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A review by smpearce
The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield
5.0
This book was utterly fantastic!
I've been in a huge reading slump for ages, but this book pulled me right out of it in the first pages. Both Antoinette and Charlotte's perspectives were extremely compelling, and I could hardly put the book down. The level of detailed research in this book is just astounding, and I can't imagine all of the time that went into weaving the historical and magical plots.
Some other great things about this read:
- It doesn't fall into the trap of pretending that Queer People/POC didn't exist in history, which is so common
- It perfectly illustrates the catch-22 position of Marie Antoinette during her reign, even with magic spells in the mix
- Charlotte
- The writing style is beautiful, but so much more than fluffy prose--there's real emotion and action there too
- The question of love vs duty is presented in interesting ways all throughout the book
- Human touches that make these royals feel like complicated individuals rather than figures
Anyways, definitely pick this book up if you like historical fantasy or magical realism. If you like the writing styles of Madeline Miller and Margaret Atwood, you're sure to enjoy The Embroidered Book's pensive yet purposeful tone. Seriously, you need this book in your life!
I've been in a huge reading slump for ages, but this book pulled me right out of it in the first pages. Both Antoinette and Charlotte's perspectives were extremely compelling, and I could hardly put the book down. The level of detailed research in this book is just astounding, and I can't imagine all of the time that went into weaving the historical and magical plots.
Some other great things about this read:
- It doesn't fall into the trap of pretending that Queer People/POC didn't exist in history, which is so common
- It perfectly illustrates the catch-22 position of Marie Antoinette during her reign, even with magic spells in the mix
- Charlotte
- The writing style is beautiful, but so much more than fluffy prose--there's real emotion and action there too
- The question of love vs duty is presented in interesting ways all throughout the book
- Human touches that make these royals feel like complicated individuals rather than figures
Anyways, definitely pick this book up if you like historical fantasy or magical realism. If you like the writing styles of Madeline Miller and Margaret Atwood, you're sure to enjoy The Embroidered Book's pensive yet purposeful tone. Seriously, you need this book in your life!