Sidonie, My Queen Sparknotes

Farewell, My Queen is a novel written about the life at the Versaille during the French Revolution in the late 18th century through the eye of the Queen’s reading assistant named Sidonie Larborde. The French’s population, especially the royals and nobles, during this time are known for being extremely coward and selfish and will escape at a slight moment of danger. However, Farewell, My Queen tells the story of the French Revolution from a different perspective, where not everyone is a coward. Sidonie Larborde is one example: she was a thoughtful and understanding servants that was bravely loyal to Queen until the last moment Although just is the Queen’s reader, Sidonie was unlike many nobles and royal members at the Versialle at the
Sidonie was bravely loyal to Queen until the last moment. Sidonie Larborde is an Austrian orphan, who was recruited as a young reader to the Marie Antoinette (the Queen of France) not because of her intellectual but only because of her voice. Unfortunately, the period that Sidonie working at the Versaille is when France and its monarchy are at is most dangerous, unstable and chaotic period. Despite of all of that, Sidonie shows herself as a brave and loyal servant to the queen by deciding to stay with the queen until she is ordered to “escape” by the queen herself. Sidonie only works in Versaille as a servant, therefore she can easily disappear for the Versaille by blending into the crowd and nobody on the outside will know that she once in the Versaille. However, despite that Sidonie can easily escape into a nearby country, the thought of escaping has never crossed Sidonie’s mind. Even when Mr. Moreau’s, her most trusted man, advised her to escape, she refused immediately withou any second thought. This only led to Mr.Moreau disappointment:
Marie Antoinette: a queen known for being vain, selfish and airhead; who told people “Let them eat cake” when they have no bread; whose spending habits are so extravagant that they had single-handily brought down the France’s finances to the point people nicknamed her “Madame Déficit”; etc. They are just some of the countless rumours floating around about the Queen of France when Sidonie came to the Versaille. Because of that, Sidonie expected a cruel, haughty and moody queen but in reality, everything is completely opposite. However, after working with the queen for a short time, Sidonie knows that the queen is far different from the rumors. The queen is not oblivious as people thought her to be, as she seems to understand and grasp the dangers of the situations more accuracy than her husband. When things got bad and the queen was ready to escape to Metz, Louis XVI came in and decided that everyone would stay in the Versaille. The queen broken down from Louis decision and she turned her beloved, Gabrielle de Polignac, and “begged” her to escape. This made her broke down even more. Sidonie witnessed the queen in tear and agony as she realised that even Gabrielle was ready to abandon her. Shortly after, people ranging from royal members to nobles to even servants, starting to abandon the Versaille. Sidonie witnesses everything that happened,