Rated of 5
by Karin D. (Glendale, AZ) Surprising
I really enjoyed this book. My curiosity about Axel had been piqued when I saw the film with Tyrone Power playing Axel...it left a lot to the imagination and this book fills in the gaps. The author portrays the court with great detail and makes her characters live. I heartily recommend this to all who enjoy Historical Fiction with a love story as a bonus.
Rated of 5
by Glenn H. (Las Vegas, NV) Not what I expected
I really wanted to like this book and admittedly there were parts that I enjoyed, but overall this book is not what I hoped it would be. It was less about the love affair between a queen and her forbidden lover or even about a likeable forbidden lover but more about (and often depressingly so) the decline of the French aristocracy, the French Revolution and the royal lineages of western Europe. As an aside the final conclusion of the novel is written on the back which I thought was very odd. Overall just neutral on this book.
Rated of 5
by Esther L. (Newtown, Pa) Disappointment
I have to start this review by saying that I am an avid reader not a writer. This is my first review for Book Browse. Although written as historical fiction The Queen's Lover by Francine Du Plessix Gray reads like a rather dull history text book. Every so often gratuitous sexual descriptions are added to the narrative in a failed attempt to add life to the story. French is continually used but with no English translation. Frustration and boredom are not a good combination. The story is about the love affair between Swedish aristocrat Axel Von Fersen and Marie Antoinette.The affair begins in friendship and devotion to the future King and Queen. I always finish any book that I start to read but was sorely tempted to stop this one soon after Marie Antoinette meets the guillotine.
Rated of 5
by Constance C. (Manchester, New Hampshire) The Queen/s Lover
This historical novel is based on the untold love story of Marie Antoinette and Count Axel von Fersen. Due to the excess amount of details I can only rate it as good. Some of the descriptions are very interesting. I did not care for the main character. Count Alex. But found myself sympathetic to the royal family, their reputations have not been very good thru the years. This pictures them as loving parents, and much nicer individuals. The book is beautifully written, and researched with a different vision of the French Revolution. That said, I found myself losing interest due to the excess details.
Rated of 5
by Laurie F. (Brookline, MA) Lot's of talk - no action
I tried to give this book a chance plugging through the first 70 plus pages. Though there is a fair effort to develop the characters, timelines are disjointed and relationships between people and time periods messy. Not my cup of tea!
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of 5
by Karin D. (Glendale, AZ) 
of 5
by Glenn H. (Las Vegas, NV) 
of 5
by Esther L. (Newtown, Pa) 
of 5
by Constance C. (Manchester, New Hampshire) 
