The Queen's Dollmaker

by Christine Trent

Book Overview

On the brink of revolution, with a tide of hate turned against the decadent royal court, France is in turmoil-as is the life of one young woman forced to leave her beloved Paris. After a fire destroys her home and family, Claudette Laurent is struggling to survive in London. But one precious gift remains: her talent for creating exquisite dolls that Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France herself, cherishes. When the Queen requests a meeting, Claudette...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0758238576
• ISBN13: 9780758238573
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Allie's Review - Hist-Fic Chick

Claudette Laurent is a young French woman who moves to England after a fire destroys her home in France, and sets up shop in London as a dollmaker. Her fashion dolls become the toast of British and French society, and she eventually becomes the official doll maker to the glamorous Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. But before Claudette can gain the independence necessary to set her career plans in motion and become a successful dollmaker, she gains employment in England as a maid in the household of the Ashby family. There she finds few friends, as the current staff dislikes her without even giving her a chance, simply because of their preconceived negative opinions about the French. Claudette receives no respite from Mrs. Ashby, who is a social-climbing, arrogant and condescending woman who doesn't give poor Claudette a moment's peace. It is at one of Mrs. Ashby's parties where Claudette meets William Greycliffe, a handsome man who Claudette at first finds unbearable, but secretly harbors romantic feelings towards. Claudette feels conflicted about these emotions, as she longs to once again see her childhood sweetheart Jean Phillippe, from whom she was separated during the fire back in Paris. Throughout the novel, Claudette goes back and forth wondering which path in life she is truly meant to take: the one here in England with William, or the one waiting for her in Paris with Jean-Philippe. As her star rises in London and her creations gain more popularity, so too does her friendship with the Queen of France. However, she eventually makes her way to Paris on one of her visits to the Queen only to find that the French Revolution is in full swing and that Paris is a city entirely different from the one she left behind years ago. Historically back in the 18th century, dressmakers used to use fashion dolls to demonstrate their work to their customers. Empress Maria Theresa also used to send her daughter Marie Antoinette the fashion dolls as examples of what was stylish at the Viennese court, so that she could replicate the styles in France. The Queen's Dollmaker is a really interesting and well-imagined story, and I gobbled it up in two days. The aspect I enjoyed most about this book was its characters. I found myself adoring Claudette, who is confident, sharp, and funny. Over the course of the book we see Claudette mature from the time she is a young girl and loses everything in a fire in France to the time she is old enough to become a successful business woman in London, which gives us the ability to see this character really develop as she comes into her own. She is a fiery and spirited young woman with a sharp tongue, and I couldn't help but laugh at some of her humorous retorts to reprimands from her less-than pleasant employers. Claudette is a fun and witty protagonist to guide you through her 18th century realm. In between most of the chapters telling Claudette's story, the author provided shorter chapters giving detailed glimpses into th

Adventure, passion and friendship

After a brief encounter with the Austrian Dauphine Marie, young Claudette Laurent struggles to survive after a Paris fire leaves her an orphan. Everything she has ever known is gone ---her family, her father's dollmaking shop, and all the simple luxuries of life. She boards a ship for London only to discover that the conditions are far from what she ever imagined. Despite her distance from the past, both physical and and emotional, one thing remains in her heart --- the beauty of her father's work. Bit by bit, Claudette's dream to carry on the work of her father comes to fruition, so much so that the Queen of France herself takes notice. Seizing the opportunity to travel home, Claudette becomes a witness to the turmoil as France stands on the brink of revolution. THE QUEEN'S DOLLMAKER is a riveting historical fiction novel filled with adventure, friendship and passion set in a period of political upheaval as the French Revolution causes radical changes in French society. The heroine Claudette witnesses the events of Marie Antoinette's life first hand, from her entry into Paris until her death. Seen through Claudette's eyes, a woman who is both an outsider and insider to the royal court in her role as dollmaker, a reader sees Marie Antoinette as the woman behind the royal image. The common view of the queen as the disdainful and detached spoiled woman pales in comparison to Christine Trent's ability to put show all those forces around the queen. Christine Trent creates a sympathetic portrait of this controversial figure by delving into historical details, retelling the story from a more personal point of view that readers witness them as if they too are standing right there. Through Claudette, the human weaknesses, the emotions and the lesser known endeavors to curb courtly excess of Marie Antoinette come to life. Claudette's struggles to survive and make a life for herself are just as powerful as the portrait of Marie Antoinette. Claudette's memorable adventures, both heartbreaks and her successes, glue one to the pages. One hopes with her, cries with her, laughs when those who have put her down finally get their due, and recoils from the brutality of the times with her. Claudette is an admirable woman, a woman who keeps her dignity in less than noble times and situations. She is hardworking, intelligent, practical and creative. She sets high standards for herself and strives to achieve them against almost impossible odds. When opportunity presents itself, she does not hesitate to act. She does not hesitate to better herself nor does she hesitate to reach out to others. Wherever she goes, she forms friendships with others. Loyalty characterizes her friendships, friends made in the most dire circumstances with little hope for gain or a kind of friendship with the queen herself. Romance plays a pivotal role in Claudette's life, sometimes a dangerous one, as she struggles to choose between two men and as those men align th

Who Knew A Dollmaker Was in Cahoots with Marie Antoinette?

