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Summary: Antonia Fraser Has Done It Again
Review: As in the case of her history of "Mary, Queen of Scots," Antonia Fraser has taken a much mis-understood and maligned Queen and told her story with as much clarity and understanding as possible. Used by her mother, the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, as a pawn for European politics, Marie Antoinette was thrust into the vicious and decadent French court at an early age and had to endure years of humiliation from all sides because of her seemingly inability to produce an heir to the French throne (the Daulphin's impotence and stupidity notwithstanding). Once an heir was produced, three more children followed of which two died young. Lady Fraser is very adept at balancing Marie Antoinette's faults as well as her virtues in producing a portrait of a woman forced by circumstance to go her own way through French politics - because of this, she created many loyal friends and dangerous enemies. Her long time affair with Count Fersen as well as the diamond necklace fiasco has been told with clarity which finally puts to rest the many distortions and lies which have been handed down by less astute (and bias) historians. The final chapter is heart-rending to say the least, in which one finally glimpses Marie Antoinette's final hours in which she goes to her death serenely and forgives her enemies (the blood of Mary Stuart prevails at the end). Thank you Antonia for a truly unique reading experience.
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Summary: Informative read
Review: As usual, Antonia Fraser does a wonderful job of presenting an historical figure's life in an interesting and thoughtful way. The historical facts and speculations are presented in a way that is never boring. She covers Marie Antoinette's life at a pace that gives the important information yet doesn't dwell on events to the point of overkill. I learned many things I had not known before about French history and MA. I was disappointed when I got to the last page--I wanted more! For those people who cringe at historical books, this one is an informative and fun read. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Biography as it should be
Review: Back on Sept 20, 1975, I read Stefan Zweig's biography of Marie Antoinette and said of it to myself: "Footnotes and bibliography are essential to a real biography." Since time is limited I usually do not read a second biography of a person, but when I saw Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette I knew I would have to read it, remembering, as I did, with pleasure her great biographies of Mary Queen of Scots (read Mar 7, 1970) and of Cromwell (read June 18, 2000). This is a biography written as good biography should be written: chronologically, with footnotes and a 12-page bibliography. A touch I appreciated is that the author has visited the sites where Marie Antoinette was and tells what is to be seen there now. She even makes reference to the fantastic apparition supposedly viewed by Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain on Aug 10, 1901! This is an immensely satisfying book, and well worth the time spent reading it, IMHO.
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Summary: One of the best historical novels ever!
Review: Captivating from beginning to end. Reads like a novel. Marie Antoinette is truly a remarkable and even inspiring woman. This book is such an interesting read -- its difficult to put down!
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Summary: Overblown Fan Letter
Review: Enormously imbalanced look at this possibly misunderstood historical figure. Ms. Fraser should know so much better than she appears to with her fawning approach and refusal to deeply examine the character of Marie Antoinette. It is hard to believe that historians up until now have so overlooked all of her seemly endless good qualities according to this author. So close to sainthood M.Antoinette appears, one would think Ms. Fraser had been commissioned by her heirs. Shame on you, Mrs. Pinter.
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Summary: The very best biography of a complex and interesting woman
Review: Every elementary school student knows all about Marie Antoinette... the selfish, petty queen who said "let them eat cake!" and had her head chopped off. She is the byword for upper-class excess, for the demolition of monarchy, and for ditziness. Visitors to Versailles can wander around her strange little village, where she play-acted at being a commoner, and shake their heads, glad to live in a 21st century democracy.
This book cuts through the incredible amount of mythology that surrounds Marie Antoinette, and offers an excellent study of someone who you may be shocked to discover was actually an extremely complex character. You might even be surprised at the origin of the infamous baked-goods comment. You will certainly come away from this book feeling sorry for this much-maligned lady, who certainly was not perfect but was also absolutely not the monster that we teach our children about.
Mr. Frasier is one of the most talented historians writing today, and it is great to see her turn her attention to the other side of the Channel. Her research is, as always, impecable and her writing style is neat, accessible, and interesting. Long-time fans of Ms. Frasier will be thrilled with this book, and people who are unfamiliar with her work on Renaissance England will have a wonderful introduction to her work.
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Summary: You Know the End, but Getting There Is So Interesting
Review: Everyone knows the story of this much maligned, doomed Queen of France, but with this book you can't help but want to find out what's going to happen next anyway. If you read it at face value, life at Versailles and then the tumult and effects of the Revolution for her is made vivid for you. A sympathetic portrait of Marie Antoinette as caring and compassionate is presented by Fraser and I enjoyed this book, but at the end I couldn't help but wonder if she really did have glaring faults at all?
