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A review by brokenbaroque
Maria Antonietta: una vita involontariamente eroica by Lavinia Mazzucchetti, Stefan Zweig
4.0
I normally don't like biography written in a very novelistic style and I like even less authors who judge historical characters... but I really have to make an exception for this book. Despite Zweig's tendency to exaggerate things occasionally and his being a man of his time in morality and taste, he really tries to be a balanced narrator and brings evidence of what he says.
The book doesn't focus too much on Marie Antoinette's private life nor on her as a public figure, but gives a good general impression of this unlucky woman and her time. It also speaks some big truth about the past.
I'll be honest: french revolution is not one of my big historical passion and I generally prefer essays or documents of the time over biography, but this one in particular has a merit that got it one extra star: it made me feel. If you are into history you rarely end up feeling sad or happy for characters, because you try to be objective and logic. But if a book is able to give you a good amount of precise information, clearly explained in a charming style without taking away any poetry from the time it is talking about, you can call this a great book.
The book doesn't focus too much on Marie Antoinette's private life nor on her as a public figure, but gives a good general impression of this unlucky woman and her time. It also speaks some big truth about the past.
I'll be honest: french revolution is not one of my big historical passion and I generally prefer essays or documents of the time over biography, but this one in particular has a merit that got it one extra star: it made me feel. If you are into history you rarely end up feeling sad or happy for characters, because you try to be objective and logic. But if a book is able to give you a good amount of precise information, clearly explained in a charming style without taking away any poetry from the time it is talking about, you can call this a great book.