The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette (Young Royals, #6) by Carolyn Meyer

Mar 05, 2012 Yearning To Read rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, nonfiction, young-adult, books-of-incredible, love-the-cover, to-re-read, reviewed, 15-and-up, own, perfectly-titled

I learned a lot from this book. About history, about the personal life of Marie-Antoinette, about human nature. There were so many facts, so many interesting ideas and concepts. So many statements that could have been true, so many affairs that might not have been true. Marie-Antoinette and her story are one big puzzle - one that will always be difficult to solve and sort through. (And one that will always be worth it in the end.) No one can know which facts are true and which are not; many have...more I learned a lot from this book. About history, about the personal life of Marie-Antoinette, about human nature. There were so many facts, so many interesting ideas and concepts. So many statements that could have been true, so many affairs that might not have been true. Marie-Antoinette and her story are one big puzzle - one that will always be difficult to solve and sort through. (And one that will always be worth it in the end.) No one can know which facts are true and which are not; many have been deemed false. The most famous of Marie-Antoinette’s quotes – “Let them eat cake!” – has been studied by many historians over time and most agree that is was one of the (many) lies told about her.

Marie-Antoinette was raised in Austria until she was fifteen years old, where she grew up the youngest of fifteen children. Most had been married long before, and now was time to watch the last few sisters and brothers leave and marry the man or woman who would best protect the Austrian throne. Antonia, as she was called in Austria, is to be married off to the dauphin of France – the next in line to the French throne. With all the work to do to get Antonia presentable to her future husband, Antonia has no time – nor the desire - to think about what lies ahead.
When she is ready to be married, Marie-Antoinette is sent to France, where she begins her life as the dauphine of France. But what she finds there is not what she was expecting. At first life is rocky - adjusting to the new rules, such as wearing stays and no riding horses, and learning who it “looks good” to talk to and who it doesn’t. Then it is smooth – as soon as she gets a hang of French life, no matter how much she dislikes it, Marie-Antoinette begins to live life like she believed she was entitled to as queen of France. She builds theaters, designs lavish gardens, makes beautiful dresses and order the most expensive of jewels. She commits herself to gambling, wasting her husband’s money away for the sake of a desire that could not be quelled.

This is only the beginning – the beginning of her downfall. While she trying to build herself up, Marie-Antoinette only paves the way for a major failure. After falling in love with Count Axel von Fersen but staying faithful to her husband (or so this book claims), the country begins to decline. The people of France are poor, they have no bread, and they blame it on the gambling, wasteful queen, Marie-Antoinette. The rumor on the streets is that when asked what to do with the poor, starving French men and women at the gates of Verseilles, the bad queen answered, “Let them eat cake!” The people are furious, enraged, and they are going to have vengeance.

The story does not end happily. If you are looking for sappy romance with an ending that makes everyone warm and fuzzy inside, please…do not read this book. However, I highly recommend it. For those of you who like historical novels, this is a treat. And for those of you who dislike historical novels but like romance, adventure, and intrigue, this is a treat. The only thing that I would say against this book is that it is probably not a young man’s first pick…but that’s ok. Not every book is. And this book, while being excellently written and planned out, is not for young readers. Marie-Antoinette’s life is very PG-13…from the things she did to the things that people said she did to the things that happened to her. Not only is this book fairly violent (more than I was expecting, that’s for sure), but it holds some mild sexual comments and issues that should be considered. Marie-Antoinette’s married life and court life mostly revolved around the fact that her husband would not visit her bed, and how she didn’t become pregnant until she’d been married for around seven years. Her husband’s lack of desire and actual fear of “the act” (as it is called) is often discussed; and Marie-Antoinette’s almost-affair with Count Fersen is touched up on a bit. Menstrual cycles and other couples’ happiness in marriage (or unhappiness, for that matter) are alluded to. These topics are crucial to the story and the facts of Marie-Antoinette’s life, and Meyers handles them with great care. However, because they are more mature topics, I think this book is geared toward teens fifteen and older.

If I could sum up this entire book in one word, I’d choose the word chilling. It was excellent, but it made my heart race and goosebumps form on my arms. Especially the end. I couldn’t believe the incredible ability with which Carolyn Meyers relates the last few years of Marie-Antoinette’s life. It was cold, depressing, and full of sorrow. It really happened. The life of this bad queen was not meant to end happy, and the way Carolyn Meyers portrays it is so realistic that I cannot help but believe that this is almost exactly how the queen of France and her family must have felt as she and her husband faced their deaths at the dreaded Madame la Guillotine.

