Wednesday 31 October 2012

Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow by Juliet Grey


Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow is book two in Juliet Grey's Marie Antoinette series.  I read book one, Becoming Marie Antoinette, last year (my review) and very much enjoyed it, so I was pleased to be offered the chance to review the sequel.  Covering the period from Marie's ascension to the throne of France to the beginnings of the revolution, Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow plants the seeds of the hardships to come.  Young, childless and kept away from the business of state, Marie Antoinette busies herself with parties, gambling and fashion, alienating a population struggling through economic difficulties.  Her attempts at gaining privacy offend the noble classes and although her heart is often in the right place, she lacks the common sense a good leader requires.   Her joy at finally giving birth to an heir is tempered by gossip and the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, which signals that the population of France is getting ready to challenge the monarchy.

I was very familiar with the history of Marie Antoinette before reading this or its predecessor as I have read and loved Antonia Fraser's biography of her in the past, so I was pleased to see how much Grey stuck to historical fact.  As with Becoming Marie Antoinette, the amount of research that had gone into Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow, was admirable.  I love all of the little details in historical fiction and Grey includes enough of them to make the time period completely and utterly believable.  There are never any jarring anachronisms and I enjoyed all the little details about court etiquette and trends.  I also enjoyed the letters between Marie and her family members as they broke up the narrative nicely.

The character of Marie Antoinette was drawn well.  Grey manages a good balance between making you just sympathetic enough to like her but also showing why France didn't embrace her.  Marie comes across as exactly what she was, a young girl out of her depth with black and white morals that didn't translate well to being the Queen of France.  She is too easily led and thinks that simplistic gestures like donating a bit of money to charity can cover up her massive expenditure.  Grey shows how good intentions aren't always enough and Marie's lack of common sense about her friends and choices ends up starting her ruin. 

Despite these strengths, I had some issues with the pacing of the book.  It covers many years of Marie Antoinette's life and while the first half had a sedate pace, everything seemed rushed through nearer the end and this imbalance bothered me a bit.  There was too much detail about some events and not enough about others.  The whole Affair of the Diamond Necklace wasn't explained properly by Grey, which made the sections about it drag a bit.  Plus, I wasn't a fan of how suddenly other character's perspectives were included when the rest of the book had been written from Marie Antoinette's point of view.  Middle books can always feel a bit slow in places and there was a lot of build up in this novel which I'm sure will pay off in the final volume of the trilogy but which made this volume a bit long and clunky to read.

Overall an enjoyable book, but not quite as good as the first volume, Becoming Marie Antoinette. I'm looking forward to reading the final volume when it's released.


Source: Ebook provided by Historical Fiction Book Tours 
First Published: 2012
Score: 3.5 out of 5

Tour Information

8 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this novel! Unlike you, I wasn't that familiar with Marie Antoinette's story and I loved learning more about her through this novel. I'm glad to hear it's historically accurate :) I found it easier to relate to Marie Antoinette than in the first book. I do agree that towards the end it felt a bit rushed. I'm really looking forward to the third book as well, it'll be interesting to see what you think!

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    1. I think she was relatable - I would have made lots of the same mistakes! I think the third volume will be very good, especially after all the build up in this book.

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  2. I've read a couple of the Jean Plaidy stories with Marie Antoinette being a key character. This must be another perspective of the story. I'd like to read this one. Thank you for the review.

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    1. I've not tried Jean Plaidy yet, although I've heard her books are good. The first in this series is called Becoming Marie Antoinette, it's well worth a read.

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  3. I've just pushed Becoming Marie Antoinette up on my WishList...I need to read these before the 3rd one is published. Enjoyed your review!

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  4. I read Becoming Marie Antoinette and I'm excited to see that this is out. Marie Antoinette simply fascinates me. The time period, Versailles, the circumstances of her life, all of it. I really need to look into getting a copy of this.
    2 Kids and Tired Books

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  5. same thing: I had enjoyed the first volume, but had many issues with that one, see in my review, and I don't think I'll read vol 3, unless everyone gets ecstatic about it: http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/07/12/2012-34-review-days-of-splendor-days-of-sorrow/

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  6. This is a novel I would very much love to read, together with the first volume. A fine review.

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