MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION

Catherine Delors



As Gabrielle de Montserrat, a French aristocrat, pens her memoir, the reader gets not only the anticipated up-close-and-personal view of the French Revolution, but also grim reminders of the lack of control women had over their lives, even in, or possibly especially in, the upper echelons of society.

First, I'd like to thank Eva of A Striped Armchair for recommending Mistress of the Revolution. It turned out to be everything it was promised to be. I initially thought the first half was moving too slowly. I was anxious to get to the revolt. (I apparently get blood thirsty on occasion.) In reality, I was frustrated by the treatment of Gabrielle by her family, her men, her life. Gabrielle is a highly intelligent and emotionally tough woman. Her inability to direct her own future is not due to any defect on her behalf. It drove me crazy to watch her be forced to submit to the whims of those in power. However, it was her perseverance through her early life that made credible her survival during a time when her peers were being slaughtered by the thousands under the blade of La Guillotine.

Coincidentally, I am posting this review on Bastille Day, a French national holiday. According to Wikipedia, "It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution."

I learn something new every day!



For more information on Cataherine Delors and her work see her Official Web Site.

Other reviews of this book:

Eva at A Striped Armchair