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berenikeasteria's review against another edition
3.0
A Place of Greater Safety was Hilary Mantel’s debut novel, and boy does it show.
I see a lot of the seeds of Wolf Hall in A Place of Greater Safety. Unfortunately, Wolf Hall, for all its failed experimentation, is simply the more polished piece. It can still shake off its flaws to be an enjoyable read. A Place of Greater Safety… less so. I didn’t appreciate inconsistent tone at all. The book shuttles from first person to third person, from prose to play script, apparently without rhyme or reason. Page space is sometimes wasted on the perspective of characters who are not part of the main cast, delivering their own personal backstory, only to be never mentioned again. The novel often gets bogged down in the minutiae and drudgery of daily life, while key events in the revolution are summarised in a quick handful of sentences from a third person omniscient narrator. It feels like the writing is all over the place and lacks direction, and I think it could have easily been tightened up to lose about a quarter of the length and been a more coherent read for it. I wanted to enjoy it, I even had a background of study of the French revolution – and Mantel does assume the reader is intimately familiar with the era, so don’t expect the basics to be explained – but I didn’t. It was a slog to get through and a relief when the final page was turned.
6 out of 10
I see a lot of the seeds of Wolf Hall in A Place of Greater Safety. Unfortunately, Wolf Hall, for all its failed experimentation, is simply the more polished piece. It can still shake off its flaws to be an enjoyable read. A Place of Greater Safety… less so. I didn’t appreciate inconsistent tone at all. The book shuttles from first person to third person, from prose to play script, apparently without rhyme or reason. Page space is sometimes wasted on the perspective of characters who are not part of the main cast, delivering their own personal backstory, only to be never mentioned again. The novel often gets bogged down in the minutiae and drudgery of daily life, while key events in the revolution are summarised in a quick handful of sentences from a third person omniscient narrator. It feels like the writing is all over the place and lacks direction, and I think it could have easily been tightened up to lose about a quarter of the length and been a more coherent read for it. I wanted to enjoy it, I even had a background of study of the French revolution – and Mantel does assume the reader is intimately familiar with the era, so don’t expect the basics to be explained – but I didn’t. It was a slog to get through and a relief when the final page was turned.
6 out of 10
yjpenny's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vaenadal's review against another edition
4.0
On the whole, I really enjoyed this novel! Although not the first novel she published, it was the first novel that Hilary Mantel wrote and it's fascinating to see her first pass at some of the writing techniques that she perfects in the Cromwell trilogy. Like in Wolf Hall, Mantel is not interested in telling history per se, but in getting inside historical figures' heads and showing their life and times as the characters may have perceived them. As a character study, and as an invitation to reconsider characters' historical reputations, I think the novel works really well. Also, I always love Mantel's turns of phrase.
Unlike the Cromwell trilogy which is exclusively told from Thomas Cromwell's eyes, here she explores the point of view of multiple figures of the French Revolution (primarily Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jacques Danton, and Maximilien Robespierre), and to a lesser extent their friends, family, and enemies. The effect is that the narrative is more wholistic and the reader can make judgments of characters and events for themselves rather than relying on one narrator, but also makes it harder for the reader to keep track of everyone.
Additionally while most of the narrative is told in 3rd person limited (with rotating pov characters), some passages are written as a transcript and others are written in 1st person to enhance either the opacity or transparency of the characters' thoughts. The shifts aren't particularly jarring, but the style goes so against the grain of how I've been taught to write that I still can't decide whether it's a brilliant or sloppy move (or both? can it be both?).
Because the book focuses more on the characters than the events of the Revolution per se, some sections may be hard to follow for readers who don't have more than a cursory knowledge of the French Revolution. I went into the book only knowing what I had learned in school and I found that Wikipedia was my friend to help fill in some gaps (but I also don't mind spoilers!). I wonder if she could have explored events more if this book had been turned into a trilogy rather than a standalone.
All in all, absolutely worth a read if you like historical fiction, character-driven novels, studying the French Revolution, or Hilary Mantel's other work, but with one star taken off because it's not quite at the level of her later books.
Unlike the Cromwell trilogy which is exclusively told from Thomas Cromwell's eyes, here she explores the point of view of multiple figures of the French Revolution (primarily Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jacques Danton, and Maximilien Robespierre), and to a lesser extent their friends, family, and enemies. The effect is that the narrative is more wholistic and the reader can make judgments of characters and events for themselves rather than relying on one narrator, but also makes it harder for the reader to keep track of everyone.
