Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days

I personally felt Marie Antoinette was given a raw deal. She may have been frivolous and a bit of an airhead. But did she deserve to die? No! In my opinion, she could have been sent back to Austria. The French never liked her from the beginning. That much was easy to see. Was she trying to rule France with own evil machinations? I doubt it. The trial was clearly set against her and the court was looking for nothing less than death. Reading this book made feel pity for this beleaguered queen. From the death of Louis XVI to separating her from her children and her sister in law. Her last days were indeed dark. This book certainly takes you through last days of Marie Antionette. Quite a compelling read! I really enjoyed reading about this tidbit of history.

"My blood alone remains: take it, but do not make me suffer long.”

From the moment I read the opening poignant words voiced by Marie Antoinette in her last hours and the author’s explained notable intentions for writing about the doomed woman’s darkest days, I had this unexpected positive feeling I may have found something special. I was right, not only did Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days: Prisoner No. 280 in the Conciergerie end as an impressive nonjudgmental toned narrative that encouraged final reflections about many events (including daring plots of escape and damaging scandals) and presented names from history but it also reminded me of the first non-fiction title I was ever handed many years ago. I didn’t think I would ever find a work about the renowned historic personality that could allow me that special smile of interest I remember experiencing when reading inviting history for the first time. It’s good to be wrong about certain things and through a distinctive delivery of facts and meticulous gathering of historic recorded eye witness accounts, memoirs, letters of importance and various documents- Mr. Bashor definitely allowed Marie Antoinette to come alive before this reader’s eyes once more.

However amusing and highly informative, Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days: Prisoner No. 280 in the Conciergerie asks for a little patience to get to the solid timeline of actions. Its slower pace in certain parts were thankfully few though and interestingly enough, the way this book is fashioned it reads as a novel and its slow reveal of events can easily be imagined to be the personal memories of the condemned. These “memories and observations” are described with vivid details but are pulled from true facts (very few particulars are held back with the somber views of prison life or the violence of the French Revolution). That may sound negative but let me assure those concerned the author offers a delicate respectable approach with certain topics and sections of translated dialogue. Finally I must mention the fascinating trove of drawn maps and photographs of paintings throughout this book which can be honestly hard not to stop and stare at (especially the portraits done by Kucharski) and it may be only me, but I can never turn away from little known fascinating legends (ex: “the queen’s dog”, final quotes, burial sites, the "Lost Dauphin" etc.) with scholarly looks at possibilities if there is any truth behind the colorful stories. Yes it’s all in here and for me this is how history is remembered: with a narrative you can’t put down until you turn that final page.

*I would like to thank Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days: Prisoner No. 280 in the Conciergerie

This was a fascinating and unique look at the last days of Marie Antoinette's life. So much has been written about her and the Revolution itself that it is very difficult for an author to do anything truly unique any more. Bashor did a fantastic jow with Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days, and has created something that reads like a novel, but is so full of historical facts and stories that it managed to humanise the tragic queen in a way that few have ever achieved.

If all you know about Marie Antoinette is the 'Let them eat cake' story, read this book!It goes into infinitesimal detail (occasionally a little too detailed) about her time in prison. She emerges as a thoughtful, misjudged woman who was passionately loyal to her family, friends and country. Though it made painful reading at times, I'm very glad I finished it.

What an unexpected find! My perceptions of Marie Antoinette were previously influenced by A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Famously, Marie Antoinette was to have cried, "if they have no bread, then let them eat cake". King Louis VII and Marie Antoinette indulged in excesses while the citizenry starved.

Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days: Prisoner No. 280 in the Conciergerie is a thoroughly researched historical masterpiece. Written in a novelistic style, documentation of her seventy-six days in the Conciergerie awaiting trial and eventual death by guillotine are starkly but compassionately presented. No one was safe from the Reign of Terror. Revolutionaries and royalists alike were guillotined.Many citizens, priests and royalty were convicted on trumped up charges, Marie Antoinette among them. Marie Antoinette suffered separation from her children, humiliation at the hands of her jailers, unsanitary food and living conditions yet maintained her dignity and composure. Her strengths rather than her weaknesses are portrayed including dependence upon prayer.

