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Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette
Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette | Sena Jeter Naslund
Marie Antoinette was a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of the fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King of France. Coming of age in the most public of arenaseager to be a good wife and strong queenshe warmly embraces her adopted nation and its citizens. She shows her new husband nothing but love and encouragement, though he repeatedly fails to consummate their marriage and in so doing is unable to give what she and the people of France desire most: a child and an heir to the throne. Deeply disappointed and isolated in her own intimate circle, and apart from the social life of the court, she allows herself to remain ignorant of the country's growing economic and political crises, even as poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion and revenge. The young queen, once beloved by the common folk, becomes a target of scorn, cruelty, and hatred as she, the court's nobles, and the rest of the royal family are caught up in the nightmarish violence of a murderous time called "the Terror." With penetrating insight and with wondrous narrative skill, Sena Jeter Naslund offers an intimate, fresh, heartbreaking, and dramatic reimagining of this truly compelling woman that goes far beyond popular mythand she makes a bygone time of tumultuous change as real to us as the one we are living in now.
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review
Magpie2020
Pickpick

A really interesting first-person look at a fascinating woman

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Kimmie
Pickpick

Love a good historical fiction. This author delivers

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HeatherBookNerd
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These books created some of the very best book club discussions.

#jingleshelves #bookclubread

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I‘ll have to look those up!!! 👀 6y
SilversReviews Nice. Two favorites...THE TORTILLA CURTAIN and THE THIRTEENTH TALE. 6y
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
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britt_brooke
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Thanks for the opportunity, @Liberty ❣️ #GIVEAWAYHISTORICAL

Yeah_I_Read I loved this book 6y
Yeah_I_Read @rubyslippersreads now when I read negative stuff about her I get pissed lol 6y
Cinfhen 💚 6y
94 likes1 stack add5 comments
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GreyZone
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Pickpick

I managed to read this massive novel in a weekend, a rare and exciting feet. It's definitely not for the faint of heart or the relaxed reader - it's heavy, it's pompous, and quite detailed, much like Marie Antoinette herself. It's not one of my favorites and yet it's stuck with me throughout the months. If you like thick historical fictions based on real people, this is your novel.

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britt_brooke
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The palace itself has been well-maintained, but we all know what happened to this king and queen .... #BrokedownPalace #JuneTunz

This is a VERY good book. Highly recommend.

📷: 🙋🏼

Cinfhen I'd love to read this but #pagecountphobia 🙄🙄🙄#thestruggleisreal 7y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen The struggle is definitely real!! Believe it or not, I also have page count phobia. I rarely read anything over 500 pages. IJ was a major exception. 7y
Cinfhen That's amazing that you even considered IJ and then you actually slay the beast 🙌🏻 7y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Thanks! ☺️ I don't know if I would've made it without the buddy read, but I'm glad I did. 7y
121 likes14 stack adds4 comments
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BookishFeminist
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Y'all. I can't. It's no secret that Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI didn't have children for a while after they married but for mercy's sake, will you two just bang already?

I'm not partial to romance or sex in books but SACRÉ BLEU. Two years and 130 pages after their marriage they haven't done so much as throw a seductive look at one other. Marie has been desperate too and I just can't anymore. ? #litsyafterdark