Claudette Laurent is a burgeoning apprentice to her father, a well known dollmaker in Paris and she has a secret betrothal with her young love, Jean Philippe. One day Claudette wakes up and finds that part of the city is on fire and it is heading their way! After the smoke has cleared, Claudette finds herself an orphan and on a ship to England - bye, bye Jean Philippe! In England, Claudette makes some great friends, butts heads with the upper class, and eventually opens her own doll shop. When Queen Marie Antoinette becomes one of her best customers, Claudette becomes entangled with the scandal of the French court and rapidly evolving French Revolution. This novel was my first read about the French Revolution (shocking, I know!). Trent does a great job of setting the mood of the upper class courtiers and the middle class trades people. You get an understanding of just why the Revolution took place. I found myself feeling very sorry for Marie Antoinette - she was constantly taken advantage of, and just when she starts to make her stride, she meets her end. I also enjoyed meeting a young Madame Tussaud, before she became the famous person everyone remembers. It is a very interesting premise to have the main character, who is fictional, make her living as a dollmaker. There are many details about the dolls, the process of making the dolls, different types of dolls, and the function of these dolls in society. I didn't know that Marie Antoinette was a big collector of dolls. I have always enjoyed reading about real characters who were not the main players in history, but this was also interesting because it was a character that does an unconventional job. There was only one small issue that I had with the book and that was with the introduction. When Claudette was at her home and realized that there was a fire coming toward her house - her reactions seemed a little unbelievable. She was slow to leave and took the time to make her bed first - she didn't act like the fire was a big deal. This was the only time though where her reactions did not feel real. Once Claudette got onto the boat to England though, the story took off and was phenomenal. 5 out of 5 stars.

Fantastic book

There's no need for another synopsis, so I'll just add my two cents. I LOVED this book. Claudette was a great heroine...resourceful and kind and clever. Unlike a lot of books with a strong female protagonist, she wasn't arrogant, or too stupid to live, or practically perfect in every way. She did what she had to do, and pulled herself up by her bootstraps after a devastating fire by dint of hardwork and savvy. I enjoyed the descriptions of doll making and also of Marie Antoinette's life, which made her sound more like a real person than an Historical Figure. The writing was fast-paced, efficient, and enjoyable. I look forward to reading the author's (hopefully forthcoming) other works. My only quibble is the current price. The book needs to be free again or much much cheaper considering the author is not at all well known. Note: Book contains a not-very-explicit description of attempted rape, and no other explicit scenes. Suitable for about 15 and up.

HistoricallyObssessed Review

Paris 1765 Claudette Renee Laurient, daughter of a well known French doll maker suffered the tragic loss of her parents during a devastating fire. The fire not only took her parents but her home, her fathers doll shop, and her child hood sweetheart. Having nowhere to go she haphazardly wandered aimlessly looking for a hint of a recognizable face. Sweetheart Jean-Philippe and his family were nowhere to be found but maybe they had fled by boat. At the ship docks there was no sign of him or his family but she did cross another mans path. The man was seeking eligible women who wanted to work in England. Other elegant women waiting patiently to board and Claudette decided to take a chance and set sail across the channel. Aboard she would befriend her life long best friend Beatrice. She had a timid personality and was more than likely because of the loss of her husband. Beatrice did have little Marguerite her shining star. A vibrant young child who was instantly drawn to Claudette. Besides meeting Beatrice she also met and befriended Lizbit. A loud fashionably dressed woman who I found myself imagining her talking wildly with her hands as she told lavish tales of her travels abroad. Prior to their arrival the men on board demanded that they all sign a document and Claudette being one of the few who could read realized they wanted to take almost half of her earned wages. My favorite part of the arrival was when all the women were all paraded out on the docks while future "employers" looked eagerly at them. Leave it to Lizbit to sound the alarm with "Ladies they mean to spoil your virtue"! Women scattered, yelling while Claudette and her new friends made a break for it. The recruiters hench men ran after them nipping at their heels. Luckily they out maneuvered the men and lost them. With no where to go the two women and the child went to the church for help while Lizbit returned home to her rich aunt. Forced by hunger and lack of shelter the women went into the service of a nasty social climber Maude Ashby. Forever wishing to raise her families status she was an in home tyrant. Not to mention that the other servants would not mingle with the French girls and there was a deep animosity between them. Claudette had no other choice but to find the means to leave the oppressive tyrants home. The idea occurred to her why not make her own dolls? She was after all her fathers apprentice. Luckily in her escape from Paris she was able to salvage some items from the doll shop. With the help from her loyal friends and a few others seeking to better their lives she was able to make a dramatic exit from Maude Ashby's service and move up in status to become a tradeswoman. Claudette was a rags to riches kind of girl with one exception, she made her own riches. Her talent and handy work spoke for themselves. She became successful in her own right. She was obviously lacking in the love department. I found Claudette's antics amusing. The longing for her lost love in Par