Review: The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent

The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent

★★★★★

The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent, takes place in 1765 - Paris, France. Claudette Laurent is the daughter of a highly recognized French doll maker in Paris, France. While growing up in her father’s work shop, Claudette inherited the same passion for doll making and she soon becomes her father’s apprentice. After a fire tragically destroys her home, and family, Claudette finds herself all alone in the world and unable to locate her betrothed (Jean-Philippe). She is forced to leave France on a ship headed towards London fooled into thinking that she is going to be provided a position as a governess in a London family’s home. Then she soon comes to the realization that she and her new found friends were being hired as prostitutes. Once they escape the grasps of Mr. Briggs, Claudette finds herself struggling to survive in London. She is forced to become a servant for a social climbing aristocrat. Later she discovers a way to escape servitude by re-creating her father’s work of French doll making; all the while wondering whether her beloved Jean-Philippe is looking for her or if he perished in the tragic fire.

Once her doll making creations reached the ears of the French Queen, Marie Antoinette, she is asked to make a special visit to the Queen's palace. Claudette sees it as a wonderful opportunity to expand and promote her business. By befriending the Queen of France, Claudette is thrown into dangerous turmoil, one that may cost her, her freedom or even worse her life!

I loved how the book incorporated two different view points: Claudette’s and Marie Antoinette’s. It was so interesting learning about doll making in the 18th century and I found it tragic what Marie Antoinette and the royal family were put through by the French Revolutionaries. At times I found the brutality difficult to read but I pushed through it.

I immediately related to Claudette. I found her to be a wonderful heroine that I could sympathize with. She is faced with one thing after another to overcome. I loved all the twists and turns. It kept me interested from start to finish, which I find to be the best kind of books. I hate being bogged down with so much fluff that the plot grows cold but you won’t find that in Trent’s book. I find it amazing that this was her first book and I will be on the lookout for her next book due to come out in December!

If you love a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish that is enchanted with romance, tragedy, thrilling adventures, and danger all rolled into one, than this is the book for you! I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction fanatics!