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392 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2016
MARIE ANTOINETTE was born November 2, 1755 and died by decapitation on October 16, 1793. She was executed only hours after receiving a guilty verdict, and the horror story of her last 76 days of incarceration is told here.
Will Bashor writes an enticing and detailed work of non-fiction describing the harsh and frightening prison conditions, the ex-Queen's crude treatment in the cell, her brutally long days of trial interrogation (while in declining health) and the horrific manner of separation from her beloved children.
Putting aside the ingenious (and failed) escape attempts, disgusting brainwashing methods and final journey toward death, it was a father's last words to his son and a mother's grief stricken final thoughts together with an animal's loyalty to her Queen that changed my opinion of Marie Antoinette and will stay with me.
Enjoyed the historical portraits, follow-thru on remaining family members, and got a laugh out of the absurd sales tips for dying by guillotine!
(Thank you Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an impartial review!
Considering the efforts to reconstruct these scenes, readers may find that Marie Antoinette’s Darkest Days at times reads like a novel. However, with vigorous research and study of archived documents and secondary material from mostly eighteenth- and nineteenth-century sources, I have made every effort to retell this incredible story as accurately as possible.