Kudos to Will Bashor for crafting a very informative, meticulously researched book. An excellent tome!

Marie Antoinette is taken from family, home, and a life of splendor. She is taken to the most heinous, notorious prison at that time. Everything negative you can possibly imagine, rats, bugs, the noxious smells and that's only the beginning. The horror of the prison and the length of time she is there, does not even compare to the horrendous crimes she's charged with. Very well written, interesting, entertaining. 5 Stars

Thank you netgalley for providing a free galley in exchange for a fair review.

I think the very first biography I ever read was of Marie Antoinette. I've read a few books about her since then. I've always wondered what happened when she was imprisoned and before she met her final fate at the guillotine. Everything I've read about her previous to this book stopped at her imprisonment.

I was excited to find a book that focused on the time between the monarch's incarceration and her death. I was a little afraid that I would be disappointed and bored with a detailed account of what I had been curious about for so long. I'm happy to say that this book almost read like a novel and was very thorough and outlined every theory and all the conflicting information about what happened to the queen in this time.

It is fascinating to learn how many people were sympathetic to the queen's plight and all the escape plots that were hatched. It is sad and shocking to learn how Marie Antoinette's son was forced to testify against her.

The queen was dignified while the revolutionaries were not. I hope that she did receive the blessing from her church at the end of her life and is resting in eternal peace.

A well documented book about the final chapter of Marie Antoinette's life. As the author says this period of her life is often quickly glossed over in most biographies. Mr Bashor has finally filled in the missing gaps.

I drove into this book. Love reading about history and what really happened not what we think happened. There were many things I didn't know and love finding out about them!

This has got to be the quintesential book on the imprisonment and death of Marie Antoinette...as the author Will Bashor states ...”I was astonished to find that very little had been written about the queen’s frightful incarceration in the Conciergerie. From this discovery came the idea to reanimate the dungeons of the ancient prison where the queen was kept in a state of terror and apprehension for over two months”. This period was actually 76 days, and the entire time I was reading, I could not believe the reprehensible evil that she lived with. For 76 horrible days, she lived in the worst possible way, a cold, moldy dungeons room, with only a screen to keep her away from the eyes of her jailers.

And yet, she remained queenly. Her son’s death still lives fresh in my mind...you’ll have to read the book to find out how that happened..no spoilers, here. Horrible! Shocking, and senseless!!!

The author writes...”But did Marie Antoinette deserve her misfortune: months of slow anguish in the gloomy Conciergerie; a horrific and gruesome ride on the back of an open cart amid a howling mob; and the plank at the place de la Revolution.....”

I came away with new thoughts of Queen Marie Antoinette, mostly sadness and pity..Why was she so hated?

Thank you to Publisher’s Rowman & Littlefield’s for the perusal of this galley on Netgalley.com.. An amazing read..certainly one for the history books. Will Bashor did an intense and amazing job of researching his subject!!

I did really enjoy this book and would love the possibility of getting a physical copy to give it a full review on my channel. I also would like to be able to go back and reread with the ability to mark and make notes! Something new to the story for me and really something I'd like more of.

Thank you NetGalley and Roman and Littlefield for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I've never read a biography of Marie Antoinette before, and I was happy to receive this one. It read like a novel, and I learned things I hadn't known. She comes off as, perhaps being out of touch, but not the horrible person I'd always envisioned. This book was a good account, fair in it's treatment/discussion of this period of her life, and death. If you enjoy historical reads, this one is a great choice.

review posted at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1707419361

Thanks to publisher <a href="https://rowman.com/">Rowman & Littlefield</a> and <a href="https://s2.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> for a free egalley copy for review.

