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camilacabete's review against another edition
4.0
Mesmo sabendo da história, a história contada por S. Zweig me envolveu e fiquei até o fim meio que torcendo pela M.A. Envolvente e altamente autêntico, Zweig escreve de maneira franca e sem preconceitos impostos pelos outros biógrafos. Amei!
marziesreads's review against another edition
2.0
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I first read Zweig's Marie Antoinette back in the 70's, when fascinated by European history, royalty and famous queens. As a teen, I enjoyed it and felt the pathos of Marie Antoinette's downward spiral. With my older, skeptic's eyes however, I now question the sourcing on a number of points in Zweig's book, which seem, in retrospect, based on historical gossip, rather than fact-driven. Taken as a historical novel, Zweig's work is not a patch on that of Weir or Fraser, whose research for novels parallels that of their straight history and biography.
I first read Zweig's Marie Antoinette back in the 70's, when fascinated by European history, royalty and famous queens. As a teen, I enjoyed it and felt the pathos of Marie Antoinette's downward spiral. With my older, skeptic's eyes however, I now question the sourcing on a number of points in Zweig's book, which seem, in retrospect, based on historical gossip, rather than fact-driven. Taken as a historical novel, Zweig's work is not a patch on that of Weir or Fraser, whose research for novels parallels that of their straight history and biography.
misskeesa's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler alert: she dies at the end. :P
Finally finished! Before reading this book, the only knowledge I had of the French Revolution (aside from Life of Lafayette, which I remember reading and loving, but don't remember anything about, and A Tale of Two Cities, where I skimmed over any actually historical bits in order to get on with the love story) was what Sara Crewe told me in her long nights in the attic at Miss Minchin's in The Little Princess. From her I learned the names Robespierre, Madame du Barry, the Princess de Lamballe.
Now I feel like I know a little more about this period in history that so fascinated little Sara, and above all about the elusive Marie Antoinette (whom I seem to recall Patsy Jefferson as describing once as "very pretty and very nice." Unfortunately, the book assumed I knew more about the French Revolution than I actually do, so it didn't bother to explain who Robespierre or Madame du Barry actually were....which means to my shame I still don't know.
That said, I found the book interesting, for the most part, although a bit unwieldy and repetitive (I lost count of how many times the author repeated some variation of the phrase "and that (act, or comment, or gesture, or letter, or decision) sealed her fate." Apparently her fate was sealed several dozens of times over the course of the book.
After reading the book, it's hard not to have a profound contempt for the two monarchs who, through vanity and heedlessness on the one side, and sluggishness and indecision on the other, paved the way for the atrocities of the French Revolution.
Finally finished! Before reading this book, the only knowledge I had of the French Revolution (aside from Life of Lafayette, which I remember reading and loving, but don't remember anything about, and A Tale of Two Cities, where I skimmed over any actually historical bits in order to get on with the love story) was what Sara Crewe told me in her long nights in the attic at Miss Minchin's in The Little Princess. From her I learned the names Robespierre, Madame du Barry, the Princess de Lamballe.
Now I feel like I know a little more about this period in history that so fascinated little Sara, and above all about the elusive Marie Antoinette (whom I seem to recall Patsy Jefferson as describing once as "very pretty and very nice." Unfortunately, the book assumed I knew more about the French Revolution than I actually do, so it didn't bother to explain who Robespierre or Madame du Barry actually were....which means to my shame I still don't know.
That said, I found the book interesting, for the most part, although a bit unwieldy and repetitive (I lost count of how many times the author repeated some variation of the phrase "and that (act, or comment, or gesture, or letter, or decision) sealed her fate." Apparently her fate was sealed several dozens of times over the course of the book.
After reading the book, it's hard not to have a profound contempt for the two monarchs who, through vanity and heedlessness on the one side, and sluggishness and indecision on the other, paved the way for the atrocities of the French Revolution.
dc7's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book when I was 10 or 11 and absolutely loved it. It allows you to immerse yourself in the life of Marie Antoinette and I liked that the writing style resembles more a novel than a non-fiction book. I found this biography to be well written and engaging.
monicalaurette's review against another edition
3.0
Well, now I know a lot more about Marie Antoinette. She isn't the dumb-founded girl that historians pin her as. She had things happen to her that you couldn't imagine handling as well as she did in her position, and in the same time period too.
Definitely a must read for those who want to know more about her, not a book for enjoyment. Unless you like reading biographies for fun...then have at it!
