Marie Antoinette, Phantom Queen

August 1, 2016
This follow up to Goetzinger’s YALSA Award–winning Girl in Dior is written in collaboration with scripter Rodolphe (the Kenya and Namibia series). It’s as lavish in design as the predecessor, though the story, inspired by a true tale, is lightweight. In 1910, the ghost of Marie Antoinette contacts painter Maud, guiding and advising her in skillfully navigating the complicated social structure of the early 20th century. Goetzinger’s radiant art outshines the familiar territory of a celebrity ghost story. A quintessential model of modern-day French cartooning, her finely detailed couture, interior decoration, and landscapes complement but never overwhelm the foreground characters. The gorgeous coloring—muted, subtle pastels—add to the ethereal quality of the story (as during a séance depicted in shades of black and gray) or its social aspects (an opera scene contrasts gentlemen’s ubiquitous black-tie with brilliant emerald and scarlet gowns for the women). This is a clichéd and lightweight historical ghost story that’s elevated by the sublime artwork.

Starred review from September 15, 2016
In 1930s Paris, Maud de Brunhoe is a young widow and painter on the brink of success. Away in the country for the weekend, Maud is skeptical of the seance her friend suggests, until she's utterly overtaken by a ghost. Back in Paris, the spirit continues to visit Maud, revealing herself to be Marie Antoinette, restless in death and in need of Maud's help. The two become odd companions, and Maud's new artwork surprises even her. Meanwhile, Maud's dead husband's son, pursuing her for her fortune to pay off the gambling debts he's stacked up, is thrilled when Maud is spotted around Paris, talking to apparently no one. Drawing inspiration from the 1901 book by two women who claimed they'd been visited by Marie Antoinette's ghost, Goetzinger (Girl in Dior, 2015) and French comics writer Rodolphe imagine an entirely new story, including true history of Marie Antoinette's life, final days, and death. Goetzinger is in fine form showcasing the fashions and interiors of eighteenth-century Versailles and 1930s Paris, full of characters drawn in her inimitable, elegantly modeled style. Heavy on the eye candy, Marie Antoinette: Phantom Queen combines history, biography, and fantasy for a rich, quick read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)