DeborahSmall 😂😂 7y
aa_guer2021 😶😯😝😂 7y
DeborahSmall Apart from that is it any good? X 7y
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BookishFeminist @DeborahSmall @ruskigurl16 you guys have no idea 😂😂 @DeborahSmall it's slow going for the moment—no idea why 🙄 but it's well-written. I'll let you know when it picks up a bit. I'm enjoying it! 7y
Donna_sBookMinute I refrain from most sexual topics or remarks on social media. But this one, @BookishFeminist, is too funny 😂. French! 🔵🔵 😂😂😂😂😂. Good question, @DeborahSmall. Wouldn't want to miss out on a good read because I took the silly 😜 route. 7y
DeborahSmall @BookishFeminist @Donna_sBookMinute lol 😂. I've been planning on buying this for a while. Sure I will soon but will be glad to read what you think before I start 7y
Bookzombie 😂😂😂 7y
OffTheBeatenShelf.com Haha! I really need to read this. I've had a signed copy on my shelf for ages (the author grew up in the same town as me and we went to the same undergrad, though she was there a couple of decades before me), but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. 7y
Reviewsbylola 😂😂😂 7y
vivastory It's a fact: more reviews need exclamation Sacré Bleu. 7y
Dorianna @vivastory I was just thinking "Not nearly enough reviews use Sacré Bleu these days." 7y
vivastory @Dorianna 😀 True story! 7y
LeahBergen Geez. 130 pages after the wedding?! I'd use the French Canadian here and say, "Tabernac!!" ? 7y
PomegranateMuse ^^^all of that 😂😂😂 7y
136 likes2 stack adds14 comments
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MeganAnn
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Pickpick

#feistyfeb #deckleedge
These were the first few I found on my shelves but I'm sure I have more. Abundance is a beautiful novel of Marie Antoinette that I absolutely loved. 💕💍
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I always liked the look of the deckle edge on the Nora Roberts paperback series. The bride quartet is one of my favorites.

Peddler410 I didn't know those edges had a name. Deckle edge is my something new for today! 7y
MeganAnn @Peddler410 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
52 likes2 comments
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BookishFeminist
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Started this yesterday as my first #LitsyAtoZ! I'm really enjoying it so far. Despite majoring in French I know precious little about Marie Antoinette since I avoided classes on French history. 👀 I'm really looking forward to learning about her life. 🏵 #amreading

104 likes4 stack adds
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britt_brooke
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I enjoyed all of the Michelle Moran books pictured above especially the Egyptian Royals collection.

Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund is SO good. Can anyone suggest any other Marie Antoinette books??

👑 #royals #readjanuary 👑

Cinfhen I'm thinking of you @LeahBergen 7y
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britt_brooke @jessicarenee @MallenNC Thanks! #Stacked them both. 👍🏻👍🏻 7y
Bookish_B Fiction or non? 7y
LeahBergen @Cinfhen Why, thank you! 😘 7y
LeahBergen This is a fascinating bit of nonfiction (about her son) if you are interested 7y
britt_brooke @Bookish_B Either, please! 😁 7y
129 likes3 stack adds9 comments
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BookishFeminist
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We're packing for our holiday road trip to Minnesota and @becausetrains is sure I don't need to bring along all these books & my kindle for a 6 day trip 😂😂😂

ITS ABOUT OPTIONS.

Ps: anyone in the twin cities area, we'll be around Dec 30-Jan 1 & traveling through Chicago and Madison before/after that—boosting here in case anyone's interested in meeting up for coffee or book shopping 😀 @WordWaller @tnorris @kmdartist @8little_paws

