The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carrolly Erickson

Title: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette

Author: Carrolly Erickson

Genre: Historical

Summary: The innermost thoughts of a teenage Marie Antoinette are recorded up through the days before her death.

What was Good: The remarks are playful, cheery and wondering, just as any woman's would be. The pain and suffering that she went through as a mother and a queen is recorded, along with the temptation to have affairs. Other concerns of the time and day are protrayed in a realistic manner. Setting the fashion for France and the constant remodelling occupied many of her hours. Even though she understood that all of those things cost money, Marie never associated them with the poverty or increasing taxes of the nation.

What wasn't: Light and fluffy. I expected a "heavier" reading such as I've found with novels about Elizabeth I or Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Take-Away: It works as an introduction in to the life and times of Marie Antoinette, but don't expect any dense scholarly discuss afterwards. Also, if you borrow this book from the Oshkosh Public Library, my apologies for the lack of dust cover and slightly chewed upon spine. It's a long story.

Recommendation: Placing it on your reading list makes you look thoughtful and scholarly.