(click on image for original source)Where have I been, my dears?
Well, each night I've been shedding my ordinary clothes of the day and slipping into metal hoop skirts and rich silken gowns trimmed with gold and bordered with frothy lace. I've traveled from Austria by carriage to the neutral plot of land between Austria and France. I've dined with the French aristocrats with the smell of their powdered wigs hanging in the air. I witnessed the first meeting of the King, the Dauphin, and the Dauphine. And oh, Marie Antoinette is so pretty. Last night I ventured through gilded gates into the magnificence of Versailles.
So that is where I've been... with my nose nestled into Sena Jeter Naslund's "Abundance". I apologize for my absence, but this novel has truly captivated me. This is what historical fiction should be. I soooo much enjoy being transported back in time to such a romantic place... and through the eyes of such an intriguing young woman.
And furthermore, I just realized (sixty-nine pages into the novel) that "Abundance" is written in present tense. This is exciting to me because I myself prefer to write in first person, present tense. However, I hear so many people critic that pov paired with that tense. For me, writing in present tense feels more natural. I'm just glad to finally read a grand novel written in the present. I feel more like I'm there in the moment with the Dauphine.
So I bid you good night and hope that you're curled up in bed with a wondrous novel as well. I shall be returning to Versailles tonight.
Amore.
Well, each night I've been shedding my ordinary clothes of the day and slipping into metal hoop skirts and rich silken gowns trimmed with gold and bordered with frothy lace. I've traveled from Austria by carriage to the neutral plot of land between Austria and France. I've dined with the French aristocrats with the smell of their powdered wigs hanging in the air. I witnessed the first meeting of the King, the Dauphin, and the Dauphine. And oh, Marie Antoinette is so pretty. Last night I ventured through gilded gates into the magnificence of Versailles.
So that is where I've been... with my nose nestled into Sena Jeter Naslund's "Abundance". I apologize for my absence, but this novel has truly captivated me. This is what historical fiction should be. I soooo much enjoy being transported back in time to such a romantic place... and through the eyes of such an intriguing young woman.
And furthermore, I just realized (sixty-nine pages into the novel) that "Abundance" is written in present tense. This is exciting to me because I myself prefer to write in first person, present tense. However, I hear so many people critic that pov paired with that tense. For me, writing in present tense feels more natural. I'm just glad to finally read a grand novel written in the present. I feel more like I'm there in the moment with the Dauphine.
So I bid you good night and hope that you're curled up in bed with a wondrous novel as well. I shall be returning to Versailles tonight.
Amore.
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