Scan barcode
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.
More...