Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), the subject of Marie Antoinette: The Journey, was the 15th child born to Empress Maria Theresa of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1770 at the age of 14, she was married to Louis Auguste, the dauphin of France. In 1774, upon the death of Louis XV, Louis Auguste and Marie Antoinette became king and queen of France. She had four children, three of whom died young of illnesses. During the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine in Paris on October 16, 1793, at the age of 37.

In Marie Antoinette, Fraser provides a complex, but overall sympathetic, portrait of Marie Antoinette’s life. First, Fraser focuses on aspects of Marie Antoinette’s childhood that impacted her life and personality into adulthood. For example, Marie Antoinette was not well-educated by her indulgent tutors, which later put her at a political disadvantage. Fraser also highlights Marie Antoinette’s love and fear of her domineering mother, a feeling that continued even after Marie Antoinette became queen. For instance, the Austrian ambassador to the French court noted that “the Queen of France was afraid of being scolded” (153). Further, Fraser emphasizes that Marie Antoinette was taught to obey her husband, a duty that she took seriously. Finally, Fraser suggests that Marie Antoinette’s close relationship with her sister Charlotte led to other close female friendships throughout Marie Antoinette’s life.

When describing Marie Antoinette’s young adult life at the French court, Fraser notes repeatedly that Marie Antoinette was criticized for légèreté—“the levity, the lightness of spirit, the volatility” (145) that she was closely associated with throughout her life. Fraser does not entirely dispute this characterization, admitting that Marie Antoinette had flaws, such as moodiness. More significantly, Marie Antoinette’s légèreté manifested in a disinterest in and disinclination for court maneuvering: “Marie Antoinette was not by nature a political animal” (453). While Fraser argues that as Marie Antoinette matured, she lost some of the whimsical, unserious nature she was known for as a young adult, the historical record does not fully support this reading. In any case, public opinion continued to view Marie Antoinette as fundamentally unserious.

In the final chapters, Fraser portrays Marie Antoinette as a martyr who wanted to protect her family against the violence of the French Revolution. Although Marie Antoinette was encouraged repeatedly to flee with her children, she refused, out of a duty to her husband inculcated in childhood. When Marie Antoinette attempted to lobby other countries to secure her family’s freedom, she was unsuccessful—the culmination of decades of a lack of political influence. Fraser eschews graphic detail in her description of Marie Antoinette’s execution; instead, she ends the book by showing how in her final moments Marie Antoinette evinced bravery, charity, and determination.

King Louis XVI (1754-1793), born Louis Auguste, ruled France from 1774 to 1792. He is largely a background character in Marie Antoinette: The Journey. Fraser focuses primarily on Louis XVI’s marriage to Marie Antoinette, but also analyzes his lack of leadership qualities, indecisiveness, and reliance on advisors.

Fraser traces Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s relationship over the years. Louis XVI first enters the narrative as Marie Antoinette’s bridegroom and the dauphin, or heir apparent, of France. He is described as sullen and withdrawn at the wedding. They did not have sexual chemistry and did not conceive for many years. However, over time their relationship improved. Eventually, they consummated the marriage, leading to at least four, possibly five, pregnancies, illustrating a basic level of sexual compatibility. Along with their growing physical intimacy, their emotional closeness and devotion to one another also grew. Although they were never described as having a fiery passion for one another, they developed a relationship of mutual respect. For instance, his defense of Marie Antoinette in the Diamond Necklace Affair illustrated “Louis XVI’s instinctive and honourable support of his wife” (234).

Fraser is critical of Louis XVI as a king. His leadership was characterized by “his apathy, his indecision, his tendency, surely psychological, to fall asleep in Council meetings” (251). As pressure on him increased, he developed what Fraser describes as depression, from which he never entirely recovered. Like his wife, Louis XVI lacked good political instincts, as illustrated by his decision to leave the Estates General debates where his fate was being decided to mourn the death of his son Louis Joseph. In Fraser’s narrative of the French Revolution, Louis XVI’s inability to rise to the demands of his historical moment led to his downfall and death.