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.Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution–and change the world.In late … 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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HERstory at its finest; this novel of the French Revolution, collaboratively written by titans of Historical Fiction, brings women to the forefront of the time known as The Terror. This novel has it all; the ability to move, entertain, educate, and inspire. We cannot forget these women, now that we’ve discovered them anew through this powerfully written book.
This new historical fiction novel is an interconnected group of short stories by six of the top historical fiction writers today. It’s about six different women and their part in the French Revolution. I think that this is the first book that I’ve read about this time period and it was very informative. Each author wrote about a woman who had a part in the revolution and they were all from different levels of society but they all had one thing in common – their goal to give women more freedom and a stronger part of the governing of France.
This was an excellent book about a time period in history that isn’t talked about or even written about much. The authors presented a compelling story of six women who even though they were on different sides of the conflict were interconnected by their goals to give more freedom to women – a fight that continues to the present day.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
The French Revolution comes alive through the eyes of six diverse and complex women, in the skilled hands of these amazing authors.
I was trying to figure out how to give this book the justice/review that it deserves. There are six different authors dealing with 7 different main characters that are interlinked by the French Revolution.
As I was reading I kept thinking this is similar to the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. They are all intertwined in some way. The education system failed us. Classes barely touched on the French Revolution. I cannot thank the authors enough for making me think, making me want to know more.
Ribbons of Scarlet give a fresh prospective. It isn’t the “It was bloody and terrible” that we studied in school. It gives details. It creates empathy for some of the people involved. I developed an understanding that I didn’t think possible. I am gutted. My heart weeps. To give the authors the credit they deserve I am going to make a few comments about each section.
Part I, The Philosopher by Stephanie Dray brings to the forefront the cruelty that was part of everyday life in France at the beginning of the French Revolution through the eyes of Sophie de Grouchy. The author has the ability to paint a vivid picture with words that had me nauseous as Sophie witnessed someone being punished on the wheel. The reader sees the challenges of females during that time period and that with proper support even they can influence others. When Sophie starts a school to teach the lesser class females to read she introduces the next character of importance, Louise.
Part II, The Revolutionary by Heather Webb centers around Louise a fruit cart seller who sees life from the eyes of the lesser class. She makes extra money delivering messages to those impowered to take action. This part also concentrates on Pauline who is much more vocal in the beginning, someone who Louise aspires to be. The reader gets a clear picture of the life of the less fortunate. The violence increases. The suffering continues to worsen developing more and more anger. France is spiraling. The king is loosing control.
Part III, The Princess by Sophie Perinot gives us a different perspective through the eyes of King Louis’ sister, Madame Elisabeth. She is someone that has met and had some of the same beliefs as Sophie De Grouchy. She is a kind, caring soul who in another life would have been a nun. In a world where family comes first she stands by the King’s side as people rise up against the royalty. Thanks to this section the readers gets a better understanding of everything that was going on. There are two sides to every story. Elisabeth’s journey is frightful.
Part IV, The Politician by Kate Quinn shows us the influence of Manon Roland, wife of the Minister of the Interior is the power behind the pen. The Revolution should be coming to an end. Politics keep changing. Those in charge are deciding who lives or dies. With a rumor, Manon Roland can be crushed, her husband destroyed. Her self sacrifice gained my respect when at times I didn’t much like the woman or the games she played.
Part V, The Assassin by E. Knight I am speechless after reading this section. It illustrated the different factions, the turmoil, the anguish, the challenges. The French Revolution was dirty and it touched everyone. Charlotte Corday travels from Caen with one goal-to save France. Through her eyes we see how Paris has been destroyed by those that know best. People are starving. People are dying and she blames one man, Marat. She sees the solution as simple but doesn’t stop to think what will happen if she succeeds.
Part VI, The Beauty by Laura Kamoie was not full of beauty but it was the story of the Beauty of Paris, Emilie de Sartine. In better days she stood by her mother, running a gambling salon, living the life. As the revolution has no end in sight; the blood of so many innocents drip down the blades of the guillotine. Emilie, her mother, her brother and her husband are no longer accepted and soon live in fear of everything and everyone. If you live in fear long enough fear will control you. With the banging on the door those fears come to fruition. If you want details of living in the revolutionary prisons this part will have your heart breaking. The only beauty within in the walls was Emilie and Charles finally becoming husband and wife in reality and not just on paper. The day the leaders took Emilie’s head was the day of change, too little too late.
