Becoming Marie Antoinette
By Juliet Grey
Genre: Historical fiction
THE AUTHOR: Juliet Grey lives with her husband in New York City and Vermont. She has always been interested in European history, especially in Marie Antoinette's story. Becoming Marie Antoinette is the first book in the trilogy that follows Marie through her reign of France. The next book in the series is Days Of Splendor, Days Of Sorrow.

THE STORY: Marie Antoinette grew up loving her governess more then her own mother. She was very down to earth even as a young child. She has no desire to go into politics but knew that she had no choice as her mother taught her from a young age that she had no choice in her destiny. At ten years old Marie is informed that she is to be wed to a prince of France to settle and argument that had been going on for almost a thousand years. She will have to leave her sister who she has never spent a day away from and venture off to a country whose language she can hardly speak and whose ruler she doesn't know. When the king dies Marie becomes queen. She is clueless to what is going on in the kingdom. She doesn't seem to realize the suffering that her people are barely enduring. The book follows close to her story as she is shifted from her protected innocent childhood to the corrupt, falling apart society that has become new life.
 Publisher:   Balintine Books  Pages: 466  $9.99

CRITIQUE: Juliet Grey follows the history of Marie Antoinette very closely. She sticks to the actual events that took place while adding interest to the book. She lets the history speak for itself. Grey also does an incredible job adding personality to the characters. She decides how to create characters so that they will enhance the story that already exists. Historical fiction will many times be written very dull and hard to read. Juliet Grey creates realistic characters that make the story easier to stay awake while reading. Becoming Marie Antoinette shows that history can be a rumor. Marie Antoinette is portrayed in real life as a selfish naive girl. In the book, she is almost a likeable character. Grey shows that a simple change in interpretation can create an entirely new person. A negative aspect of this book is that it is very similarly written to Michelle Moran or Phillipa Gregory's books.

Name of Publication

"A sympathetic take on the fascinating and doomed Marie Antoinette."- Publishers Weekly (non attributed)

"Grey's mix of relatable characters, vivid scenes, and a rich evocation of two courts make this a wonderful first book in a planned trilogy." -Library Journal (not attributed)


"Becoming Marie Antoinette offers readers an enthralling window into the gilded splendor and treacherous intrigue of one of the most fascinating times in history and a unique portrait of a woman who has captivated millions." --The Manchester Journal (not attributed)