It is 1770, and Jeanne Campan, a brilliant young woman of eighteen, has just been given the most envied post in France: first lady-in-waiting to the fourteen-year-old Dauphine who will one day be queen. For nineteen years she stands at Marie Antoinette's side — dressing her hair, keeping her ledgers, and holding the secrets of a marriage, a court, and finally a dying monarchy. Through Campan's eyes we enter the glittering prison of Versailles, witness the scandal of the Diamond Necklace, survive the nightmare of the October Days, and ride the desperate road to Varennes. This is the story of a queen as a woman: impulsive, loyal, warm-hearted, and doomed. Faithful to the original memoir in every event and detail, this modern retelling sets Madame Campan's classic into clear, living English for today's reader. Part of Timeless Classics.
