This was a lovely little book. I loved how it was organized (I鈥檓 going to leave this a secret for you to discover). It鈥檚 a fast, easy read with beautiThis was a lovely little book. I loved how it was organized (I鈥檓 going to leave this a secret for you to discover). It鈥檚 a fast, easy read with beautiful food language that made me wish it was stuffed full of recipes at the end. It was a comforting book and a nice reprieve from the realities of the world. ...more
I loved this book鈥擨 loved Elizabeth and the strong feminist that she was, I loved all the talk about how unfair life was for women even just one generI loved this book鈥擨 loved Elizabeth and the strong feminist that she was, I loved all the talk about how unfair life was for women even just one generation ago, and I loved how this had many satisfying parts where people get their comeuppance. The characters were charming, it was laugh out loud hilarious, and I devoured it. I love a book that can do many things at once鈥攖ell a good story, be meaningful, be well-written and easy to read. This book is all of those and more. It鈥檚 been on my TBR list for forever and it came at just the right time for me. I highly recommend if you haven鈥檛 read it, but seeing how it鈥檚 been a buzzy book for years, you probably have. ...more
A few years ago I went down a rabbit hole and read lots of books about Marie Antoinette. I read nonfiction, fiction, basically anything that looked inA few years ago I went down a rabbit hole and read lots of books about Marie Antoinette. I read nonfiction, fiction, basically anything that looked interesting. I watched some TV shows and the movie with Kirsten Dunst (of course I took that with a large grain of salt). I learned a lot about Marie Antoinette, and then I took a several year break. When I saw this book listed as one I should check out, I was intrigued because of my previous binge but also because I find that learning what went on at the same time in history as one person I've focused on is super interesting.
I have to admit that this book didn't disappoint in that regard. The book was about Marie Antoinette in some ways, yes, and she was certainly an important character, but the main character was her sister, Charlotte, who became Queen of Naples. Marie Antoinette was fascinating, and I have to say that her whole family was as well! Their mother was the Queen of Rome! She was actually more powerful and did more than both Charlotte and Marie Antoinette. I learned a lot about history and just like I do with many historical fiction books, I found it really fascinating to read about the time period and find out who else was around the same time and what was happening. It's always eye opening. For instance, according to this book, Mozart and Marie Antoinette loved each other and possibly would have gotten married if Marie Antoinette hadn't been promised to became Queen of France. I mean...cmon! This is wild stuff!
Although I'm usually a reader and not a listener of audiobooks, I did enjoy listening to this book. The pronunciations of the names and the accents really added to the book, and the reader did a great job of creating each character distinctly. It was a very enjoyable listen.
The story itself is fascinating, as only real stories can be. The time period is so tumultuous and changing, and there is a lot of political intrigue. Each of the siblings is a political figure in their own right, and it is fascinating to read about them and put it all together in one tangled web of interrelations, marriages for power, and political intrigue.
I really enjoyed this book. If you like Marie Antoinette or history during the late 1700's, I highly recommend it. I feel like it was well-written, the history is made understandable and digestible, and I really liked the format that Giovinazzo used to write the book. It is first person with letters at the end of each chapter that give updates from other siblings or their mother.
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