Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

By: Sena Jeter Naslund

Narrated by: Susanna Burney

Marie Antoinette was a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of the fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King of France. Coming of age in the most public of arenas, she warmly embraces her adopted nation and its citizens. She shows her new husband nothing but love and encouragement, though he repeatedly fails to consummate their marriage and in so doing is unable to give her a child and an heir to the throne. Deeply disappointed and isolated in her own intimate circle, and apart from the social life of the court, she allows herself to remain ignorant of the country’s growing economic and political crises, even as poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion and revenge. The young queen, once beloved by the common folk, becomes a target of scorn, cruelty, and hatred as she, the court’s nobles, and the rest of the royal family are caught up in the nightmarish violence of a murderous time called “the Terror.”

Sena Jeter Naslund offers a dramatic reimagining of this truly compelling woman that goes far beyond the popular myth.©2006 Sena Jeter Naslund; (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers

Very vivid!

The detailing made it very easy to picture and even though I knew how it ends I was still sad.

Awesome. Better than I expected.

I enjoyed listening to this book more than any novel in my library. It was extremely close to the real life history of Marie Antoinette and the Versailles Court. I learned quite a bit about this period in history just from this novel.

Captivating

Beautifully written. This was an eye opening and thought provoking look at her life.

What a story!

This book really gives you a perspective of what was taking place in France. The description of the homes down to the fabric of the dresses worn. Very interesting.
I really enjoyed the historic content.

Favorite Marie Antoinette Book

So good! I have read this book a few times and love it everytime. It connects to the historical time period of Marie Antoinette, and describes her possible thought processes and the time line of her life. Totally worth a credit.