This is a very detailed history book which is extremely dense in places.
It is written in a style that is complicated.
A poor book

I found very well written and easy to read, its obvious the author did a lot of research and it shows you really feel the author knows the subject well.

This was an interesting biography of the Princesses De La Balle. It was a very tragic tale of a princess who was loyal to her queen. I recommend this for anyone interested in Marie Antoinette and her court.

i really enjoyed getting to know Marie Thrse, it really was a well-written piece that kept me invested. I look forward to more from the author.

While I do think that the title to this book is a tad misleading, I nevertheless couldn't put it down. 'Marie Antoinette's Confidante' covers the story of Marie Antoinette, but not her life in it's entirety. The focus is more-so on her friend, Princesse de Lamballe, who I was not as familiar with. The author does a masterful job at telling the story of Marie Antoinette through telling the story of Princesse de Lamballe, and I found that I couldn't put it down nor walk away from it for long. A story that is both informative and easy to read, 'Marie Antoinette's Confidante' is a definite recommend.

Would you give up your life for your best friend? We all know the story of the ill-fated Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette. But what about her most faithful lady-in-waiting, superintendent and best friend, the Princesse de Lamballe. Marie Antoinette’s Confidnate: The Rise and Fall of the Princesse de Lamballe tells her story: a story of love and sacrifice. The Princesse de Lamballe was born into one do the wealthiest families in Europe which meant she had to make a political marriage. This marriage to the Prince de Lamballe, a prince of blood to Louis XVI, is what brought her to Versailles and the Bourbon Court. Marie Antoinette fell in love with her instantly. They became best of friends in no time flat. I don’t want to give every detail of her fascinating life away but what ensued after was a tragic story of friendship put to the ultimate test during one of the most violent periods unrest in Europe. While it did take me forever to get though this simply because I knew the tragic ending, I did enjoy this meticulously researched account of what life was like for the beau monde at Versailles. I really admire the Princesse de Lamballe so much for her bravery and courage in the face of certain death for remaining loyal to her queen and best friend.

Marie Antoinette's Confidante is part history lesson and part gossipy tale, however, it is missing the essence of the central character, the aforementioned confidante, Marie Therese. But as Marie Therese’s name does not warrant a mention in the title of her own story, perhaps that says it all. There is some backstory in the beginning, but when mole placement and underlings get more word count than the main character then the whole focus shifts, and the reader is left wondering, what is the whole point? This is unfortunate as Marie Therese’s family connections have enough drama that surely could have carried a story or two. Alas, Marie Therese is but a footnote in her own story. This is a shame as the basis of Marie Therese’s character may be skewed. The author states that Marie Therese was known for her amiability and nobility, but she was best known for her epic swoons. In fact, it is the vapors that push Marie Therese to the background as she all but disappears in the middle of the book.
The story of Marie Antoinette is well known and though much of the focus of this book is on her, there is little information that has not been told before. The friendship between the two women was built on mutual backgrounds, of royal birth, arranged marriages that required leaving their childhood family behind, and marriage into the French nobility, however, their relationship was disjointed and uneven. There is a story to be told of these two, but Marie Antoinette’s Confidente does not deliver in this telling. Too much Marie Antoinette and not enough Marie Therese.

The Princesse de Lamballe was the most wonderful friend. She stuck with the doomed Queen through thick and thin, even paying the supreme sacrifice. Sweet and angelic with golden hair, the Princess liked a quiet life and didn't want to join in the Queen's love for playing games and her friendships with some frivolous aristocrats. Her main rivalry for the Queen's friendship was with the Princesse de Polignac, but when Marie-Antoinette wanted a more sensible, loyal companion, she turned back to the lovely Lamballe.



This is a very detailed and sympathetic biography of the Princess, but I thought that Geri Walton was a bit hard on the Queen at times. I also found the account of Madame Lamballe's death extremely graphic, but it had to be included. The bloodthirsty French Revolution is also difficult to read about.



This is a must-read for anyone who likes reading about French royalty.



I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I love history in general, but know less than I'd like to about the French Revolution. I've thought before about digging into it, but it's such a big subject I have felt overwhelmed about where to start. This book, viewing the subject through the lens of just one subject was a great way to fill in some of those gaps,

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for me to review.

I knew absolutely nothing about Princesse de Lamballe before reading this, and now I think I know more about Marie Antoinette's family and Lamballe's life and death than I thought I'd ever know. Tbh I just saw the book and the title and I was like oh seems interesting and "wished" for it. Then surprise! The publisher decided to send me the book which I'm very grateful for because I don't think I would've gone after this kind of info/book if not like this.

Geri Walton made the whole story (history?) really easy to follow, despite so many names and information and dates being thrown in. It was clear to me who was doing what and their relationships and the things happening!

I never expected to enjoy a biography this much. I guess since most of it was new to me (I've studied the french revolution so many times already and it seems there's always something new to find out) it was a smooth read and really interesting.

Also I absolutely fell in love with the princesse, like "the queen wants me; I must live and die near her." Can you imagine being willing to die because you love someone so much and are so loyal you sacrifice everything just to keep them company and give some comfort when it's all going to hell? Wow.

I do think the author could've discussed a bit the whole misoginy in the attacks against Antoinette (and Lamballe), both in their period (w/ lots of gross sexual comments) and I guess in History itself, considering we mostly remember Antoinette from "let them eat cake" or whatever.