Customer Reviews

Versailles: A Novel

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

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I would read Kathryn Davis' grocery list, if she let me. Versailles is yet another brilliant effort, one that I will savor and buy as a gift for many people. She manages to get into the head of Marie Antoinette, in a way no one else- historian (THIS IS NOT A WORK OF HISTORY, anyway) nor novelist. I felt like I was actually there, in the palace, seeing the grounds abd breathing in the air. Davis has a magic touch, and it is all over this gem of a book!

Marie Antoinette.

Hers is a life full of rumor and scandal, passion and extravagance. The true details of which may never be fully understood, outside of the fact that it assisted in spurring on the French Revolution.

In Versailles, Marie takes a posthumous journey through her own life in all its glorious disarray. From the time she first traveled to become the dauphin's bride, through the almost desperate attempts at creating an heir to the throne that had been thrust upon the unprepared couple and along the corridors of time to the their fateful end. An inevitable finale to the life of one despised by the court and ignorant to the people's most pressing needs.

Marie's world revolved only in the direction she chose, and if it was the wrong direction, she wasn't completely unaware of that, but rather unconcerned by it. She had not invited the turns her life had taken, but was in no position to do other than embrace them the best she knew how...never realizing she would be opening the door to such a dark future.

While Marie may have seemed crass to those living outside of her immediate existence, she was not completely unfeeling. She had the ability to hurt emotionally, but may not have appreciated that aspect of herself until it was too late. Much too late.

Versailles is not a historical account of Marie Antoinette's life. Neither is it a systematic fictional story. Instead, it is an abstract piece of literary art gracefully entwining her own retrospective autobiographical-like musings with the structural beauty that is Versailles. It is not a tome everyone will necessarily enjoy, but most will appreciate its poetic inclinations. Kathryn Davis has brought an entirely unique perspective to an age-old story.

Versailles is an interesting approach to understanding Marie Antoinette. Kathryn Davis takes an essentially fictional look at her life and gets into her brain. What we get is an essentially stream of consciousness meditation of Marie Antoinette looking back on her life, with little regrets. Davis writes beautifully--the words seem to glide off the pages effortlessly. Marie Antoinette is not a wholly likeable narrator, but she is certainly human and certainly not a monster. Versailles is an interesting exploration of not history, but a historical figure.

Versailles, the mere name evokes visions of the venerable edifice and seat of French absolutist power. Kathryn Davis tries to recreate this world via Marie Antoinette. Antoinette's now fictionalized story, thanks to Davis, is paralleled against those of the rooms at Versailles. Starting from Marie's first days at Versailles as a youth, to her incipient days as queen, childbirth, and macabre allusions to the French Revolution, Versailles covers much of the more pertinent events her life. These events are covered in a series of vignettes, sometimes written from Marie's, courtiers, or servant's perspectives and at others as plays involving Marie and courtiers. The central focus throughout the text remains Marie Antoinette with a heavy emphasis on Versailles. All the big names are covered here: Louis XV, Madame du Barry, Adelaide, Maria Thesera, King Joseph, Louis XVI, Turgot, etc.

The main faults of Versailles lie in its execution, whereas the theory may come close to perfection. The better part of Marie's life is crammed into a framework of two-hundred pages and in a book that is more the size of a mini-book. This lack of pages leads to a forced and sometimes rushed plot. However, most of the plot is saved however because Davies lends so much flexibility to it because of its freeform design of part fiction, part biography. As so much of it is written from Marie's perspective, Davis can selectively skip and, conversely, dwell on certain aspects of her life. The downside to this style remains Davies writing. So much of the book remains a convoluted tirade. Allusions are made to the ever-present financial problems of France, the joys of motherhood, Louis's problems, and Marie's overall discontent, but so much of lies hidden in convoluted minutia. This convolution manifests itself at times in esoteric musings that simply do not add up historically or do not make sense. Sadly, Marie comes off as self-centered beyond what history has suggested. It seems a bit unfair and invented. Additionally, the title of Versailles seems a bit misleading, considering Versailles most notable construction was completely under the patronage of Louis XIV. To compound matters, Marie's most resplendent creation, the Hamlet, is neglectfully mentioned.

Versailles by K. Davis represents a stream of Marie Antoinette's consciousness and very often I got lost. This fascinating character could not be captured in 200 disjointed pages...some prose, some dialogued in the format of a play and some babble. I found the book annoying and put it down forever after 144 pages.

Her pug's name was MOPS!!!! and as the future Queen of France was stripped of all her "Austrianess" so too was Mops banished from French soil. There is so much right with this well-researched little book, but how does the author get such a well documented detail wrong? Eggplant? Where did that come from? Groan.

At times I enjoyed "Versailles". At other times I found it maddening. Some chapters are written in script format -including stage direction - I found this silly. At other times, we 're treated to Marie-Antoinette's inner dialogue - or inner babble, depending on one's take. Again, there were inspired sections but ultimately I felt she was trying too hard with the end result being inconsistent and just a little precious.