alexsaunders's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
katiecowie87's review against another edition
3.0
Hard novel to finish but very detailed and well written
bunnybookslife's review against another edition
DNF @ 227 pages
This was a reading challenge I tried out, to read a little bit in this everyday through September. But honestly I can't keep up with it. Its putting me in a reading slump. I did find it pretty interesting, but just not enough to keep reading anymore. Sorry. :/ <3
This was a reading challenge I tried out, to read a little bit in this everyday through September. But honestly I can't keep up with it. Its putting me in a reading slump. I did find it pretty interesting, but just not enough to keep reading anymore. Sorry. :/ <3
alexisdpatt's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
“Marie Antoinette: The Journey” by Antonia Fraser ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Marie Antoinette” recounts the life and death of (in my not so humble opinion) the last Queen of France.
I have been wanting to read this one for a while as this monograph was the inspiration for Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, “Marie Antoinette.”
I really enjoyed this immensely. Fraser depicts Antoinette in a sympathetic victim without shying away from her flaws. She creates such a cohesive narrative that it’s easy to see how and why she was solely blamed for the economic crash and revolt of the French people. (The easiest answer is xenophobia, but the situation is so complicated that there’s still a lot to unpack.)
Because this focuses on Antoinette, not all of the information surrounding the French Revolution is present. So if you’re hoping to get more revolutionary info on the state of the French economy, you’ll be SOL. However, the way that the storming of the Bastille feels so out of left field allows one to experience the flow of information as the court had isolated out in Versailles.
All in all, if you want an all encompassing history of Marie Antoinette, I highly recommend this one. It’s well written and very straightforward. Just be prepared for a lot of French. 🙈
rjproffer's review against another edition
4.0
A very comprehensive look at Marie Antoinette and what influenced her rise and fall as the queen of France. Before reading this, I didn't realize she actually had an affair, or that her son testified against her. What a read for history nerds!
mjsteimle's review against another edition
5.0
An engaging, compassionate portrait of France's most famous queen.