The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carolly Erickson

Author: Carolly Erickson
Publish Date: 9/14/2010
Website: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6597.Carolly_Erickson
ISBN: 9780312652739
List Price: $11.90
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis:

Queen of Scotland at six days of age, married as a young girl to the invalid young king of France, Mary took the reins of the unruly kingdom of Scotland as a young widow and fought to keep her throne. A second marriage to her handsome but dissolute cousin Lord Darnley ended in murder and scandal, while a third to the dashing Lord Bothwell, the love of her life, gave her joy but widened the scandal and surrounded her with enduring ill repute.

Unable to rise above the violence and disorder that swirled around her, Mary escaped to England—only to find herself a prisoner of her ruthless, merciless cousin Queen Elizabeth.

Here, in a riveting first-person account, is the enchanting woman whose name still evokes excitement and compassion—and whose death under the headsman’s axe still draws forth our sorrow.

My Comments:
I thought this was a great historical read from the perspective that Mary, Queen of Scots, is always portrayed as a conniving and plotting evil Queen of the North and that her only ambition is to take over the English throne. This book paints a completely different picture of a girl to a woman who is always fighting for her right to survive and to take her noble right of royal blood the throne of Scotland. She only wants the throne of England to solidify her childrens's future. The secret birth of her daughter and continued secrecy to protect her life is quite a different take on the picture that is always painted about Mary. I really like Carolly Erickson's writing style. The rhythm and meeter make the reading easily absorbed and an exciting read!

The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson

Author:  Carolly Erickson
Publish Date: August 8, 2006 Website: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6597.Carolly_Erickson
ISBN: 9780312361501
List Price: $13.95
My Rating: 5 out of 5

Jacket Synopsis:
Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her life—from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution.

Carolly Erickson takes the reader deep into the psyche of France’s doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her; her fears on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing attempted flight from France in disguise; her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her young son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again.

Erickson brilliantly captures the queen’s voice, her hopes, her dreads, and her suffering. We follow, mesmerized, as she reveals every detail of her remarkable, eventful life—from her teenage years when she began keeping a diary to her final days when she awaited her own bloody appointment with the guillotine.

My Comments:
I love historical fiction! This is the fictional story and embellished "replica" of Marie Antoinette's diary. It details her experience from childhood to the chopping block. Her lover, her children, the love for her husband, Louis, were all captured in this entertaining story. It is interesting to watch her character delicately balance fear, hate, love, and companionship right up until her death. I cried! Love it, would read it again. With this book, I have picked up several other of Carolly Erickson's books. Her writing is great and so vivid!