This is one of those books that I waited for months in my library, but due to extension, are more suitable for summer reading, when you can find more free time to enjoy this service that is so engrossing reading. Occasionally I like to leave the novelistic genre to delve into the life of a historical character, whose adventures in many cases are even more impressive that we can tell a work of fiction. And this is the case of this young queen, who has been vilified, adored and criticized in equal measure, but which history in general, has been a bit unfair. However, Antonia Fraser makes a complex research to conclude that the defects of Marie Antoinette were those of any human being, and instead the strength he showed in many cases actually portray it as a brave woman that he lived one of the most convulsive periods in history. So as reflected in the final paragraph that summarizes the main conclusions reached by this story: "Compared with the rugged image of a wife evil, manipulative and foreign, the true essence of Marie Antoinette became a mere shadow. After looking without rancor the extraordinary journey that was his life, it follows that their weaknesses, rather than gross, were insignificant compared to their misfortune. Bad luck pursued since France is unable to set foot ambassador of a great power, this woman whom nobody wanted, this girl made a wife, to the end, when became the scapegoat for the failure of the monarchy. Let the Queen have the last word. 'Oh my God, "he wrote in October 1790 - if we blame, and certainly we have atoned."
Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) was the daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria and his stunning wife, Maria Teresa, an empress with a political weight in Europe in the eighteenth century. Maria Teresa was always very clear that their daughters were key parts of the political fabric of the time (in his own words: " are born to obey and learn to do so in due time "), and Marie Antoinette would not be exception. With only fourteen, and an education quite sloppy in some respects, not being one of the older daughters are not devoted much attention as the other princesses, was sent to Paris to get married the future king of France, Louis XVI. The first years of their marriage were quite difficult, the absence or scarcity of relationships between spouses due to reasons still unknown, which made it impossible for the moment to meet one of the major considerations in a sovereign obligations at that time: give an heir to the kingdom. The lack of communication between her and her husband, who fortunately was communication improved over time significantly, made the young focus their attention on having fun and meet people who could ease his enormous loneliness (hence the image of a queen frivolous and spoiled that history has bequeathed us, image, provided by Fraser, must be qualified). Eventually
Marie Antoinette would have a total of four children, of whom two died still small, a fact that changed forever the character of the young queen. Later developments led to the revolution and the outbreak of it, become your life and your family in a series of dark events and uncertainty among which the attempted escape of the royal family, which became the first step to your ultimate downfall. The author masterfully narrates all these events, and it's hard not to feel moved by the suffering that Marie Antoinette experienced in recent years, fearing for the life of her husband, their children, their friends and, of course, by his own. The accusations led to her execution in 1793 were as absurd as the radical path he had taken a revolution that ended filling the streets of France brutally murdered innocent dead.
Antonia Fraser is removing some of the myths traditionally associated with the sovereign. An example is the excessive love of luxury and touched impossible customs which were apparently well established in the court of Versailles before his early arrival from Austria. The author emphasizes the positive aspects of his personality, as their children unconditional love, affection and respect that came to feel for her husband, his zeal por tratar de agradar a su familia austríaca en su papel de defensora de los intereses de Austria en Francia, o la entereza con que afrontó su juicio y su ejecución a muerte a pesar de la injusticia de las acusaciones vertidas contra ella. Por supuesto que la reina tendría sus defectos y sus flaquezas -todos las tenemos al fin y al cabo-, pero esta obra nos arroja un velo de humanidad nuevo que hace a María Antonieta más cercana, y le devuelve algunas de las virtudes que el tiempo y la memoria le han arrebatado.
Por cierto, Sofia Coppola se inspiró en parte en esta obra para realizar su película sobre la vida de María Antonieta, protagonizada por Kirsten Dunst.
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