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Jan 21, 2013 Heather Layne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books

Very thorough in its details. Meyer really did her research, down to exactly what jewels were on the fancy gowns and what the parties looked like. However, sometimes it was more of a list of things that happened than a novel. I wish there had been more conversations and feelings and less "this happened, and then this, and then this." For example, when King Louis XV died, it was about two paragraphs long.

For the first 100 pages, I thought this was the book Sophia Coppola based her 2006 movie on...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Shannon Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you have daughters with princess-obsession, this is definitely a book to read with them for a cure! It was shortly after reading this that Ula (my five year old) traded in her tiara for a Viking helmet. Okay, okay, I'll admit that this probably doesn't seem like an ideal choice for a five-year-old and her eight-year-old sister, but I chose it because we were going to France for a homeschool adventure, and I wanted to give the girls some historical grounding before we got there, and the litera...more

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Apr 10, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Brought to you by Guest Reviewer Meil Abeille

Fans of young adult fiction will enjoy Meyer’s novel which begins in the year 1768. Part one of The Bad Queen documents the struggles of a young Antonia, who has been forced into an arranged marriage at the behest of her mother, the Empress. Each chapter begins with a rule given to Antonia, with the first rule for the Dauphine being to “marry well. ” The reader cannot help but sympathize with a young girl forced to change her name and appearance in an...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Shweta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-historical-fiction

Using a teen voice always gives a fresh perspective to a story and this book succeeds in the approach. I wouldn't have cared about the character had it not been told by a teen Marie Antoinette , who as an affection deprived teenager makes a wonderful narrator.At times, she comes out as inconsiderate , selfish but this time before accusing her, we are reminded of the fact of how young she was when she took those regrettable decisions.

She was a young girl who wanted to live her life, her way .And...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Andrea Wall rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, ya

More like 3.5 or 3.75 really.

I really liked the different view taken for this Marie Antoinette. I thought it was unique and cool. I also liked all the little details about the etiquette and dress and what not. Some of it is ridiculous and it's no wonder she went crazy trying to obey it all.

Sometimes I found it dry... Like it was moving to quickly and i wasn't getting a real feel for her character. But hat was only for a little bit in some parts. The other thing I didn't like is it switched to...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Andrea at RexRobotReviews.com

The Bad Queen is the most recent book in Carolyn Meyer’s Young Royals series. It tells the story of Marie Antoinette, one of the most hated and misunderstood queens in all of history. She’s painted as what most of us would call a party girl. She loves lavish entertainments and fancy gowns. The more elaborate the better. She can pretty much be credited with creating big hair. One of her updos stood more than a foot above her head!

It was interesting that Ms...more Reviewed by Andrea at RexRobotReviews.com

The Bad Queen is the most recent book in Carolyn Meyer’s Young Royals series. It tells the story of Marie Antoinette, one of the most hated and misunderstood queens in all of history. She’s painted as what most of us would call a party girl. She loves lavish entertainments and fancy gowns. The more elaborate the better. She can pretty much be credited with creating big hair. One of her updos stood more than a foot above her head!

It was interesting that Ms Meyer chose to tell Marie’s story in the first person, in a sort of journal format, for most of the story. It changes about ¾ of the way through to Marie-Therese’s point of view, the first born daughter of Louis and Marie Antoinette. The transition is a little abrupt, but it does make sense. Marie still comes across as flighty, and it would be hard to expect her to be able to write about her last days.

Even though Meyer tries to paint Marie in a more favorable light, she still comes across as flighty and not all that intelligent. In her younger days, when she was still in Austria, she laments having to read or do any form of studying. As Queen of France she hasn’t a care for anyone but herself, buying gowns and renovating any palace she can, and even having a village built for her!

Her mother and many people give her rules she should follow to be a good queen, and she seems determined to break each and every one. It really isn’t hard to believe that the people of France hated her.

The character that you really sympathize with is her husband Louis XVI. He comes across as a king that isn’t quite ready to rule, and he probably wasn’t. Louis was in his early twenties when he took the throne. He really expects the people to love him, and for the most part they seem too. It makes it hard to grasp why he was suddenly so hated. Meyer doesn’t really go into details about the reasons for The Revolution, but then again, this book is about Marie and not her husband.

