Marie Antoinette

By: Antonia Fraser

Narrated by: Eleanor Bron

Marie Antoinette's dramatic life-story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still 'la reine mechante', whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; her indifference to popular suffering epitomised by the (apocryphal) words: 'let them eat cake'. Others are equally passionate in her defence: to them, she is a victim of misogyny.

In this biography 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 French cultural life, her imprisonment, the death threats made against her, rumours of lesbian affairs, her trial (during which her young son was forced to testify to sexual abuse by his mother) and her eventual execution by guillotine in 1793.

©2002 Antonia Fraser (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

10/10, will read again.

Lovely and soothing narrator, she made Marie-Antoinette's tragic tale bearable during her gruesome times. It makes for such an easy to listen to audiobook. The narrator breathe so much life into this 20 hour history book that makes you believe there is still hope for the Queen despite the fact that we all know what's going to happen.