This book is a gateway drug. It could lure impressionable young people into history. People associate history with men, but statistics show it often affects women. Know the warning signs. You can pretend not to notice she's doing Doris Kearns Goodwin and tell yourself it's only a phase. But by the time you find the Margaret MacMillan hidden in her mattress, it'll probably be too late – she'll already be experimenting with Eric Hobsbawm. Talk to your loved ones today about… history.

I don't know what it says about our age that Marie Antoinette seems to be getting a rehabilitation. The things she did that outraged her age (draining the treasury, nightmare home renovations, dallying with others after rejection by her spoiled/goofy husband) don't seem as outrageous now, just dumb. Maybe the message is: If people are going to get terrorized by thugs for acts of stupidity, who among us are safe?

Also, her most well-known act of callous disregard turns out to be <a href="http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/did-marie-antoinette-really-say-let-them-eat-cake">an urban myth</a>, making her arguably the earliest woman to be unfairly victimized by mostly male trolls (or, as they called them then, “historians”) on (ancient paper-based) social media.

So perhaps Marie Antoinette is ripe for a re-assessment, based on what she was instead of what she symbolized. Since this is largely about a woman rotting away in a hellish prison, I guess it can't be called a “fun read”, but it is a good read, bringing alive the period and the person without departing from the facts.

However, this book has some habits that give serious historians the vapors, like liberal use of qualifiers like “probably”, “perhaps”, and “maybe”, esp. when characterizing people's states of mind. I have a few other quibbles with the book, for example the book's end has an unnecessary (in my sight) recap of the actions and fates of the characters we've just finished reading about. Finally, at location 3380: “It has since been discovered that [Marie-Antoinette] actually was guilty of treason...”, which I think could have been fleshed out with an asterisk or footnote, at least. Speaking of notes….

For publishers, if they ever actually read this: The galley copy had footnotes, endnotes, and pictures. It would be great if the ebook version that eventually went out for sale had functioning hyperlinks that made navigation between these elements and the main text easy.

Will Basher has written a number of books about Marie Antoinette, this latest is about the 2 and half month imprisonment she endured before her execution. The book has been meticulously researched and cross referenced to bring the most accurate and probable version of events. This 396 page book is so deftly crafted that it still manages to read like a novel, so that it progresses effortlessly with captivating intrigue.

Basher draws upon actual records to use such as accounts of what was captured at the time as well as trial records to tell the story. Being an aspect of Antoinette's life that has not been explored with such detail before, it also offers a unique account of this intriguing part in history. It contains images, drawings and supportive footnotes to underpin key information.

The ability to be unbiased in his account, yet create an entertaining read is worthy of the highest credit. It has transformed what is an authoritative account of a key person at time in history; a non-fictional account into a light and absorbing read.

The book begins on the 2nd of August 1793, the day Marie Antoinette was torn from her family's arms and escorted from the Temple to the Conciergerie. This is a thick-walled fortress turned prison, also known as the "waiting room for the guillotine" due to the fact that prisoners only spent a day or two there before conviction and execution. Basher immerses you into the grim, dank, squalid environment, so well that you can almost smell the acrid and abhorrent smells. The depiction of a worm infested straw mattress prisoners slept on, that caused it to rapidly rot, is one difficult to shake off, as was the need to sleep covering your face, lest wake to rats gnawing on your protruding body parts. Equally inhumane was the infirmary, where most died. To save on costs, it was the norm to wait for there to be at least 4 dead bodies to collected at a time, which meant the poor ailing person that shared a bed with them, had to lie next to a cold decaying body for several days.

The perilous situation of the queen is brilliantly captured; her personal torture at being separated from her children, aware that her actions must not risk their safety; the indignity she faced, whilst remaining aware of her duty and position; the need to be careful about what she said to who for fear of repercussions; the importance of small, seemingly insignificant acts of kindness; the considered attempts at rescuing her by loyal subjects is meticulously covered with a vividness I consider to be unparalleled.