Additionally while most of the narrative is told in 3rd person limited (with rotating pov characters), some passages are written as a transcript and others are written in 1st person to enhance either the opacity or transparency of the characters' thoughts. The shifts aren't particularly jarring, but the style goes so against the grain of how I've been taught to write that I still can't decide whether it's a brilliant or sloppy move (or both? can it be both?).
Because the book focuses more on the characters than the events of the Revolution per se, some sections may be hard to follow for readers who don't have more than a cursory knowledge of the French Revolution. I went into the book only knowing what I had learned in school and I found that Wikipedia was my friend to help fill in some gaps (but I also don't mind spoilers!). I wonder if she could have explored events more if this book had been turned into a trilogy rather than a standalone.
All in all, absolutely worth a read if you like historical fiction, character-driven novels, studying the French Revolution, or Hilary Mantel's other work, but with one star taken off because it's not quite at the level of her later books.
kreuz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lateromantic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't want to say that this is Hilary Mantel's best work, but it is certainly a triumph, even among her bibliography. It is a triumph of research, empathy, perspective, storytelling... I literally cannot believe that this is her first book. A marvel.
mishamir's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emduckett's review against another edition
come back to this later when I can focus on it more
jojoinabox's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jovotestargaryen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A Place of Greater Safety is Hilary Mantel’s venture into the complex heart of the French Revolution. Any fans of Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy will be familiar with her mesmeric prose. Where Wolf Hall requires a trance-like attention from the reader to enjoy the fully immersive experience of 16th century England, the back drop of the French Revolution demands vast depths of concentration to follow the notoriously convoluted events of 1790s Paris. Factions emerge like heads of the Hydra, streets, parliaments, even characters change names at a pace that can be bamboozling. Mantel is a solid shepherd, however, navigating the history with confidence and aplomb.
In the midst of uprisings and riots, Mantel’s eye remains firmly on the human experience of her central triumvirate- Robespierre, Danton and (to my knowledge at least) the less famous Camille Desmoulins. It is Camille from whom the novel receives its heart. He is at once infuriating and infatuating, ambitious and directionless. His romances are peculiar and captivating, his politics shocking and clear. Danton is more rugged, a brutish presence to which one is drawn almost against one’s will. Robespierre is the most oblique and sinister figure, drawn with compassion which makes his involvement in The Terror even more disturbing.
Events which might seem like natural crescendos for a novel about the French Revolution are covered with a brevity akin to breath on a mirror. Heads fall as quickly as the dropping blade of the guillotine. It feels apt, if at times eerily underwhelming, for a book focused on one of the most seismic events of European history that seemed to achieve none of what its revolutionaries hoped to achieve.
Without ever reaching the heights of the Wolf Hall trilogy, A Place of Greater Safety is an accomplished novel well worth your time. Mantel and 18th century France novices may feel a bit intimidated by its scope but the experience is certain to be rewarding.
In the midst of uprisings and riots, Mantel’s eye remains firmly on the human experience of her central triumvirate- Robespierre, Danton and (to my knowledge at least) the less famous Camille Desmoulins. It is Camille from whom the novel receives its heart. He is at once infuriating and infatuating, ambitious and directionless. His romances are peculiar and captivating, his politics shocking and clear. Danton is more rugged, a brutish presence to which one is drawn almost against one’s will. Robespierre is the most oblique and sinister figure, drawn with compassion which makes his involvement in The Terror even more disturbing.
Events which might seem like natural crescendos for a novel about the French Revolution are covered with a brevity akin to breath on a mirror. Heads fall as quickly as the dropping blade of the guillotine. It feels apt, if at times eerily underwhelming, for a book focused on one of the most seismic events of European history that seemed to achieve none of what its revolutionaries hoped to achieve.
Without ever reaching the heights of the Wolf Hall trilogy, A Place of Greater Safety is an accomplished novel well worth your time. Mantel and 18th century France novices may feel a bit intimidated by its scope but the experience is certain to be rewarding.
torpedo_fish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The French Revolution was chaos, and this book mimics that feeling. It's challenging to follow even with a good knowledge of the main characters and beats of the Revolution. I imagine it would be borderline incomprehensible without that knowledge.
You're drawn along with these deeply flawed characters as they Wile E. Coyote themselves off of a cliff in search of something, then have no choice but to keep running forward until they fall. Tense, exhilarating, tragic.
You're drawn along with these deeply flawed characters as they Wile E. Coyote themselves off of a cliff in search of something, then have no choice but to keep running forward until they fall. Tense, exhilarating, tragic.