This was amazing, haunting, and such a unique concept!
I was wondering how six authors would manage to co-write a cohesive story, but they did it by each writing their own novella and interweaving one another’s characters throughout to draw a portrait of the women in the French Revolution. All of them are real historical figures, which makes the story much more compelling to me. Those who stood out most were the aristocrats, because it seemed to me that they were the true victims of the Revolution: Sophie, who married a free-thinking philosopher and advocate for women’s rights, allowing her to blossom into her own woman. Princess Elizabeth, sister to King Louis and his advisor. Charlotte Corday, who assassinated a ruler of the zealous Jacobins. Emilie, touted to be the most beautiful woman in Paris. Nearly all of them met the same fate: Madame Guillotine, for various reasons. But ultimately, the reason was the same: mob mentality shuts down all reason, and their emotionally driven lust for blood consumes any and everyone. In the end, the guillotine claimed not only King Louis and his entire family, but Robespierre, the leader of the Jacobins, too. No one was safe. The impoverished and bloodthirsty citizens of France were the very embodiment of hatred, and demanded the heads of anyone whose views differed in the slightest from their own. And the irony was, it didn’t even seem to accomplish anything in the end. Within a decade of the Revolution’s end, a new emperor had already risen to power: Napoleon. The mob could not rule; they could only destroy.
This throws into sharp relief what the American Founding Fathers had accomplished only a few years earlier, though. Rather than allow us to descend into anarchy like the French did, leaving a vacuum that could only be filled by a dictator, we developed a sustainable government with checks and balances of power. It’s hinted at the end of Ribbons of Scarlet that the Marquis de Lafayette, who had fought by our side in the American Revolution, had harbored hopes that France might blossom into a similar democracy. But that was not to be.
I felt especially sorry for King Louis. He was portrayed as a sanguine, innocent, optimistic guy who truly loved his people and wanted to do right by them. But his sense of integrity prevented him from playing ball once he was rendered little more than a figurehead–all he had left was veto power, and he used it when he thought it was right to do so. It didn’t matter that reason was squarely on his side: the mob could not hear reason. They were led entirely by their anger. Marie Antoinette was far craftier than Louis was, and did everything she could to keep them out of the clutches of the people, but Louis in his naïveté overruled her. (As I listened to this part of the story, the line from “Hamilton: The Musical” kept running through my mind, in which Alexander Hamilton, arguing that we shouldn’t join the French in their Revolution, mockingly asks and answers, “We made a treaty with a king whose head is now in a basket. Should we take it out and ask it? ‘Should we honor our treaty, King Louis’s head?’ ‘Uh, do whatever you want, I’m super dead!’”)
I have to say that I see parallels, though of course far less extreme, to the present political environment. I wonder if the authors chose this topic because they believed it to be timely, as well. When one or both sides are driven entirely by emotions, and their hatred swells to the point of violence, what can be done? Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.
The French Revolution as you’ve never read it before — fast-paced, gut-wrenching, and told through the eyes of women who fought and lived it. RIBBONS OF SCARLET manages to do what few other novels set against this complicated backdrop have — make Revolutionary France both completely accessible and utterly compelling. This is historical fiction at its absolute best!
The French Revolution was one of the most important events in history. The monarchy was abolished and was replaced by republics all across the French countryside. Not only did it result in political changes, but the social ramifications were far reaching and paved the way for future feminist movements. “Ribbons of Scarlet” focuses on seven brave women from all walks of life and differing beliefs, who felt their country needed a change and that women’s voices were worthy of being heard.
Sophie was a young woman with an old soul who worked with her Uncle campaigning for equality for women, and also for freeing men who were unjustly imprisoned. As a young girl, she witnessed a man being beaten to death and it changed her life forever. Sophie and her husband shared the same thoughts and beliefs and he appreciated her insight and never thought she was a stupid female who should be kept quiet. He loved her for
her brilliant mind, as well as her beauty. Sophie came in contact with all of the women in the book in different ways, and she left a lasting impression on each of them. She was also a teacher who taught women to read and write so they could fight for the equality they were searching for, and so justly deserved.
