Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles; Austria-France, 1769

by Kathryn Lasky

Book Overview

Austria-France, 1769. Marie Antonia of Vienna has her whole life mapped out ahead of her. She is to marry Dauphin Louis Auguste, eldest grandson of King Louis XV. As his wife, she will be called Marie... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439076668
• ISBN13: 9780439076661
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Great book!

I actually picked up this book in my school library way back in the early 2000s and never finished it. Decided to grab it again and finally read it through because I love Miss Antonia. I’m glad I did cause even now at 27 years old it was still a great read! She was such a beautiful soul who would have loved to stay carefree and have a real childhood but fortunately/unfortunately was born into a higher ranking family with duties and responsibilities. Her ending was very sad and I wish both countries had better taught their children to rule rather than prioritizing social class.

The Last Dauphine of France

"Marie Antoinette, Princess of Versailles" is a wonderful edition of the Royal Diary Series. Kathryn Lasky went all out on research and detail.Born Maria Antonia, Marie Antoniette was the daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg. This book recalls her years before and during the early parts of her marriage with the Dauphin, Louis Auguste (soon to be Louis XVI). She loses many friends on her journey to become the future Queen of France, not knowing she would be the last. This time in her life, depicts Antonia's (affectionately named by her mother and austrian friends) childhood in a naive carefree way such as it is with many young rich royals. The fussing of her marriage to Louis Auguste. The politics and the resentment given to Madame Du Barry, mistress of Louise Auguste's grandfather, King Louis XV. Lasky tells all, the culture, the fashion, the politics, and the ridiculous etiquette of the court at Versailles. Marie Antoniette could have been a spoiled child as many thought but she was all too naive about the realistic world. She could have very well turned into that rueful Queen because of the arstictocrats and hypocrites at Versailles. Even though the story has 'happy' beginning, Toinette (affectionately named by Louis Auguste) will lead a tragic life to uprise the revolution of France and to end the French Moncarchy.

Marie Antoinette : Princess of Versailles

Written about the "headstrong" Austrian archduchess Maria Antonia (as the future Queen of France was called as a child), this book portrays her as a girl who wants to be herself. Tired of her mother's incessant attempts to mold her into a beautiful, ladylike Queen, Maria Antonia just wants a chance to develop her own character and make decisions for herself. This book also deals with Maria Antonia's marriage to Louis XVI, the Dauphin (or Crown Prince) of France. Maria Antonia has been meticulously prepped so that she will make a good impression on the Dauphin and his grandfather, the incumbent French monarch. However, when she actually meets her fiance, Maria Antonia discovers to her shock (and horror) that he is not at all handsome and that he is overweight--which is completely the opposite of what she was expecting him to look like. But Maria Antonia and her husband grow closer throughout the final third of the book and become good friends at last. They are on the verge of falling in love when the book ends. Maria Antonia also has to deal with Countess du Barry, the King's mistress. Du Barry is unfriendly to Maria Antonia and goes out of her way to insult the young Dauphine. In spite of this, Maria Antonia is expected to talk to du Barry and be courteous to her--which the Dauphine refuses to do. The book also talks about Maria Antonia's bond with her older sister Elizabeth, who was once a great beauty but whose skin is now scarred as a result of smallpox. Titi, or Theresa, who is Maria Antonia's seven-year-old niece (the daughter of her older brother Joseph and his late wife Isabella of Parma), is also a close friend of the Archduchess. A principal character in this book is Queen Maria Theresa (Maria Antonia's mother), who is controlling and strict (but not cruel). This book interested me in the history of the Habsburg family (of which Maria Antonia was a member). The author aptly describes the scenery of Maria Antonia's home(s) in Austria--expertly enough so that I could recognize every single landmark mentioned in the book when I visited Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, coincidentally a few days after I finished the book. An excellent read!

A look at Marie Antoinette as a vulnerable young girl.

The year is 1769; the place, Austria. The pressure is on thirteen-year-old Maria Antonia, youngest daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa, to excell so that she will be chosen to marry the future king of France. Antonia, as she is called, must learn French language, fashions, customs, and etiquette so that she can impress the king's messengers. She is given no time to act her age; when she does attempt to enjoy life as a girl should, she is severely punished. When she is sent away to France, her life is little better - she makes enemies of the mistress of the current king, who is the grandfather of her husband-to-be. She is forced to observe customs she can barely keep straight. And she is having a hard time getting along with her fiance. I viewed Marie Antoinette differently after reading this book. It was obvious from the book and the afterword that Marie and her husband were not trained well by their parents and teachers on how to become good rulers, and Marie had been taught from the time she was young that the most important thing was to look good. This is most likely why they became such bad rulers and ended up losing their lives.

Excellent historical fiction

This book is the "diary" of Marie Antoinette, from the time she is 13, known as Antonia, and only archduchess of the Holy Roman Empire. At the end of the book, she is fifteen, dauphine of France, and wife of the future Louis XVI, who comes complete with a bad complexion. At first she hates the French court, and all the fake people, especially Madame du Berry, a former prostitute and now the King (Louis XV)'s mistress. This book was good, and gave me a good impression of Marie Antoinette. She was a bad ruler for the times, especially because she seemed to have no sense of the common Frenchman's plight. A good read.

Another Great Royal Diary

This book is great. She was married at 13! My favorite part tells about Marie Antoinette in France and she thinks the French etiquette is sometimes too much. I agree. She teaches her husband lots of Austrian things he has never heard of. Overall this book deserves the best rating. I recommend this book for book worms and girls ages 10-14.