8little_paws Would love to meet up! You let me know when works for you. I'm pretty free all week and next. 7y
balletbookworm Yes. Yes you need all of them. And possibly a few acquired at shops on the way there/back 😜 7y
BookishFeminist @8little_paws I'll text you from the road tomorrow! We're passing through Chicago on the 29th 😀 7y
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8little_paws @BookishFeminist Thursday--great, I'm wide open that day 7y
BookishFeminist @balletbookworm 😂😂 exactly!! Already planning on those book store visits 📖 7y
BookishFeminist @8little_paws perfect! I'll give you a better idea when we'll be in town, maybe you can show us women & children first! 7y
Booksnob I live in MN and would love to meet up at a Bookstore in St. Paul or Mpls. Is it Ok if I invite myself or awkward? 7y
BookishFeminist @Booksnob 😂😂 not awkward! I asked! Do you have instagram or Twitter so we can exchange phone #s via dm? 7y
Booksnob Yep I'm on Twitter as @booksnob 7y
BookishFeminist @Booksnob Followed! Send me a message when you get my follow and I'll send you my # 7y
lauralovesbooks1 I will just have missed you -- would have been fun to meet up. I was in Madison at the beginning of this week. The BN on the west side of Madison has a used book dept if interested. (Full disclosure-- I work for the company) It's 60,000 square feet -- one of the biggest outside of NYC. 7y
mischa Of course you need them all because you don't know what mood you'll be in. And if you're also in the mood to buy books, who are you to ignore it? 7y
8little_paws @BookishFeminist OK great! I actually live fairly close to W&CF. It's a great store 7y
Megabooks Of course it's not too many! Tsk, tsk @becausetrains ! Let me know if you ever head south! 7y
Rebeccak THANK YOU IT IS ABOUT OPTIONS. My suitcase is always half books whenever I go away 7y
becausetrains @Ebooksandcooks I've stopped fighting that battle with @BookishFeminist, especially since sometimes she gets me books too ☺️📚 7y
vivastory No way is it too many. No such thing! 7y
WhatDeeReads I'm in Chicago too! @8little_paws is my friend. I'll show up where she tells me if it's after work! 7y
MrBook #NiceStack! Tell @becausetrains to bring some Optimator along as well 😂👏🏻. 7y
Shortstack I stuck with 4 for my trip because I was getting books. I now have 13 in my possession. And I'm on my way to Hemingway's house where I'm sure I will probably buy at least one more. Kind of curious how many I'll have by the time I leave my parents house. Lol 7y
Godmotherx5 I can meet in Chicago if you're serious? 7y
BethM We are going to be up north or I'd drive over to Madison! 7y
BethM @lauralovesbooks1 I didn't know that! I've only been to the east side one. Next time I'm down there I'll have to make a journey to the west side! 7y
ReadingEnvy Yes but not every book will fit the mood you're in. And road trip means you don't have to worry about luggage weight. (Am I helping?) Enjoy! 7y
BookishFeminist @Lucky_Ladee We're likely to be in Chicago early in the day tomorrow since we're passing through on the way so we may end up missing you if you'll be at work. I'll keep @8little_paws posted & she can let you know! 7y
BookishFeminist @Godmotherx5 Yep! I'm serious, lol. We love making pit stops on our way since it makes the drive more fun. :) we're likely to be in Chicago early-ish tomorrow- I'll send you my phone number on Twitter dm & we can see what shakes out 😊 7y
BookishFeminist @mischa @Ebooksandcooks @Rebeccak @vivastory @MrBook @Shortstack @ReadingEnvy 😂😂 y'all are such enablers I love it. I may have added a couple last minute necessities to the pile 👀 7y
BookishFeminist @lauralovesbooks1 That's a shame, would have loved to see you! Maybe some other future trip. Thanks for the heads up about that Barnes & Noble! There's one in the Twin Cities that has a used book dept too, & I'm really looking forward to going back to it! It's my fave B&N outside of NYC :) 7y
BookishFeminist @BethM maybe next time! :) we usually make a pit stop in Madison on our trips up north! 7y
lauralovesbooks1 @BookishFeminist -- maybe a meet up will work out another time you pass through the area. Enjoy your bookish trip! 7y
tnorris Oh I would have loved to!! I'm actually in Houston from the 30-3rd visiting family. Let me know when you travel through again! It would be fun to meet up! 7y
BookishFeminist @tnorris No worries! Shame we'll miss you this time but I'll definitely let you know next time we'll be in the area! We'll grab coffee at a spot you haven't been so you can blog about it 😀☕️ 7y
tnorris @BookishFeminist hahah perfect!! ☕️📖☕️📖☕️ have a great trip!! 😊😊 7y
WordWaller Oh my! I'll be working during the day the 30th and 31st and at a party on New Years Eve but otherwise it'd be awesome to meet up!! 7y
WordWaller And if it doesn't work to meet up you can always visit Magers before 5 on the 30th or 31st and I'll be there (: 7y
BookishFeminist @WordWaller let's exchange phone numbers on twitter or instagram dm & see if we can figure something out! We're pretty flexible outside of Dec 31 anyway :) 7y
moranadatter This week is fairly busy, but let me know when you're passing through Madison; I might be able to get away for coffee. 7y
moranadatter @BethM I don't live too far from the West Side B&N. 7y
BethM @kmdartist the next time I head down there I'll have to let you know! 7y
moranadatter @BethM Please do. It would be fun to meet you. Have you been to Frugal Muse? 7y
[DELETED] 3323341091 i don't see too many books 😊. have a great trip! 7y
LauraBrook Wait, seriously? I live outside of Milwaukee, and if I weren't on bed rest this week, I'd totally meet you all in Madison. Dang! A great idea to liven up a long road trip with bookish stops, I'm stealing it. Hope you have a great time! 7y
BookishFeminist @8little_paws I thought we had each other's numbers but apparently we don't 😂 I messaged you mine on twitter so we can hopefully meet up tomorrow. 7y
8little_paws Just saw it and sent it back! 7y
186 likes4 stack adds46 comments
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BookishFeminist
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Decisions made at 3am while organizing my bookshelves: "What the hell, I'll do the #LitsyAtoZ challenge. I don't have enough on my plate." ? I'm doing the #ReadHarder challenge & #LitsyReadingChallenge, too. Also my #30in30 birthday challenge. Going to cross-use books, though.