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to read “Ribbons of Scarlet” because it made me realize how important the historical fiction genre is to the literary world. I had no idea I would learn so much about a time in history that had such a profound effect on society. As I began to understand each woman in the book, I felt as if I had been transported back in time to experience the excitement and sadness of the tumultuous events with them. I knew very little about the French Revolution before I began reading, and I will never forget all that I have learned from this amazing book.
This was truly an amazing look at the French Revolution through the eyes of 6 women. Each section was written by 6 bestselling historical fiction authors. I loved how each female protagonist is introduced in the preceding story line and these stories all connect. I was moved to tears and did not want to put the book down. I will thank of this one often.
This was an absolutely stunning novel on so many levels. It’s written by six authors from 7 viewpoints, combined to tell the story of these women and the French Revolution, from it’s inception through The Terror. Each viewpoint and experience was different, but these are real women, some who were way ahead of their time in their quest for change and equality. The research by each author that went into this novel is staggering and the writing to bring each woman to life was amazing. Not only was each part well-written, but each wove seamlessly into the next, while also revisiting them later in the novel.
I had a cursory knowledge of the French Revolution before I started this novel, and it dropped me into the Revolution, where I felt I had a front row seat, or was beside each woman, experiencing their fight and their beliefs, and their horrors. There were so many horrors, but these women stood and fought for their beliefs in their own way, and were strong and empowered.
This novel floored me, in a good way. I took my time with it, wanting to be sure I didn’t miss anything and was able to really give it the attention it deserved. This was is one that shouldn’t be missed.
#RibbonsofScarlet #WilliamMorrow&Company #TallPoppyWriter #BloomReads #TallPoppyReviewer #NetGalley
Ribbons of Scarlet is a compelling look at six influential women involved in the French Revolution. Each of the women demonstrated an indomitable spirit in the midst of horrific events. It’s a compelling read.
NOTE: Profanity and intimate scenes.
Recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction.
I won an ARC copy. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
This is a powerful work of interconnected stories featuring women who made important contributions to the French Revolution. Whether they were peasant street vendors, intellectual politicians, religious zealots, or members of the nobility and royalty, these were all strong women who stood up for their beliefs with dignity and courage. They may have had vastly different views of what they wanted the Revolution to be, but their main concern was for a better life for their family and loved ones. Some worked for the right to vote and be represented equally with men, others worked behind the scenes to help their families survive, some just wanted one more scrap of bread to keep their families alive, and others were on the streets, participating in the bloody fighting. Each woman used her talents in her own way to promote her cause, and whether she survived or died, she left her mark on the Revolution, on France, and on history.
I think this book is unique in that six different authors were writing about six main characters and yet the story flowed smoothly from one section to the next. It built to an emotional end at the height of the chaos of the Terror and then brought the reader through to a reflective period after the Revolution had ended. I admit it took me a long time to finish this book, partly because life got in the way and time was short, but also because I knew most of these women would not survive. But even as I read through the tears, I was glad to know their stories and proud that their legacies have carried on so that we can learn about them and how their lives can inspire us today.
I won a copy of this book from one of the authors in a contest.
Amazing character development of forthright women (and men in their lives) during the time of the French Revolution.
Great historical fiction about the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.
Ribbons of Scarlet is a thought provoking and beautifully written novel about the women of the French Revolution. Inspiring, haunting, and exceptionally well crafted, the stories of six women whose lives cross paths in compelling ways will pull you in to late 18th century France.
I began this story with a paperback copy but due to a time constraint, I finished it via the audiobook. I would highly recommend experiencing the story from the audiobook perspective as the narration of the women is simply stunning.
“Ribbons of Scarlet” is a heart-wrenching portrait of six strong women from different backgrounds, who demonstrate courage during a terrifying period of upheaval and at the same time are dismissed on the basis of their sex. The novel will reverberate with today’s readers because women face the same challenges. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
When six incredible historical fiction writers put their heads together, you can expect nothing but first-rate storytelling. RIBBONS OF SCARLET is a fascinating peek into the women of the French Revolution. Listened to the audio book and was blown away by the research.
