11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A strange but poetic experience, December 22, 2002
This review is from: Versailles: A Novel (Hardcover)
It all depends, I suppose, on what you're looking for in a historical novel. If you are seeking a sprawling epic that follows a famous personage from birth to death and all points between, like the books of Margaret George or Jean Plaidy, you will be disappointed with _Versailles_. Kathryn Davis's novel about Marie Antoinette will seem episodic, disjointed, and inaccurate. Due to Davis's penchant for writing disconnected scenes, rather than a flowing narrative, parts of this book make no sense unless you're armed with a great deal of knowledge about the period. For example, the Dauphin's death is mentioned, and then a little while later, people are talking about the Dauphin again, who seems to have come back from the grave. In fact, the second Dauphin was born before the first one's death, but the younger prince's birth is never mentioned in the book--or even his name. If you didn't already know about him, that part would be quite confusing. And there are errors as well--the Tuileries was not burned to the ground, as Davis attests. Napoleon lived in it, for pete's sake. Personally, I'm a big fan of the sort of historical novel that depicts a time period in as much detail as a nonfiction book would, but using the fictional form to infuse emotion and drama into the events.
But this is another sort of book entirely. Once I got over wishing this was a Margaret George book (pick on me if you will, I don't care), I began to enjoy _Versailles_ for what it is: a poetic, experimental novella. Davis uses a series of scenes, tableaux maybe, to show us Antoinette's story. Some are in first-person prose, some in third-person prose, some in the form of a play script, some in poetry. There is even a scene based on a painting that has a certain gruesome connection to the Bourbon rulers. All of the scenes are strung together quite loosely, so that if you don't know anything about the period, you'll be lost. But if you do know some of the history, the scenes do add some color to it. Early in the book, they are funny, saucy, and irreverent. The end of the book, fittingly, takes a somber and haunting tone; I was especially moved by Antoinette's time in prison, her death, and her existence as something other than herself after that. The last sentence of the book is a stunner--I won't give it away.
This book is pretty good, if you think of it as a sort of prose poem about Antoinette rather than a narrative, and if you already know much of her history. Or maybe if you just want to read evocative, beautiful prose.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not a work of history!!, July 25, 2006
Compelled by my interest in the French Revolution to read everything and anything about it, I stumbled upon this novel after seeing it mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, I believe. Now Miss Davis is a very creative writer, nothing against her personally, but I was appalled to see the historical liberties taken. The most minimal research was neglected. The way the novel is laid out, in short vignettes, rather reminds me of Vidal's format for her brilliant and very accurate novel "Trianon." I actually felt reminded of "Trianon," while deprived of the masterful character studies, and instead treated to sad, tawdry scenes of Marie-Antoinette's bedroom ordeals. I think it would be enjoyable if approached as poetry. It is amusing to me how so many novels take an introspective approach to Marie-Antoinette, in either a mythical journal or an ongoing examination of conscience, when by all accounts the queen was a lively, extroverted lady, not one for mulling things over. Not badly written, but not very romantic, either. A weak attempt at a historical novel but fine as literature.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A stunning novel, October 30, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Versailles: A Novel (Hardcover)
A friend recommended Versailles, and though I don't usually like historical fiction, I couldn't put this novel down. The writing is poetic and addictive, and Marie Antoinette really comes alive here as a humorous but tragic-- and utterly appealing-- figure. An exploration of everything from royalty to architecture to the soul, this book dazzles and provokes its reader. The language Davis uses is at once precise and ornate and surprising. I plan to read Kathryn Davis' other books next!
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