Marie antoinette is a work of impeccable scholarship that took five years to complete. Antonia frasers book about her life is definitively able to make us change our mind. Antonia fraser marie antoinette part 02 audiobook youtube. Antonia frasers lavish and engaging portrait excites compassion and regard for the queen, immersing the reader not only in the comingofage of a graceful woman, but in the culture of an unparalleled time and place.
Antonia fraser picked quite an interesting subject, when she wrote the historical biography, marie antoinette. Fraser takes us into the life of the young antoine, the daughter of the strong, handson empress of austria, mariateresa, who has raised all her children to be rulers and. Our chief of men, king charles ii and the gunpowder plot cwa. On that same day, 217 years ago, marie antoinette or maria antonia josepha johanna 17551793 was executed by guillotine. Pretty marie was raised to further the hapsburg familys political ambitions, as defined by her dominating mother, empress maria theresa of austriahungary. She is a writer, known for jemima shore investigates 1983, tales of the unexpected 1979 and armchair thriller 1978. Marie antoinette a much maligned woman, treated with compassion by antonia fraser and given voice by eleanor bron.
She began life as the daughter of an austrian queen. Biographie antonia fraser, gabriele gockel, jochen schwarzer isbn. She is the widow of the 2005 nobel laureate in literature, harold pinter 19302008, and prior to his death was also known as lady antonia pinter. Enjoy the best antonia fraser quotes at brainyquote. Hazel mills sees marie antoinette rehabilitated in antonia frasers biography that shows her to be not simply a queen with a penchant for. Based largely on british biographer antonia frasers 2001 biography, marie antoinette. The journey by british author, lady antonia fraser, marie antoinette is a sympathetic account of the private life of the last queen of france before the revolution. She has received the wolfson prize for history, the 2000 norton medlicott medal of britains historical. She was antonia fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies mary, queen of scots a 40th anniversary edition was published in may 2009, cromwell.
Frasers lavishly benevolent new rendering of the queen, in fact. This book takes the reader on a journey through an incredible life, causing me to laugh, cry and at one point throw the book i was so incensed at the injustices love love love. The first thing marie antoinettes newest biographer, antonia fraser, would. The daughter of empress maria teresa of austria, the 14yearold marie.
Lady antonia fraser was born on august 27, 1932, in london, england. Marie antoinette biographie antonia fraser buch erstausgabe. Nine months prior to that her husband, king louis xiv was executed. Lady antonia margaret caroline fraser, ch, dbe, frsl nee pakenham. The tragic life of marie antoinette, rich in conflicting detail, remains a biographers challenge, and antonia frasers richly human yet evenhanded account is a readers delight. Brilliantly written, a work of impeccable scholarship. I have had the book on my tbr shelves for some time, but. The journey is a sympathetic 2001 biography of archduchess marie antoinette, the queen of france 17741792 by antonia fraser. Antonia frasers lavish and engaging portrait of marie antoinette, one of the most recognizable women in european history, excites compassion and regard for. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted child was thrust onto.
Famously known as the eighteenthcentury french queen whose excesses have become legend, marie antoinette was blamed for instigating the french revolution. Dont miss it andrea stuart independent a sparkling new biography. However, while reading the international best seller, i came. Our chief of men, king charles ii and the gunpowder plot cwa nonfiction gold dagger. Sent from her family in her early teens marie antoinette is left to find her own way around the closed french court. Brilliantly written, marie antoinette is a work of impeccable scholarship. A biography of a queen who never said, as legend has it, let them eat cake.
Marie antoinette is probably the most famous and memorable lady in french history, bar none. Marie antoinette is a heroic and tragic exercise in identification daily telegraph this beautifully paced, impeccably written biography is destined to generate the same success as antonia frasers previous work. The journey by antonia fraser and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Since before her beheading by french revolutionaries, her life has been analyzed and mythologized. The journey, the new film, also called marie antoinette, was released in. Never before has the life of marie antoinette been told so intimately and with such authority as in antonia frasers newest work, marie antoinette. Antonia fraser is the author of many internationally bestselling historical works, including love and louis xiv, marie antoinette, which was made into a film by sofia coppola, the wives of henry viii, mary queen of scots, and faith and treason. She became dauphine of france in may 1770 at age 14 upon her marriage to louisauguste, heir apparent to the french throne. Marie antoinette by lady antonia fraser, 9780753858, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. She has taken a woman who had been turned into a caricature, a posterchild for a typical example of reactionary, frivolous royalty, and turned her into a. Biography audiobooks antonia fraser marie antoinette part 02. By antonia fraser copyright page for harold the first reader authors note et in arcadia ego. It is surprising how some books actually start with her arrival in france. The first thing marie antoinettes newest biographer, antonia fraser, would have you know is that the longmaligned queen of france was a model of compassion, the kind of altruistic sovereign who.
