Reading group “La reine du labyrinthe” by Camille Pascal

Once a month, the reading group meets up to discuss a couple of books selected in advance (from classical to contemporary French literature) and discovers other members’ views on them. Meetings take place at the Institut français d’Écosse, usually on the last Tuesday of the month.

About the book:

Two women face off: a queen who has everything and an intriguer who wants it all. Marie Antoinette is at the height of her glory, while Jeanne de La Motte-Valois is desperately trying to escape destitution. Her weapon: a necklace glittering with six hundred and fifty diamonds. The jewel vanishes, the Queen’s honor is imperiled, the theft escalates into a matter of state, and the ensuing trial hastens the French Revolution. Does the scandal mask a political plot? In this story where every fact is true, Camille Pascal uncovers a conspiracy—one quite different from what has long been suspected—and leads the reader through an extraordinarily dramatic labyrinth.