Rating: 
Summary: The 'Austrian Woman' Revealed
Review: I just finished this book last night. I picked it up on the recommendation of a friend, knowing nothing about Marie Antoinette or this particular era of French history. I finished the book, voraciously reading its final chapters. The "Austrian Woman's" story is completely fascinating as told by Antonia Fraser. Ms. Fraser rebukes a lot of scurrilous stories and assumptions that have been made over the past few hundreds years regarding the French Queen. Although I was not familiar with some of the rumors (lesbianism, orgies, lovers, and more excesses) it is easy, after reading the book, to see how these stories became attached to Marie Antoinette. Fraser illustrates the life of a Royal as a difficult position. The Machiavellian intrigues of court life are fascinating. Even the day-to-day events like the dressing of the Queen are shown to be hilarious in their courtly pomp. Particularly interesting is how Fraser dramatizes what it must have been like to have an entire country direct its dissatisfaction at the Queen. The final chapters detailing the imprisonment of the Royal Family in the tower are heartbreaking, no matter what their excesses were. As the end approaches and the Queen's close friend's head was paraded around on a pike, one wonders why the Royals were meant to suffer so. Ms. Fraser treats her subject fairly. She seems to admire Marie Antoinette, but doesn't excuse some of her miscalculations. Fraser's summation in the final chapters is particularly enlightening. I highly recommend Antonia Fraser's MARIE ANTOINETTE: THE JOURNEY. It is an engrossing read, and the court life of Marie and King Louis XVI is quite fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Marie Antoinette's day in court...209 years after her death
Review: Antonia Fraser does an excellent job with her detailed biography of one of history's most maligned figures, and offers a view of a different, more human Marie Antoinette. I liked very much that she took the time to provide the background of court life and politics in both France and Austria, what drove these two countries (not traditional enemies like France and Britain, but uneasy, distrustful, sometimes allies, sometimes enemies) to make the kind of political pact represented by the marriage of Marie Antoinette to Louis XVI, and the not-so-surprising results of the doomed-from-the-start union. She goes into great detail about how ill-prepared Marie Antoinette was to cope with being the Queen of France. She was poorly educated, not given enough instruction about political intrigue, nor given good advice about how to go about fulfilling her primary duties (to provide an heir to the Bourbon throne) when she had a husband who had no interest in her and plenty of his own issues to address! She was asked to serve far too many masters--her husband, France and the French people, her mother, Austria, her family, etc. The French people (and the French court) accused her of serving Austria. Her mother (Empress of Austria) accused her of forgetting her duties (she was married off to Louis in order to influence France and to bring France into a closer relationship with Austria) because she was not advancing Austria's cause! She was married to the heir to the throne who did not consumate the marriage for 7 years, yet she was blamed for not providing an heir! Granted, both she and Louis were very young when they married in 1770--she was only 14 years old, and Louis was only 15 years old. Fraser provides descriptions of a child-like (physically and emotionally) Marie Antoinette, and Louis as an overweight teenager who had issues of his own in addition to having been taught not to trust Austrians. Marie Antoinette was not perfect. She was extravagant, spent huge sums of money on clothes, parties, and a residence called (Le Petit Trianon) at a time when France was facing internal and external hardships. Should she have been wiser about the political storm brewing in her adopted country? Perhaps, but since she had so little influence with her husband, I have many doubts that she could have saved the monarchy by behaving differently. She was a convenient scapegoat for many different factions in France because she was considered an outsider, even after she had children. She became a symbol of everything that was wrong with the monarchy, and at that point, nothing could save her or her family.
