Book Review: Queen of Fashion by Caroline Weber

Release Date: September 19, 20006
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. 
Pages: 412 (really, 292)
Received: Library
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Special Shelf
Goodreads

This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for

This is the kind of non-fiction book I can get behind! A narrative style that follows events consecutively and clearly unfurls the story just like a novel. Delving into Marie Antoinette's thoughts and feelings made her come alive as much as any fictional character and made me emotionally invested in her triumphs and plights.

And, yes, I did rage at all the raging parts (her shameful defrockings at her Austrian hand-off and coucher, the horrible aunts, the scurrilous printings, the revolutionary indignities and the sheer hypocrisy of it all) and I did cry at all the crying parts (MA's heartache during her barren years, her multiple mourning periods when she lost her loved ones, her briefly mentioned but still impassioned speech at her trial, and, of course, The End).

There was a ton of historical detail packed in this, relatively, short book (it's 412 pages, but really it's only 292 pages long. All the rest of those pages are filled with references, bibliographies, and the index). Caroline Weber did her research, and boy does it show!

But it doesn't show in a showy way where you're bombarded with disjointed facts in a way that gives the impression the author is just trying to show off all their knowledge. Not at all. Caroline Weber's approach is so easy and pleasurable to read. I cannot stress enough how this is a perfect book is for the fiction-inclined. 

A non-fiction counterpart to one of my fictional favorites

As I was reading, I began to highly suspect Juliet Grey pulled much inspiration and information from Caroline Weber's book. Sure enough, a glance at Juliet Grey's bibliography shows this is the case. There are many parallels between the two, but this is a very good thing and only furthers my appreciation for Juliet Grey's work (she does a fabulous job incorporating fashion into her narrative).

Because of Juliet Grey's already exhaustive look, Queen of Fashion did not add a ton to what I already knew. But, it did add some new bits of information and did a great job fleshing out some of the politics surrounding the time (particularly during her time as dauphine). Caroline Weber's voice is stellar, too, so I do not at all feel like I wasted my time in reading her book.

Much like MA's fashion, this book's strength is its weakness

By exploring and centering her focus on fashion, Caroline Weber necessarily glosses over and even outright omits several important historical events. This was frustrating, because she does such a good job at crafting a non-fiction account of this time, but also mostly excusable given the parameters of her approach. However, I think this is also the book's greatest weakness.

I do think the first part of the book is stronger than the latter part. Caroline Weber delved deeper into the politics and "whys" behind Marie Antoinette's choices and experiences during this part. She also attributed a great political acumen to Marie Antoinette during her dauphine years, which is in stark contrast to the woman she painted during her queenly reign as a spendthrift run amok and largely unaware of the political impact her clothing and lifestyle choices had at the time.

I had a harder time reconciling these interpretations as it just doesn't make sense to me how she would have had so much political awareness and then so little (and then so much again, at the end). I think this impression is less a conflict in Caroline Weber's assertions as it is an unfortunate side effect of her focus on fashion.

In the dauphine years, Marie Antoinette's fashion was much more strictly controlled by court protocol and while she certainly rebelled, these rebellions were within a necessarily political context and so Caroline Weber necessarily discussed this political context. 

However, in her queen years, the fashion frenzy took center stage and the ever shifting styles provided Caroline Weber with much to write about. Political motivations and effects, while discussed, took a backseat to describing the fashions themselves, and I think the narrative suffered as a result.

There was significantly less focus on Marie Antoinette's personal motivations and feelings during this section, and I think, especially in contrast to how much focus was put on this in the earlier parts of the narrative, helped give the impression of a queen with little in her head except pretty clothes.

This doesn't quite ring right and undermines Caroline Weber's earlier (and later) evidence of a woman who was extremely conscious of her stylistic choices and their political effects. If she was so sartorially savvy, then why this huge period of missteps? It doesn't add up, but I don't think this is a weakness in Carline Weber's ultimate argument, but rather a fumbling of her presentation. She just isn't consistent in carrying her argument through this time period, and I think that is partially the fault of her focus.

The fashion focus does also at times feel forced, even though the evidence is clearly there to draw such conclusions. Again, I think this is less a fault on Caroline Weber and her excellent research, than a result again of her focus on fashion to the exclusion of other important political events at the time.

This exclusion made the fashion highlights seem tenuous at times, when in reality they are not at all. Had Caroline Weber included the other political factors and events, they would have served to bolster her arguments of just how powerful fashion and symbolism was to the revolution. It would have provided even more context to her arguments and therefore support (as it had in the dauphine sections), but I get the impression they were nixed from inclusion because they were not directly related to fashion. A shame.

