Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette

Introduced into the royal household as court reader at the age of 15 and later rising to the office of first lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, Mme Campan was privy to the many trials and tribulations of this unfortunate queen. Her memoirs offer a fascinating insight into the intrigues, the complexities of court life, the characters and behaviors of its occupants and guests rather than on the tumultuous historical events of the period. QUOTE: "I shall relate what I have seen. I shall make known the character of Marie Antoinette, her domestic habits, the way in which she spent her time, her maternal affection, her constancy in friendship, her dignity in misfortune. I shall, in some degree, throw open her private apartments, where I have passed so many hours with her, both in the happiest and the most sorrowful years of her life."(Mme Campan) - Summary by Celine Major