to Farnce without anything or anyone she knows (except her dog) and is entered into a world where she is looked down upon because she is foreign and is in rivalry with Madame Du Barry the kings mistress. But while being stubborn in not talking to the mistress she introduces Louis XVI to wonderul things. I enjoyed the book though there were dull moments(not many though).

I personally thought this book shows how much pressure girls and boys go through when they're heir to the throne. Marie Antionette, orginally named Maria Antonia in Versellies but had to change it to fit France's expectatatons, loved being a child. Riding horses without having to sit side-saddle, splashing in mud, and wading in the fountain was always something to look forward to for her. But then she is to be wed she can no longer be seen as a child. With help from her sister Elizabeth, she is able to overcome the tough things that crossed her path on changing from a little girl to a young lady. Marie Antionette had to deal with sad deaths in the family, and a close friend, and finding out who she really was deep inside. When she makes her way to France, and then finally meets the Dauphine, her fiance, she is greatly disappointed. But then she realizes it's inside that makes you really love someone. Marie Antionette is a book I will gladly read again.

This is a very good book, girls from ages 11 to 13 might enjoy this book. It is about a princess who is struggling to become the future queen of France.When she finally becomes the princess of France she is disgusted with the way the French behave,her husband,And more than half the Royal cort.In the end she beomes friends with her husband,bors him 4 children and becomes the Queen of France.