H. Will Bashor

All in all a sad and engaging book that does seem to lay to rest any concerns about the fidelity of Clery to his royal masters, and which makes vivid the sufferings of royalty during the revolution. Bashor has certainly chosen his side, and he sticks to it. There are a number of points in which Bashor speculates in a sort of novelistic way about what Clery or another person may have been thinking or doing (smelling lilacs in the garden, enjoying the view, worrying about one's family) at a given point in the narrative. The included photographed etchings and documents add a lot to the story. The book would have benefited from more careful editing and proofreading (I doubt that a member of the royal family really went to the guillotine on May 10, 1974--a date that is twice repeated). Bashor knows his stuff and has done his research. I am left wondering why Clery so captured his thoughts (is he perhaps a late relative of the family?).
This was a GoodReads win, and I am grateful to have had the chance to read it (often through tears).… (meer)