I know this seems like a lot of criticism, but really I don't mean it to be. It is really because Caroline Weber does such a fantastic job overall, that her one weakness here stands out so much. I know she has the knowledge and the authorial chops to shore this up. 

Bottom line

Queen of Fashion is an impeccably researched powerhouse of a book that I will be making a fixture in my personal library.

Highly recommended to those interested in Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. For those who did not appreciate Juliet Grey's flowery writing style but did like her detailed history, Queen of Fashion would be a perfect alternative. This is also an excellent place to start for those who love historical fiction but are nervous about dipping their toes into non-fiction.

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Series Review: Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

Marie Antoinette trilogy
Release Date: 2011-2013
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 453, 400, and 413
Received: Library (1 & 2), ARC from the publisher (3)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Review

Becoming Marie Antoinette

I used the title of the first book here because it's a fantastic description of what Juliet Grey does with her treatment of Marie Antoinette: her narrative truly becomes Antoinette.

After the first book, which follows Antoinette from about age 11 through to when she was crowned queen, I didn't entirely feel a connection. I learned a whole lot of stuff I didn't know (how often do we get to read about her early childhood before moving to France?), but I didn't feel like I truly knew her yet.

Part of this is because she's pretty young in the first book, and when she finally gets to France, she's bombarded with so much intrigue, etiquette, rules, and stuff that she's almost like a deer caught in the headlights (and understandably so!)

Then I read the second book Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow (from when she's crowned queen to the Storming of the Bastille) quickly followed by the third Confessions of Marie Antoinette (from the beginning of the French Revolution to her death) and suddenly I knew her, and I loved her.

A large span of time is covered and Marie Antoinette grows considerably throughout the trilogy. She changes from an innocent child raised in the relatively relaxed Austrian court, to a kind girl preyed upon and manipulated by the court vipers while dauphine, to a deeply lonely queen desperately seeking happiness, to a woman wise beyond her years and somehow, remarkably, still characterized by warmth and forgiveness.

Marie Antoinette is not a woman like Cleopatra or Elizabeth I. She doesn't wield all that much power and so her direct mark on history is seemingly small (keyword, seemingly). Her greatness does not come from acts of political acumen or martial bravery.

And maybe that's why I love her so much. She's just a woman, and the things she feels, the way she copes, and the hurts she bears strike a chord that make her total kindred spirit material. I may admire Cleopatra, but it's Marie Antoinette who'd get my sleepover party invite.

And I'll just say, as the biggest understatement ever, the Marie Antoinette of popular understanding as a
cotton-headed spendtrift, coddled, oblivious and uncaring to the suffering of her people couldn't be further from the truth.

Seriously. Every time I read about her I want to cry at the injustice of her reputation compared to who she actually was.

History lessons

I read historical fiction because I want to learn both about the people and the historical context that surrounds them. To that end, I cannot rave enough about Juliet Grey's trilogy.

Where do I even begin? Well researched and filled with historical details, Juliet Grey's trilogy transported me so completely that I felt as if I were there living alongside Marie Antoinette. Everything was explored in great detail from fashion to hygiene, etiquette to tradition, food to political events, alliances, and scandals.

But these facts weren't presented as dry, endless little details dropped in without context or purpose. Juliet Grey's presentation of Marie Antoinette's world built upon itself, connecting dots and underscoring how something as seemingly insignificant as a fashion choice could have widespread political ramifications, not just in the immediate, but decades later.

Likewise, her intimate portrait of Antoinette as a person cast a human light on the revolution and the events leading up to it. In understanding Marie Antoinette's life—her personality, experiences, and relationships—I have a much clearer understanding of how the French Revolution came to pass.     

Boredom levels

I was never bored while reading this series. Intrigued, delighted, saddened, excited, swooning, frustrated, enraged, and sobbing, yes, but never bored.

But, I love Historical Fiction, complete with a bold, capital H. I don't want historical fiction lite. I want the details piled on high, just so long as I have a sympathetic, human lead to follow.

Readers looking for historical fiction light on the details will probably be bored stiff. There are a TON of details.

That said, young adult or adult readers looking to learn more about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution who want lots of historical detail will LOVE Juliet Grey's trilogy. 

Bottom line

I adore this series. Juliet Grey is right up there with C. W. Gortner as among my top absolute favorite historical fiction authors. She's an autobuy author and I can't recommend this series enough.

I've read a bunch of books about Marie Antoinette, but Juliet Grey's trilogy is by far the best, most intimate, alive, and accurate fictional portrayal (even better than Carolyn Meyer's The Bad Queen, which I love and made me sob, though it takes some historical liberties).  

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about the Marie Antoinette series that I haven't addressed?
Feel free to ask in the comments!

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