Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution

At the heart of Simon Schama's account is the transformation that permanently altered the history of Europe- of "subjects" to "citizens". And what fuels his argument is a strikingly fresh view of Lois XVI's France: hot-air balloons floating over Versailles, research chemists running tax agencies, mathematicians lodged in the Louvre.
The tragic unraveling of the euphoric vision of liberty and happiness into a scenario of hunger, anger, terror and death is compellingly told.