I really enjoyed reading the letters of Maria, Marie, and Mercy. I would have given this book 4 stars except for the fact that the author decided to leave out some of the content of some of the letters. Let me decide for myself what is repetitive or superfluous. I was disappointed not to be able to read every letter in full. Iwould have given the book 5 stars if the author hadn't interjected his own very biased opinion between letters. Still, I would definitely recommend this book to people curious for a first person accounting of Marie Antoinette's life if they are unable, like myself, to read the actual letters for themselves. ( )

This work provides useful original source material for Marie Antoinette. It does not serve as a biography of the queen. Edited with commentary. ( )