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| Plot Summary of Farewell, My Queen |
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Touchstone, Jul 2004, 14.00, 233 pp.
ISBN: 0743260783
Two decades have passed since the momentous events of the final days of the reign of King Louis XVI and his Queen Marie-Antoinette. The Queen's deputy reader, Madam Agathe-Sidonie Laborde, from the safety of her Vienna apartment looks back to the revolutionary fervor that beheaded the monarchy and recalls that final month in the summer of ‘89. Leading up to the three heated July days, the opulent aristocracy including the king refused to believe the unrest would turn violent. Instead they lived in splendor in the Versailles Palace accompanied by rats, insects, and disease as to be expected when one builds on a swamp. By the time the court accepted reality, it proved too late for most although Madam Laborde, in a desperate escape attempt knowing that anyone associated with the crown was subject to the guillotine, obviously succeeded so that she can share her memories of those days that changed the world forever.
This work of historical fiction shines quite a light on mostly Marie Antoinette in her final days, but also the rest of the French Court as the Revolution erupts. The fictional tale provides the most intimate levels of detail that history ignores (a luxurious castle overrun by vermin stunned this reviewer).
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Farewell, My Queen |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 18th century
Life of a profession:
- prince/nobleman/king/queen
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians
Yes
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Conflict:
- French Revolution
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Age:
- 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- French
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Chantal Thomas Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Harriet Klausner
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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