The Queen's Lover
Francine du Plessix Gray
A “deeply intelligent” and “spellbinding” historical novel of Marie Antoinette on the eve of the French Revolution ( The Washington Post ) Francine du Plessix Gray’s beautifully realized historical novel reveals the untold love story between Swedish aristocrat Count Axel von Fersen and Marie Antoinette. The romance begins at a masquerade ball in Paris in 1774, when the dashing nobleman first meets the mesmerizing nineteen-year-old dauphine, wife of the reclusive prince who will soon become Louis XVI. This electric encounter launches a love affair that will span the course of the French Revolution. As their relationship deepens, Fersen becomes a devoted companion to the entire royal family. Roaming the halls of Versailles and visiting the private haven of Le Petit Trianon, he discovers the deepest secrets of the court, even learning the startling erotic details of Marie Antoinette’s marriage to Louis XVI. But his new intimacy with Marie Antoinette and her family is disrupted when the events of the American Revolution tear Fersen away. Moved by the cause, he joins French troops in the fight for American independence. He returns to find France on the brink of disintegration. After the Revolution of 1789 the royal family is moved from Versailles to the Tuileries. Fersen devises an escape for the family and their young children (Marie-Thérèse and the dauphin—whom many suspect is in fact Fersen’s son). The failed attempt leads to a more grueling imprisonment, and the family spends its excruciating final days captive before the king and queen face the guillotine. Grieving his lost love in his native Sweden, Fersen begins to sense the effects of the French Revolution in his homeland. Royalists are now targets, and the sensuous aristocratic world of his youth is fast vanishing. Fersen is incapable of realizing that centuries of tradition have disappeared, and he pays dearly for his naïveté, losing his life at the hands of a savage mob that views him as a pivotal member of the ruling class. Scion of Sweden’s most esteemed nobility, Fersen came to be seen as an enemy of the country he loved. His fate is symbolic of the violent speed with which the events of the eighteenth century transformed European culture. Expertly researched and deeply imagined, The Queen’s Lover is a fresh vision of the French Revolution and the French royal family as told through the love story that was at its center.
Publication Year: 2012
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"The Queen's Lover" is the fictional memoir of Count Axel von Fersen, a man long-speculated to have been the lover of doomed Queen Marie Antoinette. "Edited" by Fersen's sister, the novel focuses on not only his relationship with Marie, but Fersen's entire life--from his many romances to his efforts in the American Civil War.
The Good
Oh, look! A book on Fersen! I've always wanted a book about Fersen. He's such an interesting man, and his relationship with Marie was truly interesting.
The Bad
Wait, what happened? This is one of the most boring books I've ever read--and Marie Antoinette is barely present! And for God's sake, the dialogue is largely limited to "and then we said things along these lines" vs. any memorable lines. For the love of all this is holy, why is Fersen so insufferable?
The Ugly
Oh my lord, did she just use "orifice" when describing oral sex? BOUNTEOUS BELLY. THAT WAS A THING. I WANT TO GAG.
The Verdict
Run awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
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