About Ribbons of Scarlet
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (October 1, 2019)
“The French Revolution comes alive through the eyes of six diverse and complex women, in the skilled hands of these amazing authors.â€--Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls
A breathtaking, epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—seven unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.
ng> Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution—and change the world.
In late eighteenth-century France, women do not have a place in politics. But as the tide of revolution rises, women from gilded salons to the streets of Paris decide otherwise—upending a world order that has long oppressed them.
Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy believes in democracy, education, and equal rights for women, and marries the only man in Paris who agrees. Emboldened to fight the injustices of King Louis XVI, Sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself--but one of her students, fruit-seller Louise Audu, is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning. When the Bastille falls and Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles, the monarchy is forced to bend, but not without a fight. The king’s pious sister Princess Elisabeth takes a stand to defend her brother, spirit her family to safety, and restore the old order, even at the risk of her head.
But when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution’s ideals into a new tyranny, even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine. Putting her faith in the pen, brilliant political wife Manon Roland tries to write a way out of France’s blood-soaked Reign of Terror while pike-bearing Pauline Leon and steely Charlotte Corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation. With justice corrupted by revenge, all the women must make impossible choices to survive--unless unlikely heroine and courtesan’s daughter Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe can sway the man who controls France’s fate: the fearsome Robespierre.
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Review:
The French Revolution was a time of immense change, violence and uncertainty for everyone in the country. The women of France eagerly became caught up in the Revolution hoping for change, for rights and for freedom. Many of these women died for their part in the revolution and their beliefs that women should have the same rights as men. Through the eyes of six amazing authors, six equally stunning and brave women of the French Revolution come alive: Sophie de Grouchy, Louise Audu, Elisabeth Philippine Marie Helene de France, Manon Roland, Charlotte Corday and Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe.
Through their tragedies and triumphs, these women weaved in and out of one another's lives. While each section of the book is written through just one woman's eyes, the others are present. Each woman's perspective moved farther in time through the Revolution. I love that the focus was not on the intense politics of the Revolution or what the men were fighting for, but the beliefs of each woman and how she set about to accomplish her task. Sophie de Grouchy used her political fervor to educate and empower other women under the guise of entertainment. Louise Audu, a feisty fruit seller and student of Sophie bands with other women to storm the Bastille. Elisabeth of France takes a stance to protect her family and realize just what her family is being killed for. Manon Roland takes up the pen as her weapon using the endurance and graciousness as women for strength. Charlotte Corday is convinced that murdering a man that slings slander and incites violence and hatred is a step towards peace. Emile de Sainte-Amaranthe uses her beauty to keep those who control France's fate under her influence. Each woman's emotions, desires, convictions and bravery are placed in the forefront of the writing. While their beliefs may not have always aligned, the women's power of conviction shone through.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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