Two Bullets in Sarajevo
David Young tackles the telling of events leading up to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from two different perspectives: the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, and the Archduke himself. This works well because we read of the motives of Princip and his friends, their upbringing and passion for their country, and also something of Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia; their great love for each other despite her lower station in life, and his frustrations at being heir-apparent to the Austro Hungarian empire.
The writing is clear, dialogue authentic, characterisation excellent and the scene-setting well thought out. Yet, for all that I did feel that the book could have been presented in a slightly smaller format, and I would have liked to have read a little more of the various trials of the conspirators rather than merely learned of the outcomes in the epilogue.
Covers are often a matter of taste, and this one is a reproduction of a contemporary painting, but it gave more of an impression of a ‘Boy’s Own’ or ‘Ripping Yarns’ magazine image. The painting does not match the descriptions the author uses about the clothes the victims were wearing, and the two ‘bullet holes’ are just unsightly black spots. It should also be noted that, in the author’s introduction, he cites ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ as being from the musical The Sound of Music. Which it is not (it is from Mary Poppins).
Having said all that, enthusiasts of this period should enjoy this book.
