With the acumen and precision of an haut couture dressmaker, Meghan Masterson has taken pieces from France’s tumultuous past and seamlessly sewn them together with an engaging and superbly written story and added a decorative flair of romance and suspense to produce “A Girl From Versailles” – a masterpiece of historical fiction.

You will read about a budding designer, 16-year-old Giselle Aubry, whose dream has come true – she’s the newest undertirewoman of Queen Marie Antoinette. Giselle is elated to be working with the opulent gowns by Rose Bertin, Marie Antoinette’s favoured dress designer. The Aubry family belongs to the bourgeoisie, a part of the Third Estate and eagerly welcomes Giselle home during her days off. Her uncle is a retired member of the Secret du Roi, a spy ring that worked for the former King Louis XV and encourages his niece to report back on life at Versailles. During visits at home, Giselle hears political discussions and is well-aware of the rising threats. In fact, she’s caught up in the riot in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine suburb of Paris against the manufacturer of Réveillon wallpapers. Here she meets the handsome and idealistic revolutionary watchmaker, Leon Gauvain.

My inner geek and history buff were beyond excited to read a well-researched account of the French Revolution. As is most often the case, authors choose to take sides and portray the revolution from either a royal standpoint, a disgruntled employee’s standpoint, or a political standpoint. Readers only get a one-sided look into the past. Masterson has managed to do something unique; Giselle is able to show readers both sides, thus creating her predicament. As one of the queen’s most trusted servants, Giselle is torn because she can see beyond the royal titles. It forces her to become a ‘double-agent’ and increases the suspense and interest level of the novel. One the one hand Giselle understands the defence of the royalists and loyally supports her queen and on the other hand, she is dealing with an inner growing fire of a revolutionary. We can see her struggle when she explains that Marie Antoinette is “a woman who does not deserve her fate, or all the blame heaped upon her personally, no matter what errors she’s made.” Yet, at home, Giselle proudly wears a necklace and fashion accessories of a revolutionary. Masterson has deftly shown Giselle’s inner tumult as the revolution gains momentum. Readers know that eventually Giselle will have to choose sides. Will it cost her Leon’s love? Her parent’s safety? Her employment?

You’ll read a well-chronicled account of the French Revolution from February 1789 (after Louis XVI is executed) to October 1793 (the Reign of Terror) including the Réveillon Riot, the Tennis Court Oath, the dismissal of Jacques Necker, the storming of the Bastille, the Woman’s March on Versailles, the flight to Varennes, the Camp de Mars massacre and the use of the guillotine. Masterson will breathe life into those names in your high school history book; Charlotte Corday, Jean-Paul Marat, Lafayette, Jacobins, Girondists, and Maximilien Robespierre.

Masterson has masterfully woven together revolutionary intensity, haute couture fashion and royal politics in an engaging and thought-provoking look at the tumultuous French Revolution.

Put March 19, 2021 on your radar! This novel is worthy of more than 5 stars and a spectacular read from a debut author. I'm beyond excited for August 2021! Masterson is writing a second historical fiction novel set in Second Empire Paris.

Thank you Meghan Masterson, Bookouture and Netgalley for this superb gift of an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl From Versailles tells the story of a teenage girl in the service of Marie Antoinette at the dawn of the French Revolution. She must navigate a tense political world and find where her true loyalties lie. Torn between a queen who she knows to be nothing more than human and sympathy for the revolution, the main character must find her own place in history.

First off, a warning: this book has a fair amount of gore. Given that this centers on the French Revolution, it’s definitely understandable, yet sometimes the odd unnecessarily graphic description would come out of nowhere. There were times where the detail was enough that I had to put down the book for a while, and this was almost enough to make me stop reading the book entirely. Since I didn’t have any trigger warning going in, consider this one for you.

I have to give the author credit for the overall premise of this book. Having the main character be someone caught between worlds at the start of the French Revolution is such a creative concept, and it is unique for me, at least. Giselle isn’t a particularly interesting main character, but she is perfectly situated to give the reader insight into both sides of the coin. This is something I think this book does particularly well; although we see Giselle and those she love’s personal opinions on the situation, the story paints both sides as both sympathetic and cruel without making either seem like the “good guys” or the “bad guys.” This grey morality presents an image of this time period that isn’t always seen.

I did, however, have a number of problems with this book. There are some anachronisms and liberties taken with history that probably won’t bother most people quite as much as it bothered me—it’s called historical fiction for a reason, of course. The romance felt rushed. There was no time to grow invested in the couple, even though I did find Léon endearing, and it wasn’t until almost the end of the book that romance subplot grew interesting. While I understand the need for the politics talk, I found the dialogue to be largely unrealistic and too weighed down by exposition. It’s not some mortal sin or anything, but at times it did take me out of the story.

Luckily, about halfway through the book the story picks up significantly, and I enjoyed the second half astronomically more than the first. The romance grew more interesting and the plot stronger and more emotional. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone not quite so stubborn as me didn’t make it that far; there were times in the first half that I almost DNFed. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but understandably so; I do think the latter half of the book made up for most of the faults of the first half.

I received a free e-ARC through Netgalley.
Giselle, our protagonist, is building a relationship with Marie Antoinette as a 16-year-old in the palace during these turbulent times as France evolved from a monarchy to the Republic. The secondary plot is her romantic relationship with Leon as she comes of age. A good story both for those who enjoy historical fiction and/or romance as well as those with an interest in this time period.

Loved it. Absolutely wonderful book to read, I highly recommend this. It’s a well written story and I feel like this sort of plot hasn’t been used that often so it’s very fresh in my mind.
Whilst reading the novel it is very easy to feel the pull of the characters. Obviously I can’t spoil anything but at one point I felt my heart break along with the main character. It was so good!
Also the cover art is lovely too.

I am sad to say that this one just didn't work out for me at all. I enjoyed that this was told within Marie Antoinette’s household but not in her POV. But I just really didn't care for Giselle at all. I think those who die hard enjoy historical romances might enjoy this one. I do however also think that this is one of those books that won't appeal to everyone.