Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Marie Antionette's Darkest Days by Will Bashor.

This book takes place right at Marie Antionette's arrest and all the events that proceed it. I admit to knowing very little about her other than her ignorance about the suffering of her people, as well as her infamous phrase "let them eat cake." So now that I have read about the harrowing and perhaps unjust ending of her life, I am very interested to learn more about her.

While books like these aren't exactly page turners for me, this one was very readable, backed with a ton of research. I appreciated how much care and thought the author put into offering all the accounts given of the events that happened.

I have looked and looked for the download of the book. Apparently, it never downloaded. I'm sorry I cannot review it.

This is the story of Marie Antoinette's final days in jail, the Temple, in Paris. The tales and stories are horrifying. What the jailers put Marie Antoinette through shouldn't be done to anyone. She bore up very well under the torture. She was a "queen" to the very end. This book is very compelling and I urge anyone with an interest in the Queen to read it.

Still in disbelief how well written and researched this book was. I requested this book because I had always had this fascination regarding this time period, especially with the Reign of Terror. I not only loved that it covered this but also, in the end, wound up respecting and adoring Marie Antoinette even more than I had. With her being such a family oriented person, it was difficult to read about how her persecution and imprisonment was described, and how it was followed through.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who normally read history, especially for someone who wants to learn more regarding the French Revolution, Marie, and Louis XVI.


I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest opinion. My thanks to Will Bashor and Rowman & Littlefield for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Well researched and a nice take on the famous story of Marie Antoinette. While most stories on the subject end when Antoinette was arrested, this one starts there. The combination of easy to read writing and interesting images makes this a great one for non-fiction beginners, but will also keep non-fiction pros engaged. If you are interested in the subject, I say pick this one up.

**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Although I doubted for a while that there'll be a non-fiction book that will get a 5-star rating from me I finally found one that I truly enjoyed.

Starting 'Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days' I knew hardly anything about her last months in the Conciergerie. I've been to Paris recently and saw the building but apart from knowing that it used to be a prison there was no other connection.
When I start to read a non-fiction book I want to learn something new and expect to stumble across aspects that I want to dive further into. My knowledge on the French Revolution is a little rusted since the last time I came into contact with it was at school. Nevertheless, it was one of the few important French historical moments that we actually paid attention to which is why I knew something at last.

The author spends enough time to delivery the background story without overshadowing those last two and a half months. Finishing the book I felt like having a cohesive picture that brought me closer to Marie Antoinette. As in most historical books there were many people involved but I never lost track of who is who. Another applause to the author for introducing them in a way that stuck with me.
I also liked each chapter ending with a 'nice to know' area which provided additional information. I'm pretty sure the author collected more data than that presented in a 400-page book but he managed to pack the important facts together. I came across a lot of new information as well as things I already knew but didn't remember. The book certainly makes me willing to spend more time with the history of Marie Antoinette and her family.

In my opinion, the book is also very fast-paced (which is a thing I rarely come across in non-fiction literature) and the pictures used to illustrate the story were well-chosen. I'm glad that I came across this book and that I had the chance to read it. I would recommend it to those interested in this very specific part of French history as you'll probably enjoy it more if you're already familiar with the French Revolution.

It's really well written and very accurate, the author has done a perfect job search. I knew only superficially the story of the death sentence of Marie Antoinette, thanks to this reading I have been able to deepen her last days and learn more about this ambiguous historical figure.
The author has made a great job at providing a detailed but impartial description of the last days of Marie Antoinette. She was imprisoned with her children, then she also was separated from them and taken to solitary confinement in a damp prison, below the level of the Seine. Despite the death sentence, many people have continued to love her and have organized several attempts to save her. I really loved her dignity that she had never lost despite the physical and mental suffering and the degradation in which she is forced to live, she had always lived in prosperity.
It was a very interesting and fascinating reading, never boring, even if it is a non-fiction can be read as a romance. The descriptions are very detailed and thorough that truly seemed to be there locked up with the queen. Very useful even the pictures and maps provided.
This book is perfect for those who love history and French history in particular.

My apologies but I hvae come to realise that this is not a time period that particularly interests me. I therefore did not finish the book.

The author brought Marie Antoinette alive for me, within the pages of this exceptional book. I have not read much about her, but now think of her as a lady full of humility and grace. The book is thoroughly researched about the last 2 1/2 months of Marie Antoinette's life in imprisionment. I have a better understanding of her now and it is a far cry from the 'Let them eat cake' that is attributed to her.

A sad recounting of Marie Antoinette's final months in prison, her trial, and her execution. Bashor draws from several sources to present details of her life (the sections about her incarceration are fascinating if you've not read about it in depth) and how she was viewed at the time, but ultimately leaves it up to the reader to ponder the extent of her guilt and the justice of her punishment.

An amazing bio about one woman who create a history of vanity and excess while she lives