Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser: A Book Review

Marie Antoinette: The Journey
Author: Antonia Fraser
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History
Publisher: Anchor
Release Date: 2006
Pages: 512
Source: Personal Collection
Synopsis: France's iconic queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous "Let them eat cake," was alternately revered and reviled during her lifetime. For centuries since, she has been the object of debate, speculation, and the fascination so often accorded illustrious figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted child was thrust onto the royal stage and commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in European history. Antonia Fraser's lavish and engaging portrait excites compassion and regard for all aspects of the queen, immersing the reader not only in the coming-of-age of a graceful woman, but in the culture of an unparalleled time and place.

My review: Marie Antoinette is one of history's most hated women. Her reputation has been negative both in popular culture and historians alike. Giving us a different take of Marie Antoinette is no easy feat. However, Antonia Fraser takes us on a journey through Marie Antoinette's life and challenges the popular myths of the Queen and gives us an intimate portrait of France's infamous villianess.

Antonia Fraser's biography is very sympathetic to Marie Antoinette. She was never meant to be queen. Her education was mostly neglected, which suggests that her mother did not know what to do with her and did not give her much attention. So Marie Antoinette focused on her passion of acting and singing. Her childhood was happy, and it seemed that her future might also be happy. However, she became queen by accident and was forced to be in a position she was not ready for.

This book focuses on Marie Antoinette's personality. She had a good heart and was very naive. One of the good acts that Antonia focused on was that she saved a peasant boy. It also focused on how she wanted to be a mother for years and because she couldn't have children she took her sadness out on gambling, dresses, and dancing. When she did finally have children, she was a devoted mother.

I also liked how she discussed the court of Versailles. It was a very complicated structure, but Antonia made it comprehensible for the general reader. Marie Antoinette was often criticized by the court because she was a foreigner. She was pressured by them because she didn't give France a son. I found myself pitying her.

Overall, this biography takes us to Marie Antoinette's idyllic childhood, through the glittering lavish court of Versailles to the terrifying guillotine. The writing is very engaging and reads like a soap opera for it is full of drama, betrayal, and scandal. Antonia Fraser answers questions that we had about Marie Antoinette, for example her relationship to Axel Ferson. She also gives us details about Marie Antoinette that we never realized until she mentioned it. For instance, Marie Antoinette never saw the sea. What I also liked about this book that I wished more biographers would do is how her subject affects us in popular culture. Marie Antoinette's reputation still has a myriad of work to cover. However, Antonia Fraser's biography is a beginning that we will start to see her in a different light. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in the French Revolution and who are willing to see Marie Antoinette in a sympathetic light.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Here is the official movie trailer of Marie Antoinette that is based off of Antonia Fraser's biography, Marie Antoinette: The Journey:

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein: A Book Review

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower Author: Patricia Bernstein Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: History Through Fiction Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 266 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the true story of persecuted Catholic noblewoman Winifred Maxwell, who rescued her husband from the Tower of London with the help of a group of devoted women friends in 1716. A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the life of Winifred Herbert Maxwell (1680-1749), who became the Countess of Nithsdale in 1699. Set amidst the 1715 Rebellion against England’s first German king, George I, the novel depicts the ruthless persecution of Catholics and the relentless determination of protagonist Bethan Glentaggart to save the life of husband Gavin after he is captured and condemned to death. Bethan faces down a mob attack on her home, travels alone from the Scottish Lowlands to London through one of the wo

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Search This Blog