Carolyn touches on some of the scandals that were associated with the Queen. I think it was probably difficult for her to really go deep into some of them. Marie Antoinette was accused of many things, from outrageous spending to affairs and orgies. As this is a novel written for young adults, much of the accusations were just touched on.

The one thing this book really shows is how much Marie loved her children and how she wanted children. It almost seems out of character for her. Yet you really feel her pain when the dauphin Louis Joseph dies at age seven and then her daughter Princess Sophie. She was also fiercely loyal to her husband, even though she was “in love” with a Swedish officer, Hans Axel Von Fersen, whom she met when she was still dauphine.

There’s a lot to be learned about Marie Antoinette in The Bad Queen. It probably isn’t the best book for people looking for a more serious account of her life, but if you are looking to touch just a little bit on the character of this Queen, The Bad Queen is a pretty good place to start.(less)

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Jul 06, 2010 Sarai rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, historical

If the author was trying to make Marie Antoinette into a likable, sympathetic character, I think she failed. I found Marie Antoinette to be very annoying, in fact - whiny, frivolous, and ignorant. She had no use for schooling, refused to pay attention to current events in her own country, and even though she was warned by lots of different people that the peasants were starving and had no money and that she needed to curtail her spending, she kept on demanding bigger and more elaborate stuff be...more

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May 02, 2010 Margo Tanenbaum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, french, revolution

Carolyn Meyer does not disappoint in her newest addition to her Young Royals series, young adult novels on various historical princesses and queens in European history. She tries to present a balanced portrait of the much-maligned queen, whose life is told through a series of diary entries beginning when she was 12 years old and ending near the end of her life, when the author chooses to change the narrator to the Queen's 12-year old daughter, Marie Therese, who narrates the final few years of t...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Kelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-copies-review, own

I have read almost all of Carolyn Meyer’s books and loved every one of them. She writes such great novels about females in history and presents their stories in an intriguing and enjoyable way. The Bad Queen was no exception.

I’ve read quite a bit about Marie-Antoinette, but never a whole novel about her. The Bad Queen spanned over the course of her whole life. From the time she was a young child to her death; in which case her daughter takes up the tale. My heart went out to Marie-Antoinette bec...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Fran rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating retelling of the life of Marie Antoinette. The reader gains a sympathetic understanding of how the demands, scrutiny, and expectations of the French court and Marie Antoinette’s mother, Empress Maria Theresa, shaped her life and led to her famed extravagant life style. The book is divided into parts: Rules for the Dauphine, Rules for the Queen, Rules for Madame Deficit, Instructions to Madame Royale. These sections parallel Marie Antoinette’s life and are subdivided into th...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Amina E. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Title: The Bad Queen
Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 420

Summary: In The Bad Queen, by Carolyn Meyer, is a dramatic novel about one of the queens of France, Marie-Antoinette. This book takes the reader through her life, starting when she was a young girl. At a young age she learned that she was arranged to marry the dauphin of France, the soon to be king. Marie had to go through many stages to be suitable for this famous dauphin. Her teeth were fixed, she learned to...more Title: The Bad Queen
Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 420

Summary: In The Bad Queen, by Carolyn Meyer, is a dramatic novel about one of the queens of France, Marie-Antoinette. This book takes the reader through her life, starting when she was a young girl. At a young age she learned that she was arranged to marry the dauphin of France, the soon to be king. Marie had to go through many stages to be suitable for this famous dauphin. Her teeth were fixed, she learned to dance in a French manner, and she learned to speak fluent French. This must of been hard for her because of her German background. Antoinette soon prepared for her travel after the king of France approved her new look. After the long travel she finally arrived at France. She soon became a spoiled brat who got everything she wanted from her husband. She built many grand palaces and gardens. Later in the book, the people of France got sick of her huge spending. They already didn't "enjoy" having her there because of her background, so the large spending made it worse. Her large spending caused the people of France to rebel. They protested and threatened to kill. Antoinette and her family were captured and held captive until they were all put to death. All of them except her daughter, that is.

