About this book
A Versailles Christmas-Tide by Mary Stuart Boyd invites listeners into a winter in Versailles where travel writing, art appreciation, and literary charm meet in a single evocative memoir. Boyd recounts the unexpected decision to winter in France and the small domestic adventures that follow—a snub-nosed schoolboy returned from Versailles, a family Arbre de Noël, ice-bound streets, a haunted château, and chance encounters with market vendors and local characters.
Shot through with affectionate sketches of palace rooms and royal ghosts, the narrative weaves contemporary scenes with the lingering presence of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, offering historical context alongside vivid descriptions of holiday rituals and everyday life around the château. Boyd’s eye for detail and gentle humor bring to life artful interiors, provincial customs, and the layered history of Versailles itself, while episodic chapters read like intimate paintings populated by merchants, soldiers, and children.
Ideal for fans of travelogues, historical travel writing, and literary memoirs, this audiobook will appeal to listeners who love atmospheric storytelling, art history, and festive, place-driven narratives that illuminate both past and present.