So, in the words of Joan Didion, I'm naming 2017 #TheYearofMagicalReadingChallenges. A/k/a: how I'm going to survive the first year of a trump presidency.

LeahBergen I have to do my list still but I chose to go by title, too. And I'm also doing the Litsy Reads one. I'm thinking there will be overlap! 7y
LeahBergen Make that the #LitsyReadingChallenge. Oops! 7y
LeahBergen I've never tried #ReadHarder so I may feel the need to toss that one into the works. 😂 7y
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NovelGirl82 ??? "How I'm going to survive the first year of a Trump presidency". I feel you on that! I haven't chosen any challenges to do for the new year, beyond how many books I read (which I do every year), so I may join in the AtoZ. 7y
WanderingBookaneer Is the 2017 Read Harder List out? 7y
NovelGirl82 Oh what the hell?! I'll join in on the #LitsyReadingChallenge as well! Might as well join the fun! 7y
BookishMarginalia Love the hashtag! And yes, crosspollinate the books among and between the challenges 👍🏼👏🏼 7y
jessberk13 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
KarenUK Me too... going to try all those challenges too! Love the hash tag.... let's hope it is magical year of reading! 😍 7y
Theresa I'm going to do 3 of the 4 you're doing - skipping #30for30 because my #s would be quite a bit higher than 30. 😂 I want to see if it's possible to do all 3 from books I already own & with as few crossovers as possible. I wish the #ReadHarder list would come out already!! 😆 7y
Graciouswarriorprincess I am doing the same challenges except for #30for30 because I am like @Theresa. 7y
Soubhiville I was just trying to decide if I could cross use books to do multiple challenges at once, or if I should do one challenge first then start another 😊📚 I'm impressed with your list! Have fun! 7y
TheNextBook 😂😂😂 You will definitely have to cross read and there is nothing wrong with that. I need a break from challenges mext year. I'm still doing #keepingitshort and I'm challenging myself to clear the books I own that I havent read. 😏 That's going to be really hard when I'm constantly buying books. 7y
shelf-improvement Some great titles here! An amazing goal. Good luck. 📚 7y
LindsayReads YESSSSSSS TO ALL OF THIS. LET'S DO THIS. 😎 7y
RealLifeReading I just love your list! So many books there are already on my TBR!! I should make mine too 7y
Dvmheather I would never be able to stick to a plan like that. I get too distracted! 7y
Chessa Yessssss! 🙌🙌🙌 7y
DrexEdit In for a penny, in for a pound. By the end of this year I will either love or hate reading challenges! 😊 😊 👏👏👏💜 7y
Minispok Awesome list! 7y
avalonlovelee A visit from the goon squad 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 7y
Shortstack The second I saw this the Zelda book jumped to mind. I'm just debating if I want to commit to this or not. 7y
Shortstack If I do, I'm going to label my I as Infinite Jest 7y
AAdamson You're going to love A Constellation of Vital Phenomena! 7y
BookishFeminist @Shortstack You know you want to commit to this ? it'll help you push for your reading goal! And good call on Infinite Jest for "I"—I just grabbed books that are already on my shelves for this list but I'm sure there will be substitutions throughout the year as it progresses! I can't wait for our infinite jest readalong 7y
Shortstack @BookishFeminist oh, I already gave in. Also, I vote #InfiniteReadalong for our Foster-Wallace book since it reflects both the title and the length. 😂 7y
162 likes26 comments
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britt_brooke
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#recommendsday: This excellent historical fiction novel reads like a Marie Antoinette memoir.

