Book Report #2

For my second choice book, I read The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions For Marie Antoinette by Carolyn Meyer. This book is about Marie Antoinette's life starting shortly before her engagement to Louis XVI. I thought it was a great book, and I got to know the 'bad' queen well.

Marie's physical appearance changed quite a bit in the beginning.She has her hair piled on top of her head, her teeth straightened in the way that was custom in the 1700's. Her mother says tells her that she was "no beauty, certainly". A couple of chapters later, she was full chested and beautiful enough to marry the crown prince of France.

Through the story, I learned about Marie Antoinette's personality too. She was very frivolous, and preferred to do many things that had been deemed improper by the royal court. She not only shocked her family, but set the way she was going to have things.

Early on, she disliked France, and the court disliked her. Her grandfather by marriage, the current King of France was practically wrapped around her finger and granted her every wish. Maybe that's one of the reasons she became so spoiled.

Marie was greatly troubled when her husband wouldn't make her a 'real' dauphin, and uses her connection to the King to remedy it. She starts riding horses, much to the displeasure of her ladies and shock of her mother. Marie also works to have the king's mistress sent away from the court.

When the dauphin must become king, and Marie becomes queen, Paris is turned upside down with love for them. Marie loved all the attention, and was filled with happiness when a thousand people show up to see her.

The king of France catered to the every need that Marie had. She was never without beautiful dresses or huge hair. When asked to cut back on her spending, she simply shrugs it off, giving proof to her frivolous nature.

Marie doesn't have many close friends except for the Princess of Lamballe, who was widowed a year after her marriage. She seemed very boisterous in public, but was a fairly reserved person. She disliked the way the court had people to do everything for her, all depending on rank and station. So, while she spent more than she had, she did eliminate tons of unnecessary jobs.

One of the depravities of Marie Antoinette was that she craved her mother's approval. Even though she was a queen and had everything she wanted, what she needed was some acknowledgement from her mother. It shows that Marie wasn't some godlike being. She was human like us.

I learned that Marie Antoinette wasn't the as stupid as she is made out to be and that she probably didn't deserve to have her head chopped off. I loved this book, and I would recommend it to girls who love history. I don't think boys would enjoy it at all. It's a little slow paced, but worth the read!