abigaillhuff's review
3.0
I loved reading about the women of the French Revolution, it wasn't something that was ever talked about when studying the revolution in history classes. I felt a lot of political similarities between then and now which disturbed me.
raquelk's review
5.0
I’d say it starts out a little slow. For the first 140 pages or so I’d say it’s pretty good but not great. Around page 140 they get to July, 1789, and the book really takes off and makes the French Revolution come alive in the most compelling, informative way. All the various legislative initiatives, military battles, things that I usually find rather boring are somehow made exciting.
I’ve read this book two or three times now and highly recommend it.
I’ve read this book two or three times now and highly recommend it.
msmandrake's review
2.0
2.5. Oh well, a bit disappointing. I dearly loved Marge Piercy's book about World War II, "Gone to Soldiers". I don't know how I missed knowing this book existed, a seemingly similar one about the French Revolution, or I would have read it years ago. It came to my attention while I was recently plodding through "A Place of Greater Safety" by Hilary Mantel, which I had some problems with. I had thought these problems stemmed from my unexplained discomfort with Ms Mantel's writing style, which, while I appreciate it's uniqueness and sometimes marvel at, I cannot read for long periods without twitching. (Don't ask me why because I don't know.) This novel, which pretty much covers the same ground and features many of the same characters, I figured would be easier going. Well...it is written in a straightforward manner, certainly. And it is told from multiple points of view, which I thought worked so well in GtS. But the characters are strangely remote..things are told rather than shown, dialogue is at a minimum, and some character's sections, especially Robespierre's, just turn into non-fiction accounts of the goings-on. It all got rather tedious. I guess I have to blame the French Revolution itself for some of this, because so much of it was just talking, talking talking, punctuated by gory violence now and then. Leading up to the inevitable end when everyone gets their heads chopped off. Sigh. Perhaps I should just put the Frenchies to rest for now and get obsessed with a new time period .......
falconerreader's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite Piercy novel is He, She, and It, set in the future, but this historical novel is a close second.
queenbryn's review against another edition
4.0
A very hard book to write and I, enjoyed might not be the right word, but enjoyed the effort - though more the history than the literary/story aspect apart from Pauline and Claire whom I loved. Love the French Revolution as a historian and seeing humanity being put back into it was fascinating.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Perhaps the most common thing every nation in the world shares is its ability to leave people behind when progressive change occurs. Abigail Adams reminded her husband to not forget women when America was being founded, and of course, he did. Women helped in World War I and they still didn’t even have the vote. There are still debates about whether African-American women should put men’s rights before all rights. In fact, that is not doubt true for any minority culture or ethnicity in any country.
So it is should be of no surprise that the French Revolution, which included the famous picture of a bare-breasted victory (and let’s really think about why she is always half nude), neglected the women who were a large part of that revolution.
Piercy’s book chronicles the lives of Paris citizens as they struggle in the days leading up to the Revolution and the days after it. While the majority of the characters she follows are women, there are more than a few men. The book is a rather cynical and somewhat hopeful look at revolution and change. Piercy’s book is worth reading because she covers all walks of life. There is Pauline, a young woman in Paris who has her own small business, a chocolate shop. This isn’t Chocolat, so the emphasis isn’t on the wonderful food and treats that she produces. It is on the politics and how Pauline gets caught up in. Is Revolutionary Paris, revolutionary enough?
And that really is the question.
Most often grand sweeping historical novels that are suppose to focus on the little person, really do not. They might start out that way, but plot and readership interest, always cause said little person to become part of a coterie of upper echelons. It is to Piercy’s credit that while some of her characters cross over, not all of them do. In many ways, it makes her historical fiction far more believable and compelling. While she does focus on the movers and shakers to a degree – both Danton and Robespierre have a role or two – the focus is kept on the smaller players. The everyday people that many readers of such books would have been. It really does feel like the stews of Paris at some points.
miss_tricia's review against another edition
3.0
My one gripe with this fictionalized history has more to do with history than the book itself. The constantly revolving cast of characters had my head spinning. And while it's not a Russian novel with 14 names for each character, Pierce often does refer to the same character by both first and last name in the same paragraph, which slows me down quite a bit.
I feel like I learned something about the French Revolution, but mostly I got a better sense of how the revolution was a revolving door of governments killing off their predecesors. Nasty stuff.
I feel like I learned something about the French Revolution, but mostly I got a better sense of how the revolution was a revolving door of governments killing off their predecesors. Nasty stuff.
hannaht7f4b9's review
3.0
I remember very little about this book, I read it as a teen. Reading the synopsis again now I would like to reread it one day.
stephybara's review
The first couple hundred pages of this book were very interesting - the French Revolution from the point of view of the vampire several different players (Robespierre, Danton, sans-culotte women and more) but I've really been struggling to read past page 300.
The one thing this is really bringing home to me is how long the revolution took; in school we just kind of learned "blah blah Bastille, blah blah Tennis Court Oath, and then there was a revolution, lots of people died, let's move on to Napoleon."
May 14 2009: I GIVE UP - if I haven't finished this by now, I'm not going to. (And I feel badly about it, because after 300 pages you'd think I could just finish it, but no.)
The one thing this is really bringing home to me is how long the revolution took; in school we just kind of learned "blah blah Bastille, blah blah Tennis Court Oath, and then there was a revolution, lots of people died, let's move on to Napoleon."
May 14 2009: I GIVE UP - if I haven't finished this by now, I'm not going to. (And I feel badly about it, because after 300 pages you'd think I could just finish it, but no.)
olive2read's review
4.0
Really interesting take on the French Revolution. Exciting read - loved how she brought these figures to life. Her women were fantastic!