Farewell, my Queen [Hardcover]

*Big sigh* This poor poor novel deserver's much more praise then people seem willing to bestow upon it (poor thing) so have decided to intervene on it's behalf. This is a wonderful novel really and one i would implore anyone with an interest in historical fiction to read, it is truly worth it, and indeed for any obsessive Marie Antoinette fan (like yours truly is ^_^) i would say this novel will please very highly. Its pretty word play and charming reminessing of the past, of a world of periwigs and Grand balls among the beginnings of the first signs of a crumbeling autocratic country are truly a delight to read. In my opinion this is not 'the best' novel of Marie Antoinette i have ever read but it certainly wasen't bad, it was charming and i really really enjoyed it and im sure if you give it a try you will see its charm to..

Chantal Thomas' `Farewell my Queen' takes the form of a confessional memoir, spoken by an old lady in self-imposed exile in Vienna, recounting the change in French monarchy to republic. The pivotal story takes place over the course of three days, giving us a by the hour breakdown of the confusion that surrounding the tumultuous events of July 14 - 16, 1789 as the Bastille fell and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were forced to attempt to flee Versailles. It is an eloquently written novel that seeks to demonstrate the artificial utopia of a late eighteenth century French court life which floated along in a structured yet almost dreamy manner and was rudely intruded upon by the realities of life over a fateful three days. Whilst it is hard to find sympathy for any of the protagonists, so ably represented by the doeful Madame Lambourde, second reader to the Queen, it does show an embellished view of the shocking awakening of those courtiers that drifted through court life in a naive manner where responsibility for actions and their consequences has been entirely removed.
We follow the inexorably obsequious Lambourde as she scuttles from room to room not understanding what is happening to shake her gentle world, responding in a child-like fear to the anxious adults. The scene where Madame Lambourde is summoned to the Queen's Gilt Chamber to assist in her packing for trip to Metz best epitomises the rapid descent into chaos as the Queen's ladies desperately seek to retain some normality in the absence of hard facts and the maelstrom that is rife rumour.
Eventually, Madame Lambourde returns to the darkness of Versailles (an image frequently used to good effect by the author, especially as the Court is dressed in black to mourn the death of the Dauphin) and overhears two soldiers discussing events and beliefs, pandering to the inevitable malicious lies and slander that was felt throughout Paris about their royalty. Yet even though she is appalled by it, there is the tiniest glimmer that change, in all its brutal glory, is also somehow exciting.
The inevitable happens as the court realises that there is fundamental political change and panic sets in. Thomas chooses to personify Panic, dealing with the results of her passing as courtiers flee abandoning children, pets, and servants (Lambourde overhears one particular diatribe from a chained up servant who appears to have been the reality behind the poetical pen of Rondon de la Tour). There is poignancy as Princess Gabrielle de Lamboulle ends up leaving her great friend the Queen (there is a departure from historical fact here) on her instructions and we eventually culminate in Lambourde's underground departure masquerading as the formidable Diane de Polignac and arrival in Vienna where she has spent the remainder of her life in Prince de Ligne's recreation of the Versailles rituals.
Thomas has written an erudite novel, where the King is portrayed as completely out of touch with his subjects, Marie Antoinette as resolute; both of them as undesirous of their position and shocked as to their sudden fall. In some respects they come across as the King and Queen of Hearts as the more timid Alice realises her Wonderland is breaking apart. The masque fails, the quirky insanity (best portrayed by the star struck Monsieur de Castelneux) crumbles as Versailles awakes from dream to the terrible stench of its reality. You come away from this novel with the strong sense that Chantal Thomas is probably not far off the mark with regard to the humanly emotive response to those three days by the Versailles courtiers and she softly portrays the shattering of an illusion, a utopia that has decay at its very core. This novel is dreamy in its structure, flowing in its prosaic technicality, portraying an endearing fallible heroine and, whilst I confess I very nearly put it down within the first few chapters, it suddenly intruded on the sense in a manner that made it extremely gripping. Worth reading.

As a lover of historical fiction, I began this book with enthusiasm. Unfortunately I found it very slow moving and a struggle to complete.
Set at the end of the reign of Louis XIV, as the peasants start to revolt across France, the book covers a period of several days. The palace is in uproar and the King seems incapable of making the decision to go into exile.
We spend the time with one of the queen's servants, wandering the corridors, listening into the mens' conversations to find out what is happening as the danger approaches.
The tension and fear are well built, but somehow it just didn't flow.
Not as lively as some of the current historical fiction, but worth a read if you are happy with a drier form of novel.