The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer

History and Women. com

     The Bad Queen follows the numerous rules that governed Marie Antoinette's life and her attempts to escape their confining grasp. The story begins when the infamous queen is still a young archduchess living in Austria. One of fifteen children, she is mostly ignored until the fateful moment when it is decided that Antonia, as the future queen is then called, must marry the Dauphin of France. Antoinette has lived a relatively care free life until this point with almost no restrictions. As she enters the French royal court at Versailles, this freedom is replaced by the rigid, all confinnig etiquette. It is no wonder that Marie Antoinette chooses to rebel in little ways, constantly struggling to be herself and escape the pressure of constant expectations from her mother and the French people. A lonely, flighty girl she spends endlessly in an attempt to fill the vast emptiness created by her unsuccessful marriage. As the country is on the brink of revolution and ruin, poor Marie must deal with a situation that is not of her own making, but that will irreversably change her life.

      Meyer's Marie Antoinette is not the evil queen of the French Revoutiona, but a young woman inadequately prepared for her future role. Her spending is a result of loneliness and lack of knowledge. Antoinette has no real grasp of expense, because everything has been given to her. She is in many ways innocent of the ways of the world. As Meyer makes clear, the troubles of France were a culmination of many factors while Marie Antoinette just proves an easily available scapegoat. Antoinette is a loveable heroine who wishes only to be free and see others happy. In many ways she does what she can to fulfill her duty even if it makes her unhappy. Ultimately, it is easy to pity this helpless wife and mother as she witnesses the end of her world while desperately trying to save the ones she loves.

   

Caesars' Wives

Merecal

Caesars'Wives by Annelise Freisenbruch is an excellent read. It is full of rich historical detail. The author is able to recreate the stories of the women behind the imperial throne despite the fact that there is very little information available and the reconstruction of these women's lives requires a lot of reading between the lines. Freisenbruch's account is neither stuffy or boring, but most importantly it tries to clear up a lot of historical misconceptions. She relates the myths told about Roman's numerous empresses, but also expertly discusses which ones have some credibility. Finally, this is an overall historical account covering not only the lives of Caesars' wives, but also the art and conditions of their respective time periods.