Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 by Kathryn Lasky is the next book I picked for my personal Royal Diaries reading challenge. As a refresher, I decided to read one book from the Royal Diaries series every month until I finish all 20 books. I read some of these in my childhood, but I never read all of them, so I thought it would be fun to read them all and reread some of my favorites!
I liked how Marie Antoinette, although she has a bad reputation in French history, is depicted as a human and a teenager. She had a lot of personality that came through the diary entries, and I really enjoyed that. At the time the diary starts, Marie Antoinette is maybe 13 or 14 years old as the Duchess of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, but she ends the diary at 16 years old as the Princess of Versailles and married to Louis, who would become King Louis XVI of France.
Marie Antoinette has a strong personality and is true to herself throughout the diary. I found this to be one of my favorite character traits of hers. Getting married off to a prince in a country you've never been to at 15 years old is incredibly stressful, but she handles it with grace and following her intuition, even though she didn't really want to marry Louis at first. The consistent dates of the entries, unlike in the Elizabeth I diary, made it easier for me to read and not do as much brainwork either.
The back matter of the book also had Marie Antoinette's family tree, an explanation of what happened after she became Queen of France, and her death. I like how these books not only give the history but also the historical context for the diary as well.
What is a book you loved as a child? I'd love to start a conversation with you in the comments!
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