Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

by Sena Jeter Naslund

Well, I think that the title of the novel says it all. This is an engaging and engrossing chronicle of Marie Antoinette, from the time she leaves Austria to the time she meets the guillotine.

Naslund uses a first person narrative, which makes this tale so much more compelling and personal. Who wouldn’t feel for the teen queen of France? After all, she married a corpulent dud, who waited years to consummate their marriage. The reader definitely feels for Toinette, though, as the title implies, she did lead a rather excessive life at court.

In any case, I loved reading about the storming of the Bastille and was fascinated by her description of the latest execution tool—the guillotine. The clothing and hairdressing descriptions are also quite fabulous.

Because I’m not a historian, and I’m conscious that this is a work of fiction, I didn’t really pay attention to the historical accuracy of the work. I’ll just say that I really enjoyed this novel. And I would also recommend Ahab’s Wife, also by Naslund.

11/11/06