Review: I enjoyed reading this book by Carolyn Meyer. She did a very good job describing Antoinette's feelings and thoughts throughout her lifetime. Though some of the story was made up, it was all very realistic. I would definitely recommend this book to my peers. It is kind of long but the book is really good. I loved how this book was very descriptive, it was almost as if I-as the reader-was in Marie-Antoinette's shoes. There were a lot of characters in this book which did make it slightly confusing at times. Also, I thought some parts of the book were a bit inappropriate so beware if your planning on reading it. Take note that this book was indeed very sad. The only thing that i didn't really enjoy was that the beginning was very stretched and the end seemed kind of rushed. Overall, this book was very good and I would indeed recommend it to others.
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Jan 05, 2012 Kara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-royal

So, despite loads of Historical Revisionist and Fifth-Wave-Feminist theory as well as tons of new research, an author trying to make Marie-Antoinette sound sympathetic, and an “I” point of view where Marie-Antoinette herself is trying to explain and justify her actions and emotions, I still was right there with the mob screaming for her blood to run in the gutter.

You could argue that signing the marriage contract between the future last king and queen of France was the signature on Marie-Antoine...more So, despite loads of Historical Revisionist and Fifth-Wave-Feminist theory as well as tons of new research, an author trying to make Marie-Antoinette sound sympathetic, and an “I” point of view where Marie-Antoinette herself is trying to explain and justify her actions and emotions, I still was right there with the mob screaming for her blood to run in the gutter.

You could argue that signing the marriage contract between the future last king and queen of France was the signature on Marie-Antoinette death warrant – the court of France was a rotted tree that had been gilded – it might have looked pretty on the outside, but it was rotten to the core inside and beyond saving.

But on the other hand, you could argue that Marie-Antoinette made every mistake in the book as well as inventing new mistakes when it came to being queen. She doesn’t order anyone’s execution, orders no massacres against any ethnicities or religions, doesn’t beat servants or rape peasants or make gladiators fight to the death for her amusement – and yet her endless spending made my blood boil. Her blindness to the rest of the world made me want to shake her, to drag her by the hand and plop her down in a real peasant cottage, and make her join the rest of the 99% in struggling to make ends meet.

The book itself is well written and very well researched, but the main character is just not someone I care too spend too much time with. Also, structurally, the book took a weird turn at the end. About 4/5’s through the book the queen turns to her daughter and tells she’s been keeping a diary all her life, and known she wants her daughter to keep it going.

Um, what?

I get why – the author had stuff she wanted to write about that would take place after Marie Antoinette would tell the reader: “and then I climbed the scaffold steps,” but 1.) the switch happens more than a year before the queen and her daughter are separated, which would have made more sense as the break point, and 2.) it was jarring to have the main character switched like that when the book was almost done. Suddenly Marie Antoinette is a secondary character, which rather seems to defeat the purpose of this novel.

Also, the “I” point of view used throughout was just that - a point of view; nothing about the prior chapters suggested in any way shape or form that this book was supposed to be an ongoing diary the queen was keeping. Good lord, the queen yammers on and on for most of the book about how much she hates reading and writing!

I must say, though, the book does a very good job showing the insanity of extremes – both the beyond-over-the-top excessiveness of the French court and then the bloody madness of the Terror. Never underestimates humans’ capacity for insanity, in any direction.

So, recommended for fans of Marie-Antoinette and that time period in general. Also, a good introduction to the middle school set of that point in history.
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May 20, 2010 Jasmyn9 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, series, young-adult, young-royals, marie-antoinette

A look into the life of the notorious queen Marie Antoinette. The story, told in a journal format, begins when Marie is very young and still living in Austria. It follows her life as she prepares to marry and become the dauphine of France...eventually becoming the Queen. The story follows her blunders and misconceptions, her disappointments and her few joys. We follow her through the end of her life at the guillotine.

This fictional account of what Marie Antoinette's life may have been like give...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Meyer imagines the life of Marie-Antoinette as a young girl through her death giving us a Queen who was not entirely rotten but self absorbed, shallow, and inept at public relations. All of the chapters begin from a rule that was likely given to the monarch, and the bulk of the rules refer to her rampant unchecked spending. Which Meyer details and then lets the young monarch rationalize. Meyer clearly went out of her way to give an impartial view if the notorious Queen. She does play to Antoinet...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Ercassiel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a surprisingly gripping book.