The story of the gunpowder plot, and perilous question. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Somehow antonia fraser writes in a no nonsense way yet allows the reader to hear the music, and the swish of marie antoinettes skirts as she walked through versailles. The tragic life of marie antoinette, rich in conflicting detail, remains a biographers challenge, and antonia frasers richly human yet evenhanded account is a. Antonia fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies mary, queen of scots a 40th anniversary edition was published in may 2009, cromwell. Quotations by antonia fraser, british author, born august 27, 1932. Jeff guinn go down together the true untold story of bonnie and clyde part 02 audiobook duration. In interviews sofia would say that i had humanized marie antoinette. Novelist and historian fraser faith and treason, 1996, etc. Antonia fraser s lavish and engaging portrait of marie antoinette, one of the most recognizable women in european history, excites compassion and regard for all aspects of her subject, immersing the reader not only in the comingofage of a graceful woman, buaimedt also in the unraveling of an era. Marie antoinette was the last queen of france before the french revolution. The journey, published in 2001, also addresses their affair. For centuries since, she has been the object of debate, speculation, and the fascination so often accorded illustrious figures in history. Antonia fraser has an amazing knack for writing biographies that are both impeccably researched and absolutely entertaining to read, and marie antoinette is no exception.
The major movie about the legendary french queen, directed by sofia coppola, is based on this book by bestselling historian antonia fraser. Antonia fraser was born on august 27, 1932 in london, england as antonia margaret caroline pakenham. She was previously married to harold pinter and hugh charles patrick joseph fraser. Marie antoinette by antonia fraser books the guardian. Marie antoinette, antonia frasers first book in five years, heralds the welcome return of her wonderfully lucid, engaging style as she disentangles myth from fact regarding the life of the still controversial, and misunderstood, wife of louis xvi of france. Marie antoinette has been a subject for both biographers and novelists. In 1770, marie antoinette, aged 14, wed the awkward 16yearold who in 1774 became louis xvi. Frances iconic queen, marie antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous let them eat cake, was alternately revered and reviled during her lifetime. Based on the awardwinning biography marie antoinette.
Antonia frasers lavish and engaging portrait of marie antoinette, one of the most recognizable women in european history, excites compassion and regard for all aspects of her subject, immersing the reader not only in the comingofage of a graceful woman, buaimedt also in the unraveling of an era. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read marie antoinette. She was the daughter of the seventh earl of longford, francis pakenham born 1905, a statesman who had several cabinet posts under labor prime minister harold wilson. She was born an archduchess of austria and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of empress maria theresa and francis i, holy roman emperor. Antonia frasers lavish and engaging portrait of marie antoinette, one of the most recognizable women in european history, excites compassion and regard for all aspects of her subject, immersing the reader not only in the comingofage of a graceful woman, but also in the unraveling of an era.
On 10 may 1774, her husband ascended the throne as louis xvi and she assumed the title queen of france and navarre, which she held until september 17. The concentration in my book on marie antoinettes childhood and on her family influences. My copy of lady antonia frasers marieantoinette, the journey anchor books, 2002 sports on its cover the round face of kirsten dunst which, as anyone who has studied portraits of marieantoinette knows, is in sharp contrast to the lovely oval countenance of the real queen. Antonia fraser examines her influence over the king, louis xvi, the accusations and sexual slurs made against her, her patronage of the arts which enhanced. However, as fraser acknowledges in the book, there was no. Its not so good to be the queen the new york times. Antonia fraser books list of books by author antonia fraser. These all happened at the height of the french revolution 17891799. In preparing her material for this work, antonia fraser researched the archives of austria and france and visited all the sites associated with the queen. Marie antoinette 175593 emerges in frasers sympathetic portrait as a goodhearted girl woefully undereducated and poorly prepared for the dynastic political intrigues into which she was thrust at age 14, when her mother, empress maria theresa, married her off to the future louis xvi to further austrias interests in france. Antonia fraser is the author of many internationally bestselling historical works, including love and louis xiv, marie antoinette, which was made into a film by sofia coppola, the wives of henry viii, mary queen of scots, faith and treason. Lady antonia fraser, author of a biography of the french queen, believes the quote would have been highly uncharacteristic of marieantoinette, an. Her father was the emperor of the holy roman empire.
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