This `untold story" is a vivid and poignant portrait of the last, desperate days of the Bourbons" - Sunday Times. Farr"s careful reading of contemporary sources reveals a queen who, from the day she arrived in France in 1770, was the victim of political intrigue, captive to a destiny from which she could not escape. Hated in France because she was Austrian, and rebuffed by her husband, the young queen engaged in a hectic social life. She was an exceptionally feminine woman of great charm, grace, and intelligence. But she could not erase her image as a reckless teenager. She charmed Axel Fersen, and years before revolutionary storm clouds gathered over France, she was the center of his life. He was probably the person who knew her best. 1996, Illustrated with 6 plates, introduction, select bibliography,