I went into it expecting a typical historical fiction read; fun, temporarily informational, but quickly forgettable. I was wrong. I had only one main complaint: that, if you've seen the 2006 Marie-Antoinette film, you'll notice that the boook follows the script almost word for word, merely embelleshing in some places. The author herself claimed that she was inspired to write this after watching the movie. So what I'm wondering is, was this meant to be a comp...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Nicki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, kind-of-eh, main-character-annoyed-me

I really enjoyed this book. My only problem with it with is that it's the exact same as every other Marie Antoinette book out there. Well, that's not completely true. This Marie was much more annoying. Much more. She was always whining about something, and couldn't take anything seriously. I mean, she was the freakin' Queen of France. Couldn't she just tell people, "Hey, I can dress myself! Go away."? I mean, seriously. They couldn't say no to the queen, could they? And just about EVERYONE was t...more

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Apr 24, 2010 Christina (Reading Extensively) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, read2010, ya

The Bad Queen is a fictionalized account of the life of Marie Antoinette starting from her early teens in 1768 when her mother Empress Maria Theresa of Austria is trying to arrange an advantageous marriage for her to her doom during the French Revolution. The novel is written like a journal of her life from the perspective of Marie Antoinette herself and then later on from the point of view of her daughter. Each chapter begins with a rule that Marie Antoinette is supposed to follow for her succe...more The Bad Queen is a fictionalized account of the life of Marie Antoinette starting from her early teens in 1768 when her mother Empress Maria Theresa of Austria is trying to arrange an advantageous marriage for her to her doom during the French Revolution. The novel is written like a journal of her life from the perspective of Marie Antoinette herself and then later on from the point of view of her daughter. Each chapter begins with a rule that Marie Antoinette is supposed to follow for her success. Two of the rules that describe her situation perfectly: "You are born to obey, and you must learn to do so" and "All eyes are upon you-there can be no mistakes".

I thought this novel would be incredibly sad reading because Marie Antoinette did have a tragic life but there is a surprising amount of humor and I loved the historical details about clothing and day to day life. One interesting tidbit involved all the rules of etiquette at the French Court and how she couldn't even reach for a cup of water. There was someone specific to hand it to her as well as a person specially chosen to hand her the different garments she is supposed to wear including her underwear. How mortifying! I was pulled into the story right away when the young Antonia finds out that she has to change her name to Antoine, learn French, and have her teeth straightened-a horrible process that made me thankful for the advances in dentistry since the 18th century! Marie Antoinette faced a lot of criticism from her mother and perfection was demanded of her from a very young age but she never believed that she could measure up. I really felt for her and liked her character throughout the book even when I shook my head at her bad decisions. Her husband Louis XVI is somewhat likeable too although he had some strange behavior and caused her a lot of sadness in the early years of their marriage. It is interesting to see what he was like as a young prince. He really wasn't cut out to be a king so I felt sorry for him that he had to inherit that responsibility. The final portion of the book is told through the eyes of Marie-Therese, a daughter of Marie Antoinette and I think it is the best way to describe the final period of her life. Marie-Therese witnesses a lot of heartache during the French Revolution and the historical notes at the back of the book reveal her fate.

Other major historical figures are also portrayed including King Louis XVI, his famous mistress comtesse Du Barry, and Count Axel Fersen, the Swedish man who is thought to have been Marie Antoinette's lover. The author here portrays their relationship as only stolen kisses, secret letters, and verbal declarations of love. We also get to meet members of the Austrian and French Court. Reading about these people made me want to look for an actual biography about Marie Antoinette and thankfully Carolyn Meyer lists some useful books that she used for her research while writing the novel.

The Bad Queen is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read this year. Carolyn Meyer presents the story of Marie Antoinette in a way that allows readers to empathize with her and understand her better. It may be a YA novel but adults who enjoy historical fiction would also find much to like.
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Aug 30, 2010 Dannielle R rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first, I felt bad for Antoinia (Marie-Antoinette). Really, I did, just like I would with any woman being married off without knowing her betrothed. Her mother was always nagging her, as was everyone. And you know what? Sometimes they were right. Sometimes you just need to sit down, shut up, and listen to what your elders have to say, especially when they have experience, you know? They might actually have some knowledge. I do believe Marie and her husband weren't all at fault when it came to...more

