Marie Antoinette: The Journey - Antonia Fraser Audiobook

Written by Antonia Fraser
Read by Donada Peters
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Books on Tape
Release date: September 12, 2006
Duration: 20:31:41

France’s beleaguered queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous “Let them eat cake,” was the subject of ridicule and curiosity even before her death; she has since been the object of debate and speculation and the fascination so often accorded tragic figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted, privileged, but otherwise unremarkable child was thrust into an unparalleled time and place, and was commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in history.

Balancing empathy for the pleasure-loving queen with an awareness of the inequalities that fed revolution—after all, Marie herself was fully conscious of them. Her subject shows no let-them-eat cake arrogance, but is deeply (even surprisingly) compassionate, with a “public reputation for sweetness and mercy” that is only later sullied by vituperative pamphleteers and bitter unrest. She would sometimes be trapped by ingenuousness, and later by a fatal sense of duty. Yet her graceful bearing, acquired under the tutelage of her demanding mother, the empress Maria Teresa, made her an unusually popular princess before she was scapegoated as “Madame Deficit” and much, much worse.

The portrait is drawn delicately, with pleasant touches of humor (a long-awaited baby is conceived around the time of Benjamin Franklin’s visit: “Perhaps the King found this first contact with the virile New World inspirational”). Fraser’s approach is controlled and thoughtful..

“…This is the perfect book for Donada Peters, who excels at injecting subtle irony into seemingly flat narrative. She handles the snotty comments and the lewd scandal mongering of the court with equal aplomb. Fraser is one of the most highly respected and bestselling biographers of our time, and it’s easy to see why in this enlightening glimpse into turbulent France of the 1770s.”— AudioFile