France

Bonnie: "During a recent Google search, I ran across a blog ... by me! ... where I had mentioned a book two years ago: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson. It's a novel about France in the time of Louis XVI, the last king of France. Both he and his wife Marie Antoinette died on the guillotine during the French Revolution. Here's my review."

Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her life — from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution. Carolly Erickson takes the reader deep into the psyche of France’s doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her; her fears on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing attempted flight from France in disguise; her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her young son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again.
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Marg said about The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette, "This was one case where the diary format really didn't work for me! I did find that it worked in Sandra Gulland's trilogy about Josephine Bonaparte which would also be another excellent choice to read about France."

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. ~ When Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher was a girl in Martinique, a voodoo priestess predicted she would be unhappily married, would then be widowed, and would become queen, an unlikely prediction. An arranged marriage takes Rose to France, where she endures her husband's infidelity and abandonment before his execution leaves her a widow. Her marriage to Napoleon concludes the novel.

Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe ~ Beginning in Paris in 1796, the saga continues as Josephine awakens to her new life as Mrs. Napoleon Bonaparte. Through her intimate diary entries and Napoleon's impassioned love letters, a portrait of an incredible woman emerges. As Napoleon marches to power, we witness, through Josephine, the political intrigues and personal betrayals that result in death, ruin, and victory for those closest to her.

The Last Great Dance on Earth ~ Married now for four tumultuous years, Napoleon is Josephine's great love, and she his. They rise to power, ultimately being crowned emperor and empress. Pressured to produce an heir, Napoleon divorces Josephine and remarries. A son is born shortly before his unsuccessful invasion of Russia, his last campaign before abdication and exile. Josephine dies in 1814, thinking about Napoleon.