Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund

The group in general enjoyed reading this novel. However, most of the group did think it could have used some more editing to pare it down a bit. Several people voiced the fact that Marie had an abundant, extravagant life as Queen of France. She had elaborate clothes and hair styles; she gambled large amounts of money; she supported her relatives; she kept a separate house, a gift from her husband Louis XVI; she had numerous servants. One reader suggested she broke the economy with her extravagance while the people suffered. Several readers disagreed. One reader pointed out that the court's portion of the budget was only 6%. Another reader pointed out that funding the American Revolution broke France's budget, and another reader pointed out that funding the French and Indian War (before Louis XVI was King) put the country in great debt. The reader pointed out that Louis XVI tried to raise taxes on the nobility but was shot down. Most of the group found Louis XVI to be weak and a wimp. He often listened to the wrong person. They were amazed at his inexperience with sex. Poor Marie Antoinette could not become pregnant for seven years because of the King's thought that sex would drain his strength. Because Marie had no children for so long, rumors spread that she was a lesbian, which was untrue. In fact, she was in love with a Swedish Count, but no sexual affair between the two ever took place. One reader commented that Louis and Marie had a sexless marriage (with the exception of procreating their children). They were companions to one another, and she was his chief influence according to historic sources one reader pointed out. Another reader brought out that Marie was imprisoned her whole life, she went from the home of a powerful mother, Empress of Austria, to her life at the French Court, where she was very restricted. One reader brought out the fact that at the French Court, Marie trusted the wrong people, and she identified with that, having done so herself. When discussing the revolution, readers pointed out that revenge was the motivating factor, and it took a dimension of its own in a mob mentality. The group was glad to have read the book and learn so much about a fascinating person and time period in history.