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Summary: Even Marie Antoinette would be delighted...
Review: Excellent detailed biography, superbly researched and written with elegant and "diplomatic" style.The section of the photographs of portraits (and objects) to better illustrate M.A.'s world is a nice touch from the publisher. This is one of the very few biographies which doesn't perpetuate the ever present myths and misjudgments about Marie Antoinette.
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Summary: The Austrian Queen of France
Review: Five years were spent on the research and writing of this book. The result is a meticulous account, on an almost daily basis, of Marie Antoinette's life. We learn that she was a pleasure loving, friendly woman. But we also learn that she was not the brightest and could hardly read or write. And that is how the little girl from Austria entered womanhood as the dauphine and queen of France. Being that l'Autrichienne was the first strike against her. The second was her unquestioning obedience to her mother Maria Theresa, the empress of Austria, and later to her brother emperor Joseph II. And the third strike was that she would not comprehend what agitated the people of France. As we all know: three strikes, and you are out.A writer chooses a subject for a biography because it interests him and because he likes it. That induces prejudice that has to be avoided. How did Mrs. Fraser fare? She obviously likes Marie Antoinette very much, and her prejudice shows. When bad news cannot be avoided, she tries to qualify them. Did Marie Antoinette have a love affair with Count Fersen? Most probably - but then we have no eye witnesses. Did she spend profligately on the Petit Trianon and on St. Cloud? Yes - but then that was customary. Did she mess up in politics? Yes - but then she was politically uneducated. Did she come on too strong in behalf of her Austrian relatives? Yes - but then it did not get her anywheres. All this tilts the tenor of the book. Hand in hand with this go sins of omission that could make Marie Antoinette look really bad. The queen of France started out on good terms with the French people and only her Austrian provenance was held against her. And then everything began to deteriorate. It started in earnest with the pamphlets describing her as a drunken wanton. Were they so wrong and freely invented? Where there is smoke, there is fire. Maybe the affair with Count Fersen was not quite that secret. Nor her closeness to the Princesse de Lamballe and the Duchesse de Polignac. L'Autrichienne did interfere in the politics of ther husband, the king. And she did promote Austrian interests whenever she was asked to. The sums of money she spent were enormous in a time when France was practically bankrupt. Thus Marie Antoinette finished her life as the most hated person in the country. She was a flighty person, with little education and not much brains. Maybe that explains some of it. Antonia Fraser gives a somewhat lopsided account of her subject up to the time the revolution took form. After that, Marie Antoinette's fate is out of her hands and the narrative can continue with straight forward history. And that she does well.
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Summary: Read It and Weep
Review: I began reading this wonderful biography of Marie Antoinette while planning a trip to France and although the book is long, and at times rather tedious, it did not dissapoint my intrigue with this historically tragic figure. Antonia Fraser has written what seems to be about as accurate a biography as possible. Many horrible stories have been told about Marie Antoinette and this book covers those as well as many more that I never knew. Like most people my introduction to Marie Antoinette was with her "Let them eat cake..." speech and her over-extravagant life style. It seemed almost understandable that she was beheaded based on such misrepresentation. In reality the story reads much more tragically once you get to know a bit about her life and how it all ended. Imagine being a precocious but innocent young girl raised up like property to be sold to the highest royal bidder. Then at 14 being sent away from your friends and family to become the wife of another royal child. Marie Antoinette left Austria and had to adapt to becomming a future queen of France within only a few short years. The French, during those times, being notoriously inclined to think of Austrian women as unflattering and unfeminine oafs. But young Marie pulled it all off and successfully became the star of France. Her husband Louis XVI was more interested in hunting and gadgets than creating a future French dynasty with Marie. So it isn't a wonder that she fills up her life with all the riches of royality. Her life is a sad saga from beginning to end despite her royality and wealth. The final chapters of this book are unimaginable to fathom. She is taken from her family once again, thrown in a small cell, stripped of any royal privileges and left to contemplate her own demise. Imagine becomming all you never dreamed of, hearing the crowd cheer the beheading of your husband, listening to the coerced testimony of your only son stating the abuses he suffered by your own hands, seeing the head of your friend paraded on a stake past your cell window, hemorrhaging from stress and exhaustion and then having to walk up a platform towards your death with a roaring crowd surrounding you.....few of us could stand it, but Marie Antoinette did. Her story is a great read but in order to get Marie's true essence one must walk the halls of Versailles and then sit in contemplation near her cell in the La Conciergerie.....this extraordinarily strong woman lives on in infamy and her spirit reigns supreme.
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