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May 27, 2010 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated French Queen, is famous for purportedly responding to the starvation and poverty of her subjects "Let them eat Cake!" However, this line is apparently myth and Marie Antoinette was subject to a smear campaign, which this novel seeks to rectify. The Bad Queen begins in Austria with young Marie Antoinette - the fifteenth daughter of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa - learning that she will marry Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France. Each chapter is short, organized acco...more Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated French Queen, is famous for purportedly responding to the starvation and poverty of her subjects "Let them eat Cake!" However, this line is apparently myth and Marie Antoinette was subject to a smear campaign, which this novel seeks to rectify. The Bad Queen begins in Austria with young Marie Antoinette - the fifteenth daughter of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa - learning that she will marry Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France. Each chapter is short, organized according to a rule that Antoniette must learn in order to embark on her new life as Dauphine and later as Queen of France. This set up is clever in the beginning, as it makes clear that young Antoinette has a lot to learn. The Hapsburg court is much more informal and much less decadent than the Bourbon court, with rigid rules set up a century earlier by Louis XIV. The young Antoinette is a charming girl. She's no great brain, no intellectual. She is largely interested in dancing, music, dolls, and gowns, not reading, writing, or politics. Once Antoinette arrives in France, things don't go as smoothly as she had hoped. Antoinette struggles to balance the approval of her overbearing mother (who is kept well apprised of Antoinette's antics by her ambassador as well as Antoinette herself), the French aristocracy, the French populace (who is suspicious of Austrians), and her shy husband. Most disappointingly, Louis Auguste has little interest in his young bride and the novel really shows Antoinette's dispair in being unable to conceive an heir - her prime duty as Dauphine - through no fault of her own.

Ultimately, the novel shows how Marie Antoniette sought to fill her empty life with merry-making, parties, and gambling. Once she becomes Queen, she frivolously spends millions on her pleasure, refashioning the Comtesse Du Barry's Petit Trianon as a private escape from the rigorous rules of Versailles. She becomes more and more out of touch with reality, failing to understand the impact of her spending habits on her reputation (both among the aristocrats she excludes from her lavish parties at Petit Trianon as well as the population in general). Her mother warns her repeatedly, but Marie Antoinette, who never ventures further from Versailles than the Paris Opera, doesn't quite comprehend France's declining economic situation and the public perception of her lifestyle. Even after she has her long-awaited children, Antoinette does not curb her spending, instead building the very expensive Le Hameau, where she pretends to be a common woman.

The novel is like watching a train wreck. Everyone knows that Louis and Antoinette ultimately meet their ends at the Guillotine. Antoinette, despite her lack of passion for Louis stays by Louis' side in the face of danger, never fully comprehending how the French Revolution came to be or why the people despise her so much. The last hundred pages are written from the perspective of Antoinette and Louis' daughter Marie-Therese, as she is the only one who survives the reign of terror.

The novel is told in the first person. The benefit of this perspective is that the reader comprehends what might have been going through Antoinette's mind and why she behaved as she did. However, because it was in the first person, the view of French politics and Louis' reign is very limited. I really enjoyed the novel, but found that I would have preferred it from a third person narrative in order to better incorporate politics and to better understand how Louis himself understood the socio-politico climate at the time he called the Estates General. Clearly, Louis miscalculated the climate, but why was he so out of touch? The Bad Queen is certainly an incomplete look at the French Revolution. It is great, though, for what it is - a look at Marie Antoinette. She certainly was not evil, at least as portrayed in the novel (which is heavily fact based and well researched). She was, however, frivolous, out of touch, and lonely. Neither she nor Louis deserved to lose their heads.

As a final comment, this novel is classified as Young Adult. I would say that the appeal is much broader than that. As an adult, I enjoyed the novel very much. There are also some mature themes - for example adultery as well as Louis' failure to consummate his marriage to Antoinette for 7 years. The author leaves a lot to the imagination - there are no love scenes and it is unclear whether Marie Antoinette actually has a physical relationship (as opposed to a largely emotional one) with Axel von Fersen, the Swedish count who was possibly her lover. I think the novel is appropriate for ages 14+. 4.5 stars.