Definitely a must read for those who want to know more about her, not a book for enjoyment. Unless you like reading biographies for fun...then have at it!
cryptidamara's review against another edition
3.0
Easy to read and highly informative, but long and a bit tedious in it's attention to detail. I lost interest toward the end and only finished so that I could say I completed my reading of it.
lnatal's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the most complete biography of Marie Antoinette I have ever read.
First at all, the author made a huge research work in order to bring the historical facts which surrounded the Marie Antoinette's life.
In the first part of the book, Antoinette is described as a young monarch which her main concern, once she married Louis XVI, is to enjoy life as much as possible. In the meantime, the Habsburgs are trying to guide her destiny specially when she became Queen of France. Due to Louis' impotence in the first years of their marriage, her brother Joseph acted as a counselor in order to save the alliance with France.
The affair of the diamond necklace was a real disaster to the queen's reputation. Alexandre Dumas in his The Queen's Necklace portrayed in full detail this scandal in the court of Louis XVI.
With this affair, the queen credibility was put in charge thus provoking even more the hate of the French people.
This historical fact is responsible for the advent of the French Revolution.
In the meantime, the book also describes her love affair with the Swede Count Axel von Fersen who played an important role in the attempt to escape from Paris but then the royal family was captured in Varennes. A movie La nuit de Varennes (1982), directed by Ettore Scola with Jean-Louis Barrault, Marcello Mastroianni, Hanna Schygulla was made based on this escape to Varennes.
In the following pages, the author describes the execution of Louis XVI and the imprisonment of Marie Antoinette in the Conciergerie. Her execution is also described and until now, nobody knows where she is buried.
Other books related to Marie Antoinette's life:
4* Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser which also have a movie version: Marie Antoinette (2006) directed by Sofia Coppola, with Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn.
2* The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson.
4* Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund.
2* Les larmes de Marie-Antoinette by Juliette Benzoni. A historical mystery book.
3* Pintora de la Reina, la Favorita de maria Antoineta by Geneviève Chauvel. The life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) who painted the most famous paintings of Marie Antoinette's family.
4* The Queen's Necklace by Alexandre Dumas. The fiction version of the affair of the diamond necklace.
First at all, the author made a huge research work in order to bring the historical facts which surrounded the Marie Antoinette's life.
In the first part of the book, Antoinette is described as a young monarch which her main concern, once she married Louis XVI, is to enjoy life as much as possible. In the meantime, the Habsburgs are trying to guide her destiny specially when she became Queen of France. Due to Louis' impotence in the first years of their marriage, her brother Joseph acted as a counselor in order to save the alliance with France.
The affair of the diamond necklace was a real disaster to the queen's reputation. Alexandre Dumas in his The Queen's Necklace portrayed in full detail this scandal in the court of Louis XVI.
With this affair, the queen credibility was put in charge thus provoking even more the hate of the French people.
This historical fact is responsible for the advent of the French Revolution.
In the meantime, the book also describes her love affair with the Swede Count Axel von Fersen who played an important role in the attempt to escape from Paris but then the royal family was captured in Varennes. A movie La nuit de Varennes (1982), directed by Ettore Scola with Jean-Louis Barrault, Marcello Mastroianni, Hanna Schygulla was made based on this escape to Varennes.
In the following pages, the author describes the execution of Louis XVI and the imprisonment of Marie Antoinette in the Conciergerie. Her execution is also described and until now, nobody knows where she is buried.
Other books related to Marie Antoinette's life:
4* Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser which also have a movie version: Marie Antoinette (2006) directed by Sofia Coppola, with Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn.
2* The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson.
4* Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund.
2* Les larmes de Marie-Antoinette by Juliette Benzoni. A historical mystery book.
3* Pintora de la Reina, la Favorita de maria Antoineta by Geneviève Chauvel. The life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) who painted the most famous paintings of Marie Antoinette's family.
4* The Queen's Necklace by Alexandre Dumas. The fiction version of the affair of the diamond necklace.
moondustmisfit's review against another edition
2.0
This book was an intresting read. I barely read history books and Marie Antoinette's life seemed so intresting.
I didn't really like the writing style. It was so biased and boring and it definetly hasn't aged well.
It waa intresting to read how one womans short life contained so much. But still about the only reason i finished this was because i started it and i was determined to finish it. If you want to read a book about Marie Antoinette, choose a better one.
I didn't really like the writing style. It was so biased and boring and it definetly hasn't aged well.
It waa intresting to read how one womans short life contained so much. But still about the only reason i finished this was because i started it and i was determined to finish it. If you want to read a book about Marie Antoinette, choose a better one.