I can't believe that I did not "discover" this book until now. What a fun read! I learned things about the French Revolution that I'd not known before. I wish Sabatini had written a sequel . . .

While it does not edge out "A Prayer For Owen Meany" in my "favorite first line" category -- this book is certainly among the top few with this beginning: "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad."