About book The Lost King Of France: How DNA Solved The Mystery Of The Murdered Son Of Louis XVI And Marie Antoinette (2003)
A very fascinating read! ~The 'Lost King of France' revolves around a time that can be described as a web of heartache, disaster, and destruction for the royal family. In high school, as you learn about the story of the French Revolution- who seems more innocent? The "evil" royal family who squeezes any trace of livelihood from the people, or the people? I know what you're thinking: The people, duh! However, it's not as it seems. As I read on, I realized something. What I was taught about the French Revolution did not form based on the perspectives of both sides. I was only learning from one side- the people's. Not one second was I able to recall learning anything about what the royal family had to endure. It was all about the people when I was first introduced to the French Revolution. Sure, the public had many good intentions when they became the revolutionaries. As the Revolution went on, however, the public turned into something else, something so sinister you wouldn't believe it until you read about it. Deborah Cadbury did a great job of outlining everything from the royal family's perspective. I wasn't expecting another lesson on the French Revolution, but, after all that I learned, I'm so glad I got one. This book changed my entire view on the French Revolution and its people. I can clearly say that both sides of the Revolution have their faults. It is true that Marie Antoinette spent loads and loads of cash every single day. She took advantage of her new life, and she made sure to make everything around her to her liking. However, when her kids were born, she cuts back on her spending and shows off such a loving, motherly characteristic that you're prone to consider forgiving her. By that time, though, the people were already storming down the Versailles. I couldn't have imagined the horrors that the royal family went through from then on. They stuck together, however, like a family. Everything that the royal family suffered, all the taunts and torture the people around them brought, all the killings of their beloved, and all the times they were imprisoned and separated from one another, the royal family still stayed together. It's tragic that Louis-Charles had to endure the most of it, in the end. I was a little skeptical of relearning what I already knew about the French Revolution, but, turns out, I didn't know half of it. Learning the heart-breaking story of the royal family made me even more eager to see the results of the mystery of Lous-charles,aka Louis the seventeenth. This was such a new read for me- I've never read anything like this: And I love it! (: The only reason I didn't finish this sooner is because it's summer and I'm feeling lazy(it's the only time I can afford to be lazy, so I'm making the most of it!) Overall, The Lost King of France, a story prone to evoke that emotional turmoil deep in your heart, will keep you on your toes till' the very end! A read that deserves to be read~
Outstanding!. . . A real-page turner. . . Full of intrigue. All of the positive cliché book review words apply to this one.The book’s title is a bit of a misnomer. I thought the majority of the book was going to be dedicated to DNA testing and how it was employed to settle the mystery of what happened to Louis XVII, the eight-year-old son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. However, this topic was brilliantly covered in just the last 50 pages, bringing together the main characters and solving the mystery. The majority of the book sets the background of Europe and the arranged marriage between the French king and the Austrian archduchess, Maria-Antonia. It was interesting to learn of their early impressions of each other and how from that strange beginning their love developed. Then came children. Then came rumors. Then came revolution. Then came imprisonment. Then came death and, finally came the mystery.I was particularly affected by the way the Revolutionists treated the young dauphin, Louis XVII. It still breaks my heart to think about it even now as I write this. In fact, I had to stop reading the book several times and pause to think of more pleasant thoughts before continuing. Maybe this hit home for me as I could truly personalize it with 2 eight-year-olds of my own. This is a HIGHLY recommended good read for those who like history, drama, intrigue, or forensics.
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Utterly fascinating. I've read a lot about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution, so the first one-third or so of the book was an overview of a history I knew well. However, I find new details every time I read about the same subject because every author and every approach is different. The remainder of the book focused on the heart-wrenching details of Louis XVII's treatment during his imprisonment in the Temple, the fruitless investigations to find concrete evidence of his death or escape, the many pretenders to the French throne and, finally, the DNA testing. Well-written, well-documented, organized book that I would recommend to anyone interested in the French Revolution, no matter what else they've read on the subject.
—Page Wench
An amazing book. I was a little hesitant to read this because I was concerned that it would be distressing to read about the mistreatment of a child. It was distressing, but the gruesome details weren't sensationalized, and certainly didn't take away from the story. I found the presentation of the French Revolution extremely well-done. I was already somewhat familiar with the basic facts of that period of history, but the focus on exactly how it impacted the royal family, misguided as they were, was fascinating and extremely touching. One can only imagine how the horrific events of that time impacted the only surviving member of the royal family, Marie-Therese, throughout her life. The author does a superb job portraying the numerous pretenders that cropped up after the French Revolution, claiming that they were the long-lost dauphin. Readers of this book may also enjoy The Black Tower, which fictionalizes the possibility that the heir to the French throne may have escaped imprisonment and death.
—Lisasuej
Just finished this this morning. The book is basically answering the question "What happened to Louis-Charles Capet, son of Louis XVI of France".The answer is well worth a book-length discussion: the introduction sets up the fact that they're going to look at what new technology (specifically DNA through the maternal line) might be able to tell - but then goes off on a really rather well done explanation of exactly what happened - and why there's confusion in the first place.Short version: When Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were imprisoned in the French Revolution, they had two surviving children: Marie-Therese (who was fourteen when imprisoned and lived into old age), and Louis-Charles (who was 8 when imprisoned.) There is good evidence that Louis-Charles was seriously abused during his imprisonment (after his parents were executed), but there were also long-standing myths that he'd escaped, somehow, rather than dying. However, post-revolution, there were also multiple people claiming to be the long-lost prince. The book does a really good step by step on what happened, what the external evidence is (historical record, etc.) in a nice chronological format, concluding with the actual scientific record of a preserved heart believed to be Louis-Charles'. Very readable, though occasionally a little confusing due to the large number of people mentioned/involved. (I sort of wished for a "who's who" short list.)
—Jenett