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Jul 21, 2012 Julianne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love what Carolyn Meyer does for historical fiction. To me, she is the Phillipa Gregory of Y.A. authors and her work inspired my love of historical fiction. This is the first of her non-Tudor novels that I've read, but I hate to say I didn't like this one as much. Maybe it's just because I've read so much other stuff about Marie-Antoinette, or that this version was very...tame...but it took a lot longer to get through than Meyer's other books. In the last ten years or so, there's been a big su...more

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May 20, 2010 Sandie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-books, young-adult, historical-fiction

Marie-Antoinette, queen of France who, along with her husband, lost her head during the French Revolution is the subject of Carolyn Meyers latest YA novel THE BAD QUEEN. Almost everyone knows the basic story of this tragic queen and her life in the French court but Meyer’s historical novel gives us a look at court life from the queen’s perspective. The book is written in the form of Rules and Instructions given to the young Dauphine and each chapter presents a new rule to be adhered to. There ar...more Marie-Antoinette, queen of France who, along with her husband, lost her head during the French Revolution is the subject of Carolyn Meyers latest YA novel THE BAD QUEEN. Almost everyone knows the basic story of this tragic queen and her life in the French court but Meyer’s historical novel gives us a look at court life from the queen’s perspective. The book is written in the form of Rules and Instructions given to the young Dauphine and each chapter presents a new rule to be adhered to. There are a lot of lessons to be garnered by Meyer’s young adult audience as the book serves to instruct readers, both young and old, in some of the following: (1) bad choices will ultimately result in disaster, (2) you can’t please everyone, (3) living the lifestyle of the rich and famous is not a guarantee of happiness, (4) not everyone who purports to be a friend truly is one, (5) parents can be demanding and expect some degree of perfection from their children, (6) everyone is misunderstood at some time in their lives, (7) people have always told lies about those they disliked or envied.

Meyers shows us that the young Marie was not the evil, greedy woman portrayed throughout history (she never said “Let them eat cake” when referring to the starving French peasants). She was merely a young woman trapped in an arranged marriage, knew nothing about politics or life in the French court and tried to make the best of a bad situation. The sad state of the French economy had more to do with money spent in aiding the Americans in their revolutionary break from England than with the queen’s lavish lifestyle. True, she did try to “buy” happiness with fancy dresses, expensive trinkets and baubles and her almost insatiable need to create a “perfect” world to inhabit, i.e., Petit Trianon, Le Hameau, the little theater, her gardens, etc. She may not have been a woman appreciated in her own time, but what she has left behind is a joy and a wonder for today’s tourists to behold on their sightseeing tours of France.

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Jul 16, 2012 Valentina Avila rated it 4 of 5 stars

My 13 year old daughter has finished reading through her hunger game books and I perused the shelves at Barnes and Nobles at length and the book cover snagged my attention. I adore historical and I checked this out at my local library to see if this would be ok for her to read and found myself receiving a wonderful sort of history lesson! It is written in the perspective of a teenage girl who is used to being forgotten about as she is the 15 th child and awkward and coming into her own. She is t...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-readers-copies

I don't remember nice things about Marie-Antoinette before she lost her head on the guillotine, so I wondered how Meyer would portray her. In this historical fiction YA novel, Marie-Antoinette is sheltered, spoiled, and raised to act exactly as she does. She doesn't know any common folk and doesn't understand their plight. her unsatisfying marriage is an interesting tale, as well as her struggle to produce heirs to the throne. I didn't care for how the last section was written from Marie Antoine...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Baillie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't even have to think about giving this five stars, I already knew it deserved it. This book has literally made me laugh, cry, and think about history and how cruel this world can actually be.

Marie Antoinette was sent to France to marry a boy she's never met, and to become the Dauphine. When the King of France suddenly dies, she becomes Queen. Lonely Marie-Antoinette uses her time spending money, and who can blame her?

Well apparently the citizens France can. They've gone in debt, and use...more

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Jan 29, 2013 K.C. Rivers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, young-adult

Really more like three and a half stars. This book was much better than the last book I’d read by this author, but still with minor disappointments. I was expecting more in regards to Marie Antoinette’s lover, to be honest. I felt like the author was trying too hard to make it sound forbidden, without making me actually feel like it was forbidden, if that makes sense. I read it thinking, “So what’s the big deal? It’s not like they slept together or anything.”

