Kathryn Davis is a brilliant writer and this book is her at her best.. She uses many voices and different voices, smoothly pivoting amongst varying genres and characters.

I took many notes while reading in preparation for writing this review but when I sat down to write but when I sat down to write this review, I was overwhelmed by how much I had written. The text is rich and the prose beautiful.

Davis wrote an afterward which I found fascinating--it made me want to read the book all over again. She explains the why and a bit of the how--some of the decisions she made about how to write an historical novel in which there is no suspense since we all know how the story ends! But I also realized that she had achieved her purpose so well the afterward mostly affirmed my interpretations.

The book is about several things--primarily, of course, Marie Antoinette, but equally--as can be inferred from the title--about Versailles itself. The opulence, the decadence, the beauty--but also the ways in which it entraps the people who live in it. Versailles is a character in the novel--probably the most powerful presence in it.

Davis shows how the 14-year-old child Marie Antoinette was when she arrived in France from their enemy country Austria and her development into the woman we know about. Davis is neither sympathetic nor condemning. She shows the forces which helped shape the queen as well as the choices she made which contributed to her downfall.

There are many beautiful descriptive passages, settings in nature, in the highly ornamental and controlled palace grounds with vivid descriptions of the palace itself. Davis uses many voices--poetic, vulgar--and forms, as I said: poetic, dramatic (scenes written in the form of plays or opera) as well as the more expected types of narrative.

The book is carefully and exhaustively researched--I checked many of the details, all of which were accurte. I also googled pictures suggested by the text but I realized after a few times that in fact the writing itself gave me all the pictures I needed.

The book is a tour de force. I went to Versailles many years ago and was indifferent to its charms--now, in the light of this book, I wish I could return to see it through the eyes of Davis.

A brilliant work that I strongly recommend. I am grateful to Greywolf Press, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book.

This was a creative, impressionistic portrait of Marie Antoinette.

The author took the unusual step of painting a portrait of the protagonist, rather than telling a detailed story of her reign. I applaud the innovative approach, but miss a detailed historical account of the period, the political climate, and the elements affecting her life. This is effective as an impressionistic sketch of an historical figure, but less satisfying as an historical novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kathryn Davis, and Graywolf Press for allowing me to read a copy of Versailles before it gets republished. I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It is difficult to describe what exactly this book was. Part of it is written in first person narrative, part of it is poetry, and part of it is reading a script for a play. It is as if the author did not know what she wanted to write and so she just threw a bunch of styles together to tell a jumbled up story. If you are looking for something different, then sure read this. If you want a more authentic telling of Marie Antoinette, then there are better options to choose from. The only thing saving this one is that it is a short read. I would have preferred if it was written entirely as a play because those were the parts that drew me in the most.

This retelling from Marie Antoinette’s perspective is... interesting.

The author writes with a beautiful and lyrical prose, giving Antoinette a voice. The storytelling isn’t what I was expecting. It changes from inside Antoinette’s head to something you’d expect more from reading a play –describing stage direction and characters speaking lines. Plays can be difficult to read if they aren’t your kind of thing. This isn’t a play but some pages it felt like it... I was often confused.

I don’t have a lot to add, just that if you are wanting a different “vibe” in an Antoinette retelling, you might like this one.

Thank you @graywolfpress and @NetGalley for sending an Advance Reader’s Copy for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: November 12, 2024
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I loved this. This was my very first book by Kathryn Davis and I will now have to find all the books they put out. The writing style is beautiful, and our author has such a beautiful way of writing and leaving you with vivid images through the entire book, each transition of this book flows so well and moves you along. I loved that our narrator in this book is Marie Antoinettes spirit, I thought this was a neat concept. This book will find its people and those will fall in love with every single part of this book. I cannot wait for its release for people to have this on their TBRs and enjoy it as much as I did.

Versailles by Kathryn David tells the story of the famous queen Marie Antoinette in a way that might be off putting to quite a few readers. If I had not been familiar with the history of the doomed royal, I may not have been able to follow the story as well as I did.

This story has lyrical prose, but will suddenly break out into script as if being recited by actors on a stage, and then more of a brief snippets that are almost scene setting.

While I did enjoy the prose of the author, I didn’t quite enjoy the story telling method. I still think this is worth checking out for fans of Marie Antoinette, but do do knowing that this story isn’t told in a straightforward manner.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Graywolf Press for the advanced reader copy.

This historical fiction book has an atypical structure. I think Marie Antoinette is fascinating but the ‘day in a life approach’ was difficult to engage with. There are some strange details, number of stairs, for example. I could not stay engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graywolf Press for the advanced readers copy.

Almost all the history teachers at my high school were the football coaches so all I ever did was color maps with colored pencils. Then, in college I was a double major in English and Political Science so I didn’t have to take any history classes. I am history deficient.

I’m not sure this book helped very much.

In it, fourteen year old Marie Antoinette (who, it appears, was maybe only ever called Antoinette? I can’t really tell..) is traveling from Austria to France to meet her future husband who will become Louis XVI and will rule France. For a time. Til it all goes wrong. But it’s not entirely his fault, because it seems like things were going south for quite some time, definitely from the time that his grandfather declared himself a god?

Neither Louis nor Antoinette were particularly well equipped for their roles and she, in particular, suffered under the weight of the responsibilities. She was never really accepted into his world and he was kind of a mess himself.

This book is a very dreamy look at her life. I have to say I enjoyed it much more after reading the author’s afterword. I won’t give away what she does, but I didn’t catch it at all, and it was quite interesting.

Also note that it appears this book was first published back in 2002, so it is certainly not new. I liked it, though, but it’s probably not for everyone. If you are looking for a fact-based accounting this is not the book for you.

This was a difficult read to finish, but thankfully it's a short book.
The narrative tone is immature, silly, and largely observational which makes sense as it's from a young Marie Antoinette's point of view. She arrives to Versailles as a young woman who has, up until her arrival, has lived a sheltered, simple life relative to the complicated, volatile ecosystem of Versailles and the royal French court. However, it is because she is a young woman who we're supposed to believe knows little that all of the intricate details didn't make sense. Also, I can't believe I managed to tolerate her stream-of-consciousness narration.

The intention of this book was not misplaced, but execution was very poor.