Marie Antoinette: Teen Queen to Guillotine

By Melanie Burrows

What it’s about?

A seemingly endless parade of books, films and television shows have kept Marie Antoinette in the spotlight for over two centuries since her execution in October 1793. For many, she is the ignorant embodiment of foolish, careless, decadent excess, and a deserving example of the terrible fate that on occasion befalls members of the mega-wealthy ruling class who exploit and ignore the needs of those less fortunate than themselves. Meanwhile, for others, she is a source of endless fascination thanks to the flamboyant fashions of her era, the pastel-hued beauty of her surviving residences and, above all, the extraordinary drama of her almost unbelievable riches-to-rags life. She was a complex woman who lived in a remarkable time, and yet she was also a very simple one whose main desire in life was to love and be loved in return.

This engaging and intimate biography of Marie Antoinette takes a fresh look at the story of this most fascinating and misunderstood of queens, exploring her personal tribulations such as her emotionally unfulfilling marriage, rocky friendships and the loss of her children, as well as the series of scandals, mistakes and disasters that took her from the gilded splendour of Versailles to the guillotine.

What I think:

I find Marie Antoinette and life at Versailles during the ancien regime endlessly fascinating.

This biography of Marie Antoinette is really engaging and highly readable.

This book covers Marie Antoinette’s life from her childhood in Austria, to teenage bride and young queen, motherhood and revolution.

It seems unfathomable that a 14 year old girl would be married to a stranger and stripped of everything she knows, including her Austrian dog, to live with another family, many of whom do not want her there.

Life at Versailles may look glamorous from the outside, but it is clear that it was actually a deeply unpleasant place with factions, rumours and malicious gossip around every gilded corner. Louis and Marie Antoinette have few friends that they can genuinely rely on as France descends into revolution and monarchy crumbles.

It’s shocking to think that Marie Antoinette is just 37 when she dies. The last months of her life are truly awful. I found her final letter, quoted in full in the book, particularly poignant.

A lot of research has gone into this book; the author is clearly an expert in the field with a lifelong passion for her subject. I always read the end notes and I appreciated Burrows’ personal comments on some of the historical figures.

This is a great read, and the perfect introduction if you want to learn more about Marie Antoinette. With the new exhibition, ‘Marie Antoinette Style’, at the V and A,   interest in the ill-fated queen is sure to rise and this is the perfect book to accompany it.

Thank you to Pen and Sword and NetGalley for my gifted digital copy of the book.