
The Lost King of France
How DNA Solved the Mystery of the Murdered Son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
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Narrated by:
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Jennifer M. Dixon
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By:
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Deborah Cadbury
About this listen
Louis-Charles, Duc de Normandie, enjoyed a charmed early childhood in the gilded palace of Versailles. At the age of four, he became the dauphin, heir to the most powerful throne in Europe. Yet within five years he was to lose everything. Drawn into the horror of the French Revolution, his family was incarcerated and their fate thrust into the hands of the revolutionaries who wished to destroy the monarchy.
In 1793, when Marie Antoinette was beheaded at the guillotine, she left her adored eight-year-old son imprisoned in the Temple Tower. Far from inheriting a throne, the orphaned boy-king had to endure the hostility and abuse of a nation. Two years later, the revolutionary leaders declared Louis XVII dead. No grave was dug, no monument built to mark his passing.
Immediately, rumors spread that the prince had, in fact, escaped from prison and was still alive. Others believed that he had been murdered, his heart cut out and preserved as a relic. As with the tragedies of England's princes in the Tower and the Romanov archduchess Anastasia, countless "brothers" soon approached Louis-Charles' older sister, Marie-Therese, who survived the revolution. They claimed not only the dauphin's name but also his inheritance. Several "princes" were plausible, but which, if any, was the real heir to the French throne?
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Very good but VERY heartbreaking!
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Superb storytelling and narration!
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This is a Compelling, Fascinating, and Factual view of a tragic and misunderstood Revolution
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Really Great!!
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If you love history, read this book!
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Perfection
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Too sad
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Not For the Faint of Heart
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Part II was much better and indeed the reason that I had bought the audiobook in the first place. Interesting to say the least. Truth as they say is indeed stranger than fiction.
I thought the performance was very dry. Bit of a monotone droning on and on about the endless travails of the captives but I suppose it may have been the subject matter being read and she honestly couldn’t do better
In summary, this is neither one of the best nor one of the worst books in my audiobook library
Interesting with flaws
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Captivating story
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