Tea at Trianon: Cynthia Toney's "Bird Face" Series

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, October 3, 2016

Cynthia Toney's "Bird Face" Series

I bought 8 Notes to a Nobody book for my daughter and she loved it so much I had to read it myself. I was immediately swept into the drama of a young adolescent from a broken home, dealing with a healing parent and all the ups and downs of school. I was reminded of a recent art exhibit of street scenes from small towns and how the artist, through his use of color and brush strokes, made the ordinary appear extraordinary. Similarly, it requires a skilled writer to take what is basically a simple story from every day life and plunge the reader into the quiet tragedies and triumphs of the characters, not unlike those that are being played out all around us. Making a story which is equally appealing to young people as well as to adults is another gift as well. The heroine of 8 Notes to a Nobody is Wendy, who is struggling with the unhappiness of her home life. I found myself identifying with her mother who is trying so hard to build a life for her child on a limited income. And yet by the end of the story I realized that Wendy's comparative poverty not only spurs her creativity but protects her from many of the pressures of the lavish lifestyles of her peers. She gradually sees that those who appear to have everything also struggle with insecurities. I also enjoyed the setting of Louisiana and the cultural environment unlike any other.

Having loved the first book, I dived immediately into the sequel, 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status. Wendy, our heroine, is now fourteen and everything seems to have come together for her. Not only does the boy she likes seem serious about her, but suddenly there is another boy who is interested as well. Her mother has married again; Wendy's life has several new levels of complexity. Plus her dear little old lady friend is showing signs of dementia. In the midst of it all, Wendy has become aware of a long lost uncle who was involved in a scandal which no one speaks of. Determined to discover the truth, Wendy unravels the mystery and in doing so helps herself to face the problems of the present time. Like the 8 Notes, the second novel deals with contemporary teenage issues in a southern setting, adding a rich flavor to the story.