I enjoyed this book because Fraser shows a side of Marie Antoinette that is often conveniently forgotten in standard history classes, and gives her her day in court (a chance to state her side of the story, a chance to defend herself, a chance to be heard). I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read, but sometimes rushed
Review: Overall this was an excellent book. Beautiful pictures helped enhance the reading experience. Versailles truly came alive during her early reign. Miss Fraser threw a curve ball by suggesting Louis XVI never had an operation for his sexual 'problem'. Such an operation would have stopped his hunting for at least a week. Louis kept a very accurate hunting journal and there are no date gaps that would have suggested his 'problem' was corrected. So did this king not like Marie Antoinette? He kept no mistresses, so one can only asume he was gay or impotent. I mean c'mon almost seven and a half years of marriage before consumation? The book also describes the so-called 'affair' between Axel and Antoinette. The book never says for sure if there was an affair, but if there was, it was suggested there was intercourse at least once. When the family was being held shortly after their return from the famous and ill-fated escape attempt. Parts of this book seemed rushed. For instance, arguably the most exciting moment of Marie's life was the escape attempt from France. Other books go into much more detail. The September massacres were briefly mentioned except for the killing of Princess de Lambelle. Although I learned in this book that before her head was paraded under the Queen's window, the murderers actually took the head to a beautician's parlor to have her hair done so the Queen would instantly recognize her! The death of Louis XVII was brief, one sentence. There was no mention of his abuse at the hands of the jailors. True this is Marie Antoinette's story, but it is only from her biographies we get any information about her children. The fate of Joseph Louis in the Tower was a tragedy, and we can only be happy the Queen was not alive to know about it. The Queen's trial was covered well, but I've read better. This book is truly a treasure for those most interested in Marie Antoinette's childhood and early reign, that is where the author seemed to put most of her effort. I read new information on the child and 'dauphine' that would become Queen Marie Antoinette. A recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: History Gave Marie A Raw Deal
Review: The French were looking for a scapegoat and they found one in the Austrian Marie Antoinette. Such an awesome read! If you like rading about royalty or just hate the French, this book's for you!
Rating:
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.
Rating:
Summary: A fabulous read about a truly tragic figure
Review: This book is fantastic - a must read for anyone who is interested in the life of Marie Antoinette, or in the political wranglings of the Court of Versailles, but mainly for the former. It gives an excellent history of Marie Antoinette from birth in Austria as an archduchess, to her tragic death at the hands of revolutionary France as a deposed queen. I only shy from rating this book with 5 stars because it can get a little confusing. There is a web of people that come in and out of the queen's life, and Fraser sometimes has a difficult time helping you to keep track of them all; other than that though, a worthy read. A scape-goat, a mother, a queen, and most of all, completely misunderstood. A Truly interesting take on a queen so scornfully detested by the ones she loved the most. Any notions you think you may have about her will probably be cast aside when you've finished reading this book.
Rating:
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!
Rating:
Summary: Daughter, Wife, Mother; Queen, Pawn...Scapegoat
Review: With "Marie Antoinette", Lady Antonia Fraser has written one of the more memorable biographies of recent years. She has taken a woman who had been turned into a caricature, a "poster-child" for a "typical" example of reactionary, frivolous royalty, and turned her into a real, and sympathetic, human being. And, if Lady Antonia has perhaps stacked the deck a bit too much in favor of her subject- playing up her positive qualities and playing down her negative ones- by the time you reach the end of the book your gut feeling is that you really can't blame her. For this was a woman who, before she was physically destroyed by the forces of revolution, had been emotionally worn down by years of abuse at the hands of her political enemies. This was a woman who had very high moral standards, yet was constantly being accused in the pamphlets of the time of being heterosexually and homosexually promiscuous; a generous, sensitive and intelligent woman accused of being selfish, heartless and stupid; a woman who wasn't a political animal- who wanted to do "good works" and to be a good wife and mother- but was subjected to pressure right after her marriage (by her mother Maria Teresa) to do what was best for Austria rather than what was best for France. Even if Antoinette had been politically inclined, her influence was never very great- Louis XVI, despite what the pamphlets said about him, was far from being a fool. His main interest may have been hunting, but he was intelligent, well-read, and he had a mind of his own. (And he had been warned in his youth to be wary of wily Austrian women!) But after years of anti-Antoinette and "fool Louis" propaganda, the people were primed to mistrust and hate "The Austrian Woman". As the saying goes, if you say something loudly enough and often enough people will start to believe it. When conditions in France got bad enough, the people knew who to blame. Louis and Antoinette could easily have been exiled. But the intellectuals in charge of the revolution had the precedent of the execution of Charles I of England. And, as intellectuals sometimes do, they gave more weight to abstract ideas and ideals than to acting in a humane manner. (They thought that Antoinette's death would "unite them in blood"- whatever that was supposed to mean.) In an eerie precursor to the Stalinist show trials of the 20th century, Marie was put on trial. The outcome was decided ahead of time, and so was never in doubt. She was not allowed to prepare a proper defense. Unsubstantiated accusations were made and hearsay was accepted as evidence. Just to be sure, the 8 year old Dauphin, one of whose testicles had been damaged while playing, was brainwashed by his jailers into making allegations of sexual abuse against his own mother. The allegations weren't true but, due to the corrosive influence of the pamphleteers over the course of many years, the people were ready to believe anything. Despite being ill and suffering from sleep deprivation, Antoinette defended herself with intelligence and dignity. Once the inevitable verdict was reached, she met her death with undiminished courage. (Indeed, at this point, after 4 years of her and her family being terrorized and abused, and after the execution of her husband, she welcomed death.) This book should be required reading, not only because it gives Marie Antoinette "the day in court" that she never really had in her lifetime but because it never lets us forget her humanity. It also shows us the disturbing power of propaganda, which is something just as relevant today as it was 200 years ago. For, despite the best efforts of Lady Antonia Fraser, I'm afraid that Marie Antoinette will always be known for something she never said and, considering her concern for the French people, something she never would have said...."Let them eat cake!"
