Antonia Fraser's Definitive Biography of Marie Antoinette: A Journey Through the Life of an Iconic Queen

M. J. Gilfedder: This is my third historical biography by Antonia Fraser and she has it down to a fine art. This biography of Marie Antoinette is meticulously researched, opening up a whole new world of monarchy, French and European culture, politics and history. Marie Antoinette, at the centre of it all, is a fascinating and often misunderstood person. Yes, there was great social and economic inequality in France during her time as Queen and she lived a lavish lifestyle while many went hungry, but she was not the only one and Fraser portrays her as something of a scapegoat. Love her or loathe her, she's certainly a compelling historical character. Fraser writes with intelligence, perception and authority. It's an absorbing read, I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in biography or history.

United Kingdom on Oct 27, 2023

Misty Parsons: I've read several of miss Fraser's books and I've yet to dislike any of them.btrue, they are very long and sometimes dry reading, but for someone who loves history and biographies, this is a good one.

She brings great information about Marie Antoinette to the forefront. She shakes out the truth beyond the rumors of her life and shows a side of Marie Anoinette that hadn't been known... she gets into her head and tells her true story... she gives Marie Antoinette the fair shake that most of history- and certainly the French Revolutionaries, nobility and even just ordinary French citizens of the time - and generations that followed - did not.

Great read for true historical biography buffs.

United States on Sep 02, 2023

sissy: When you have the chance to imagine all the characters in the film of Marie-Antoinette's life {also here on Amazon}, it makes for a great read. Lady Antonia is a great historian, so the book is a good long read; Lady Antonia has gone to the trouble of including portraits of the Versailles big-wigs, it must be said.

United Kingdom on Aug 25, 2023

DianaDiana: Finished Marie Attoinette The Journey I cried at the end because you do go on her journey from princess to Queen of France. Her cold mother, Louis XVI was not a good king.. him being the reason her escape failed..
The idiotic decisions Louis XVI made which lead to the revolution, the Reign of terror.. I found myself shouting at points Run! Leave! You and your children are in grave danger! It was duty which stopped her. It felt at points that you were her friend, ally, one of her Society. It was like I was walking in her shoes. The heart breaking final letter never given to her children and sister in law.
Horrors of the revolution. She was scapegoated for everything!
She was a brave brilliant woman who I will always admire and remember on 16th of October 🎀 .

United Kingdom on Jun 19, 2023

Charles Scott: I fell fast asleep after having read the incredible biography of Marie Antoinette. Later on, in the middle of the night, I'd been startled wide awake, having sensed a spiritual presence in the room. It became larger and was gradually coming closer. Looking toward the open doorway of my bedroom, I saw a brightly illuminated light, as if from a candle. There before me stood a pale, flaxen-haired lady in a plain white dress. She seemed to hover in the air and watch over me. She appeared as a vision of loveliness, an angel of mercy. Her voluminous, shiny, wavy, amber hair cascaded down over her shoulders and onto the front of the finely-woven garment she wore. She positively glowed and beamed. She seemed to radiate pure energy. I couldn't help smiling and thinking, how so unlike the style and grace of any woman I'd ever met or seen in person. Then, she abruptly vanished in an instant, thus breaking the spell. The room went completely dark again. It had been like viewing a real person in the mist of a hologram. I rolled over, went back to sleep, and slept soundly for the remainder of the night.
Antonia Fraser picked quite an interesting subject, when she wrote the historical...

United States on Jun 19, 2019

R Helen: I had many issues with this book. I bought Antonia Fraser's book based on many of the positive reviews I read here and because I found the subject of Marie Antoinette fascinating, but I had little background in French history, in general, or the French Revolution, in particular. This caused quite a problem.

First, readers like me should be forewarned that if they do not have this historical background as I mentioned above, they will have a hard time following some of the background events. Antonia Fraser assumes the reader is educated in all this history, so she casually mentions people and events without giving any context or background information. Among other examples, I had to research the Diamond Necklace episode from other sources, because I could not tell from Fraser's book exactly what happened, in what context it was happening or what the real political problem was and why she was blamed for all this. Thankfully, I read Deborah Cadbury's book  The Lost King of France: The Tragic Story of Marie-Antoinette's Favourite Son  right after and gained a much clearer and concise overview of this event and the whole of the French Revolution, for that matter....

United Kingdom on Jul 22, 2012

gatorplyr2000: At 544 pages, MARIE ANTOINETTE "The Journey", is an immense book. Antonia Fraser has the amazing capability to make history interesting and simple to read. Books regarding noble families typically are more apt to be dreadfully complex and challenging to understand. However, Fraser gradually presents the main players accompanied by the setting of 18th-century Austria and France. No aspect gets away from her eye; from the crackle of material to the queen's individual possessions, to the affiliation among the royal family, to their consultants, this book is energetic, gripping, and educational.
Marie Antoinette's story is such a distressing one but Antonia Fraser writes it as a caring, yet silent observer, and brings her to life in such a way no other could. One of the key themes throughout this book is what little control Marie Antoinette really had over her own life. She was a pawn on her mother's chessboard. Marie Antoinette, the youngest of fifteen children, was married off to the Dauphin of France, Louis XVI at the age of 14, in expectation to obtain a secure affiliation with France, if not a future for Austria.
Regrettably the marriage didn't begin as planned. It took...

United States on Nov 09, 2010

Fiz: I have read every single book published in England about Marie Antoinette, and I think Antonia Fraser has done the impossible. Every other book is written 'in the shadow of the guillotine'. Ms Fraser removes this. The young Arch-Duchess Antonia had no idea of her fate until the last few years of her life, and as a result of the way this book is written, we see the young Dauphine Marie Antoinette as a warmand loving princess, who longed to serve her adopted country and cared greatly about the poverty and suffering she saw around her. None of this impressed the frivolous French courtiers who were only too happy to criticize the Austrian Princess. Antonia Fraser also consigns to the wastepaper basket of history the comment, 'Let them eat cake'. Antoinette never said it: it has long been known that this remark was made by Marie Therese, the dim-witted wife of Louis XIV, and was resurrected by those who wished to weaken the monarchy still further. Antoinette's marital difficulties are not smoothed over, but again, Antonia Fraser removes the myth of the 'petit operation' which was said to have been performed before Louis XVI could make his queen a mother. Yes, Marie Antoinette was...

United Kingdom on Jun 22, 2001