If you have an interest in the historical period and would equally wish to read a fictional or non-fictional account of Marie Antoinette I would strongly urge you to read this book. There is much to take away from it. Humbled by such events, I was left with an image of a dignified and tolerant woman, despite the struggle at facing the distress of the situation she was in. She had virtually no ability to distract herself as she was allowed so little in her cell. The ill-health she was required to endure and deplorable treatment. I remained immersed from start to finish.

Excellent! I do love history, and Will Bashor's book about the final days of Marie Antoinette is very well researched and is illustrated with some wonderful portraits, drawings, maps and great details. Most importantly, it is quite interesting! I have not read any biographies about Marie Antoinette (yet!), and a little background information would have been helpful at times. But even though I had a little trouble at first keeping the characters straight, this was a really nice read. The details of her daily life in prison are quite vivid, and I found her to be much more sympathetic woman than I had expected. This was a fascinating period of time, and I now feel compelled to read Bashor's first book about Marie Antoinette. He seems to have a knack for relating a lot of information and historical details as a smoothly flowing story. Many thanks to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this wonderful book. Highly recommend, particularly for history buffs.

Captivating from the start. This book had me from page one. Finding out how much you don't know about history is somewhat humbling. I felt Marie was given a raw deal. Walking through her life was incredible.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank You.

Informative and Memorable!

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!

Prisoner No. 280 in the Conciergerie

This unique account of an intriguing period of history is meticulously researched to give us the most accurate version of the events and is so cleverly crafted it manages to read like a novel. Drawing from records Mr. Basher has captured what Marie-Antoinette may have endured during the two and half month imprisonment prior to her execution.

The book begins on the 2nd of august 1793 the Marie- Antoinette was escorted from the temple to the Conciergerie, known as the “waiting room for the guillotine”. The depiction of this horrible place is felt throughout the Queen’s ordeal: worm infested straw mattress, acrid and musty smell, filthy environment where rats loved to nibble on you (just to name some discomfort). The perilous situation Marie-Antoinette found herself is brilliantly and vividly captured with images, drawing and supportive footnotes. There were failed plans to rescue her with terrible consequences for those who attempted. Even kindness towards her was a death warrant.

The Reign of Terror is a fascinating period in history. Mr. Bashor relates in details the Queen’s daily life of confinement from her elongated stay in the infamous waiting room of the guillotine, to her trial and the fatal tumbril ride through the streets that ended on the scaffold. She was well surrounded with thousands of people some innocent and some not too much facing the public executioner and the “National Razor”.

Thank you to Rowan & Littlefield and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love history, but despise how history books are written. They tend to be dry and tedious. This book was written in a much more engaging way. I would say that it is written more like a lecture than a novel. If you liked history class in school, this book is for you.

It is extremely well researched. I especially enjoyed the details provided. They make the events more dramatic and relatable. The author details every move Marie Antoinette made and lets the reader know where he got that information from. It makes it quite easy to imagine exactly what happened to her and how she was feeling in her last days.

I highly recommend this book to any history lover who wants a more in depth story of the end of Maire Antoinette’s life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I thought that after the King and Queen of France were taken by the Revolutionaries that what happened went like, "You were the monarchs but now we have a Republic. Off with your heads." and boom, it was done. How wrong I was. Did you know, that both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were given very brief public "trials"? Did you know that Marie Antoinette languished in a prison for weeks after her husband was executed? Did you know that the bodies of both former monarchs were dumped in unmarked graves? Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days taught me so much about this horrific period of French history. At times, especially during the actual transcripts of the Queen's trial, the story dragged, but for the most part, this was a fascinating study of the last days of a much maligned monarch.

Recommended for anybody who wants to know more about the last days of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette but also for those interested in what happens to a society when hatred and fear are allowed free reign.

This is a well researched account of Marie Antoinette's final days. It is an intriguing read. I recommend it for fellow history buffs, especially involving this interesting historical figure. I will b recommending it for my library to purchase as well as purchasing a copy for my personal library.

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.

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.

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.

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.