The voices of these masterful writers worked pure magic to give voices to these amazing women in French history. Brilliant.
What is Ribbons of Scarlet about? It is about empowering women. From royalty to fruit sellers the reader learns about six different women with different lives with the same goal. It is the eighteenth century where women have no place in politics, but these women put themselves right in the middle of the French Revolution.
We have The Philosopher by Stephanie Dray; Sophie de Grouchy Condorcet (Grouchette) was a prominent salon hostess from 1789 to the Reign of Terror. She was well-connected and influential before, during, and after the French Revolution. Her salon became a meeting place for those opposed to the autocratic regime and she survived the Revolution, publishing her husband’s works.
The Revolutionary by Heather Webb takes on Louise “Reine” Audu, a fruitseller who participated in the French Revolution. She along with others led the Women’s March on Versailles. The march started by women who were upset about the high price and scarcity of bread. She was part of the delegation that met with the King but was later arrested and jailed. Her stay ended with her going “insane”.
Then we have The Princess by Sophie Perinot. Madame Élisabeth was a French princess and the youngest sibling of King Louis XVI. She stayed with the royal family when they fled Paris during the Revolution. She had the ear of the King and often tried to advise him. As a result of being the sister of the King, she was executed.
The Politician by Kate Quinn features Manon (Madame) Roland who was a French revolutionary, salonnière, and writer. Along with her husband, Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière were both supporters of the French Revolution. They were involved in the Girondist faction but fell out of favor during the Reign of Terror and was executed on the guillotine.
The Assassin by E.Knight has Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d’Armont, also known as Charlotte Corday was another figure in the French Revolution. Jean-Paul Marat was a member of the Jacobin faction who exerted power via his newspaper. Charlotte felt that his death would save the people of Paris. She did kill him and was executed for her crime.
Lastly, The Beauty by Laura Kamoie protagonist is Charlotte-Rose-Émilie Davasse de Saint-Amarand who was the daughter of a courtesan becomes a heroine when she takes on Robespierre.
Let’s just say that I love any and all stories by these talented authors. How they could take six powerful French women and combine their stories into one fantastic novel beats me but they did. I knew about the French Revolution, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette but nothing about any of the heroines in the book. I was sad for the women who were executed and in such an inhumane way but I was happy that they were an important part of the history of France. Each of these authors is talented in their own right but writing together, very powerful! Well researched and put together, one of my favorite books of the year!
Given the list of authors involved in writing this novel, I was certain I’d enjoy it, but still it surprised me. I hadn’t expected that a collaboration among so many different authors could come together as such a perfect, cohesive whole.
There are six parts, each focusing on a different woman (though one part centers on two women). The women are from diverse backgrounds, ranging from a poor fruit seller to a princess. Each character tells her story in first person, and with a different author at the helm of each of these stories, every character has a her own distinct voice.
Every one of these six stories feels as if it could stand on its own, but combined, they tell one complete, unforgettable story. The parts are arranged in chronological order with the first set before the Revolution and the last set during the Terror. Though each part centers on one main character, each part has appearances by most of the other women too. That way, once a characters section has wrapped up, her story may continue. And if the character hasn’t been featured yet, the reader has already gotten to know her. This criss crossing of characters was perfectly done and made for a solid, unified whole.
I definitely found some characters more relatable than others, but there was more to relate to here than the women. There were themes that are very relevant today.
I also appreciated the range of emotion in this book. Of course there was horror, but there was also tenderness and love.
I learned a lot reading this, and I appreciated the authors’ notes at the end.
I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or even books about strong women.
I was fortunate enough to have an ARC to base this review on, but I was so impressed by this novel that I ordered a finished copy.
Wow, what a daredevil of a read! This is a wonderful novel, written by six talented authors, telling the tale of the French Revolution through the eyes of six women from the past. I am in awe of the structure of this novel and how they managed to weave six different narratives together into one cohesive story that sweeps the reader through the chaos and politics of this tumultuous time in French (and in some ways, American) history. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and all of the varying points of view. It is unusual to cheer on protagonists and antagonists at the same time but I found myself doing so because of the interesting way this story was told.