MARIE ANTOINETTE The Last Queen of France

Lorna Raver is a pleasing narrator for navigating the intrigues and complicated settings of eighteenth-century court life. Lever’s biography of Marie Antoinette requires an able reader capable of accurate pronunciation of French names and words, and Raver succeeds. While her voice has a slightly nasal quality, it is distinctive rather than tinny. She matches the even pace of Lever’s writing, moving the listener through the many events of court life and revolution without getting bogged down or falling into exaggeration. Raver further matches the tone of Lever’s work by narrating rather than interpreting, leaving judgment of one of Europe’s most infamous rulers to the listener. R.F. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 07]