The Wardrobe Mistress: A Novel on Marie Antoinette by Meghan Masterson

There are many novels written about Marie Antoinette, but this one shines not much explored light on her. She and her husband, Louis XVI, inherit a throne, but none of them is fit to rule. Both lack the political and economic skills, and not too many books explore this aspect, which this book does.

The story starts in 1791 and spans until 1793. It is voiced by a fictional character of Giselle Aubry. She grabs an opportunity to work in the queen’s household as undertirewoman. She dreams about designing beautiful dresses herself and becoming another Rose Bertin, queen’s favored dress designer. As soon as she arrives at the palace, she witnesses political discussions. And outside the palace she observers “threatening riots over the cost of bread,” hears conversations of “the shamefully low wages, and the extravagance of the royal family.”

Her family represents the Third Estate, which revolts. Her family is better off than most of the families of her class, but she does sympathize with those who have much less and ask for a decent living. At the same time, she sympathizes with the queen: “…she’s a woman who does not deserve her fate, or all the blame heaped upon her personally, no matter what errors she’s made.”

“The Third Estate chooses a more patriotic name for itself, becoming the National Assembly” and insists on drawing up a constitution. With time forcing the royalty to move from Versailles to Paris to equally represent all people. Soon after, “all aristocratic, hereditary titles are abolished.”

Two years later the riots and the French Revolution continue, and some people inspired by the American Revolution start questioning the French Revolution, its brutality and effects.

The story is brilliantly written, very engrossing and touching. It gives enough details to paint the brutality of the French Revolution at the same time not overwhelming the story. I enjoyed the fictional romance between Giselle and Leon, which also touches upon a conflict of two people who care for each other, but are torn by the political situation surrounding them.

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