Claudia Pierrottet Livres

'Drama, betrayal, religion and sex, it's all here ... Fascinating' GUARDIAN 'Beautifully paced, impeccably written ... Don't miss it' INDEPENDENT 'Fraser is at her best here, lucid, authoritative and compassionate' SUNDAY TIMES 'Superbly researched ... the definitive work on the ill-fated queen' CATHOLIC HERALD Marie Antoinette's dramatic life-story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still 'la reine méchante', whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; her indifference to popular suffering epitomised by the (apocryphal) words: 'let them eat cake'. Others are equally passionate in her defence: to them, she is a victim of misogyny. Antonia Fraser examines her influence over the king, Louis XVI, the accusations and sexual slurs made against her, her patronage of the arts which enhanced French cultural life, her imprisonment, the death threats made against her, rumours of lesbian affairs, her trial (during which her young son was forced to testify to sexual abuse by his mother) and her eventual execution by guillotine in 1793.

Insieme, di notte, Maggie e Tristan lavorano per ridare vita al giardino abbandonato di lei, presso la costa del New England; e man mano che riscoprono le specie rare soffocate dalle erbacce, che restituiscono respiro ai cespugli e la forza ai rampicanti, liberano anche dentro di sé istinti, emozioni e ricordi sepolti, arrivano a capire il senso della propria esistenza...

In her powerful new book, Carolly Erickson brilliantly captures the queen’s voice, her hopes and her suffering. We follow, mesmerised, as she reveals every detail of a remarkable, eventful life – from her teenage years when she began keeping a diary to her final days when she awaited her bloody appointment with the guillotine. An historical entertainment that elaborates imaginatively and whimsically on the actual lives of Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Axel Fersen, and their peers. The Hidden Diary gives the reader the carthartic, visceral experience of reliving Marie Antoinette’s life – as fictionally elaborated. Erickson creates a memorable, sympathetic, vivid image of this Queen that she hopes will stay in the mind and heart of the reader after the book is closed. ‘Writers of historical fiction must tread a fine line between loving one’s protagonists while telling the truth about them. arolly Erickson has executed this balancing act with the same scorching wit and great-heartedness that has always illuminated her biographies.’ – Robin Maxwell, author of The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn. Carolly Erickson holds a Ph.D. in medieval history from Colombia University and was a college professor before becoming a writer. She has written many historical biographies, including The First Elizabeth, Her Little Majesty, and Alexandra.