Rating:
Summary: Scapegoat of the Revolution
Review: Marie Antoinette has fascinated countless generations since she met her untimely death at the guillotine during the height of the French Revolution. Was she a wanton woman concerned only with her own pleasure or was she loving wife and mother, caught up in circumstances beyond her control? The general consensus now seems to be the latter and biographer Antonia Fraser makes a strong case for this perception. While Marie Antoinette had many faults (reckless spending chief amongst these), Fraser points out that Antoinette was only fourteen when she married Louis Auguste, the Dauphin, heir to his grandfather Louis XV. Never properly educated by her mother Empress Marie Therese of Austria, Antoinette did her best to fulfill her number one purpose in life-to produce an heir. Unfortunately, the Dauphin had almost no sexual drive at all, and the marriage would be unconsummated for years. It was during this time, that public opinion seemed to form its worst opinions of Antoinette. Seen as a reckless gambler, more concerned with parties and spending, Antoinette did court disaster with her own behavior. However, as Fraser points out, the inability to produce an heir was not her fault entirely but rather simply two very young and inexperienced people who had no real idea of what was expected of them. A visit from Antoinette's brother, the Emperor Joseph II led to a frank talk with both and soon after that, the marriage was finally consummated. It was not long before a child was born (a daughter), followed in turn by two sons and one more daughter (only two children would survive Antoinette). At this point, Marie Antoinette the mother becomes dominant and she no longer occupied herself with frivolous past times. But the die had been cast with the French people who could never see her than anything else but a pleasure loving seductress, living off the misery of others. Fraser does an admirable job of point out that Antoinette's expenditures were no more than the others around her and she possessed a real desire to help the French people. Those who knew her intimately thought her a kind and loving person and these qualities were put to the test after the French Revolution left her and her family at the mercy of the mob. It is in the last three years of her life that we see the real Marie Antoinette, a woman devoted to her husband and her family, a woman willing to do whatever she could to avoid bloodshed. But events moved too swiftly and hundreds of years of oppression by the nobility had focused the hatred of the French people on perhaps the most innocent of victims. I think it is interesting to note that Louis XVI had no mistresses, unlike his previous two successors, and that this allowed the French people to concentrate their hatred on Marie Antoinette since they felt no on else could have swayed his decision making. In previous reigns, the mistresses had been accused of leading the king astray. Madame Montespan, Madame de Pompadour and the Countess du Barry had been seen as the villains in early times and they bore the brunt of the ill feelings against the court. While Marie Antoinette is the main focus of the biography, many other lives are illuminated. Maria Therese, Empress of Austria and mother of Antoinette is a stern woman, bent on ruling over the lives of all her daughters, regardless of their location or position. Louis XVI is a weak man, unable to make decisions when needed yet never cruel or vindictive. Count Fersen, the only viable candidate as an actual lover of Marie Antoinette, who never stopped trying to help her and her family during her final years as a captive of the revolution. Antonia Fraser has done a marvelous job of making Marie Antoinette come to life, portraying both her good and bad qualities yet ultimately demonstrating that she surely never deserved what fate finally had in store for her. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fuller understanding of the events leading up to the French Revolution and how a scapegoat was made of a young wife and mother unable to control the events around her.
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: The author seems to be trying very hard to fill up the book on a subject whose life comes across as "uninteresting". For example, the description of Marie Antoinette's nose and looks fill up pages. Bits and pieces about some individuals are spread among several chapters, making it difficult to get a full insight of these characters. In other words, the book is poorly laid out, and the stories are fragmented ... perhaps it is because there isn't much to say about Marie Antoinette in the first place.
|