However, the plot pacing and storyli...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Kristy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Likes:
The author did not add any fictional characters and tried to stay true to Marie Antoinette.
There is no huge romance between Axel and Marie... there is no proof that it happened and the story let the Queen keep her virtue.
This is truely a Young Adult book, it is not inappropriate for teen readers but we still get the feel of the story.
The Rules listed at the front of each chapter where a nice touch.
The descriptions of some of M.A.'s properties sounded so beautiful.
The Ending when the daug...more

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Jun 07, 2010 Daisy Chain Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read in Carolyn Meyer's Young Royals series, and I very much enjoyed it. Marie-Antoinette is one of my favourite historical characters, although this is the first work of fiction I've read on her. I've always been interested in her story, and here Carolyn Meyer has written an enjoyable and well balanced account of Marie Antoinette, from her early life in Austria to her final days and brutal death during the French Revolution.

We meet Marie Antoinette when she is just t...more This is the first book I've read in Carolyn Meyer's Young Royals series, and I very much enjoyed it. Marie-Antoinette is one of my favourite historical characters, although this is the first work of fiction I've read on her. I've always been interested in her story, and here Carolyn Meyer has written an enjoyable and well balanced account of Marie Antoinette, from her early life in Austria to her final days and brutal death during the French Revolution.

We meet Marie Antoinette when she is just twelve years old and already promised in marriage to the French dauphin, Louis-Auguste. We learn of all the rules of etiquette Marie-Antoinette must obey when she enters the French court, and also the extreme measures taken to ensure she looks perfect for the dauphin. Some of these are pretty harsh, and you don't even want to know what Marie-Antoinette has to endure at the hands of her dentist! On reaching France and the palace of Versailles, she embarks on a marriage which is unfulfilling and leads her to find excitement in other areas of her life, namely extravagant dresses, parties at Le Petit Trianon, gambling and a love affair with the Swedish count Axel Von Fersen. While Marie-Antoinette was much maligned in French society for her extravagant fashions and indulgent style of living, I have to say that I loved the descriptions of the different fashions and hairstyles during the time. For me, I have always thought that Marie-Antoinette's only crime was these indulgences at a time when the ordinary people of France were starving and suffering. She was young, shallow and spoiled, but she did not deserve the treatment she suffered at the hands of her subjects.

Meyer really brings the Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's private retreat at Versailles, to life. I visited Versailles and the Petit Trianon last year, and I have to say that Meyer's descriptions of the building and especially the surrounding gardens are really wonderful. While the writing is straightforward and simplistic, a style I am not used to in historical fiction, I warmed to it after a time. This is is written for younger audiences and I think the straightforward explanations of the sometimes complicated and often boring French revolution will appeal to younger readers with an interest in history.

As the book develops, the style begins to flow, especially in the final part of the book which I found very moving. Here, the narration moves from Marie-Antoinette to that of her daughter, Marie-Thérése. To see the French revolution through the eyes of the young girl is saddening. She sees her whole family taken away from her and hears of the deaths of everyone she ever loved. The final part of the book is pretty brutal, and also very well written. I was pretty engrossed in the story by this point, and this part of the story, although bloody and brutal, was one of my favourite parts of the book. I also enjoyed learning of Marie-Therese's later life as it's something not often detailed in history books.

I am glad that Meyer included an author's note on the infamous "Let them eat cake" line. I was wondering if this would be included in the book, and glad that it was not, since Marie-Antoinette never said this. I am big on historical accuracy, even in historical fiction. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable and interesting read. It's a good starting point for some background information on Marie-Antoinette's life, and should you want to continue your reading, Meyer has included a helpful bibliography at the back of the book.(less)

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Jun 21, 2011 Karolina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. It didn't have a happy ending. In fact I could sum up the ending in two words : everybody dies. But this book did show what life was like for Marie-Antoinette before the bloodbath called the French Revolution. Turns out she was brave and loyal and yes, completely blind to that little thing called a price tag. She didn't ever really love her husband the king and really wanted to be with a Swedish guy, who did love her more than you'd e...more

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Jul 02, 2010 RivkaBelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Marie Antoinette has never been my favorite queen in history - mostly because I'm not a fan of French history in general. I picked up this book because the cover & title were intriguing, and I liked the way each chapter was titled by a rule. The story itself has tons of details regarding court life at Versailles, and has a feel of authenticity to it that is sometimes lacking in historical fiction. The read was easy, though by the end it was a bit more difficult to read - just knowing how it...more

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title link	preview: The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6505696-the-bad-queen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1258611717l/6505696.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6505696-the-bad-queen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette by Carolyn Meyer[/url]

The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette (Young Royals #6)

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