KikiLovesBooks I adore this book and suggest it to customers all the time! 8y
HeatherBookNerd Terrific book! 8y
britt_brooke @KikiLovesBooks That is awesome! 👍🏻 8y
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LauraBrook I love anything Marie Antoinette, and had never heard of this before. Onto the list it goes! 8y
britt_brooke @LauraBrook Yay! I became a little obsessed with her after visiting Versailles several years ago. She was a interesting woman. 8y
LauraBrook That's what did it for me too, @britt_brooke , though I was there 16 years ago! Jeez, I feel old. 😉 I should really pull all of my MA/Versailles books together. Fun weekend project for me! 8y
LauraBrook Did you take the tour where you could see more rooms and things that weren't on the normal tour? I didn't but I wanted to So Badly! And now I may have to watch one of my favorite movies, Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten Dunst. 🏰 8y
britt_brooke @LauraBrook That's awesome! We went to Paris in 2009. Versailles wasn't even on our planned agenda, but we decided to take a day trip there and it was one of favorite parts of the trip! We took a pretty detailed tour but I don't know if it was a special one. We wanted to rent bikes to ride around the grounds but it was horribly windy that day. Such a gorgeous place! 8y
BethFishReads This was great 8y
76 likes11 stack adds9 comments
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britt_brooke

#recommendsday: This excellent historical fiction reads like a Marie Antoinette memoir.

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BookishFeminist
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Happy Bastille Day! Bastille Day (or La fête nationale) is France's main national holiday--it celebrates the storming of the Bastille, the turning point in the French Revolution. Here are some great books by French authors & about France to celebrate. What are your favorite French authors? ?? ?

KikiLovesBooks I love Abundance. 8y
Simona @BookishFeminist I loved Barbery, because of the unique characters 8y
LiteraryinLawrence Have you read Barbery in French? The translation by Alison Anderson is wonderful, but I've never read it in the original. 8y
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BookishFeminist @KikiLovesBooks isn't it wonderful? I love Naslund's other work too--she's a great historical fiction writer! 8y
BookishFeminist @Simona I agree! Barbery is wonderful. 😊 8y
BookishFeminist @LiteraryinLititz I have & loved it. I haven't read the translation of it even though just about every used book store has one now, though I'm curious about it. I recommend the original if you can track down a copy 😊 8y
KikiLovesBooks Yes! I really enjoy her! And she is from Birmingham where I live which is pretty cool too! I also really love Ahab's Wife! I need to read The Fountain of St James Court next. (Wasn't such a fan of Adam & Eve). 8y
BookishFeminist @KikiLovesBooks I also love Ahab's Wife! I haven't read The Fountain of St James Court yet either, and Adam & Eve was a so-so for me too. 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I'm going through an Emile Zola phase 8y
BookishFeminist @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled.com LOL that's quite a specific phase, but there are definitely worse to be in. Any favorites? 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Ha! True! Read Therese Raquin recently (so good!) and then my friend got me a first edition of Paris! Just starting that one. 8y
BookishFeminist @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled.com Oo! Let me know what you think of that one. You have an awesome friend. 😊 8y
85 likes2 stack adds12 comments
review
britt_brooke
Pickpick

What an extremely well-written book! Since it's written in memoir form with Marie Antoinette narrating, it really draws you into her world.