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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Did I love this, or did I hate this? It’s definitely hard to tell because on the one hand it’s exquisitely composed, the dialogue is unbelievable, the characterisation is rich, and the setting is immortal, but on the other, it’s a slog.
This was Mantel’s first novel, which nobody wanted to publish until she was established, and I think this explains much. You can see the genesis of her astounding talent. You can also see the template for the Thomas Cromwell novels which were the apotheosis of this initiating impetus.
The problem with this novel is that the brilliantly realised urbanity that she so effortlessly invokes in her literary creations is just too relentless here. The great Danton borders upon used car salesman. Camille Desmoulins could be an SJW with just a couple of centuries under his belt, and somehow it just doesn’t convince. And then there’s the genius that was Robespierre, one of my historical heroes, and here, he is just a little too lawyerly for my liking.
And in the final analysis, there’s just too much talking. The events of the novel, which are world shaking, if anything could be so described, become mere footnotes. The fall of the Bastille? Half a page, and this book is absolutely vast. The death of the Capets? A few unsatisfying lines. So much is imagined here, but too little is left to the imagination.
Very hard to rate, 7/10
This was Mantel’s first novel, which nobody wanted to publish until she was established, and I think this explains much. You can see the genesis of her astounding talent. You can also see the template for the Thomas Cromwell novels which were the apotheosis of this initiating impetus.
The problem with this novel is that the brilliantly realised urbanity that she so effortlessly invokes in her literary creations is just too relentless here. The great Danton borders upon used car salesman. Camille Desmoulins could be an SJW with just a couple of centuries under his belt, and somehow it just doesn’t convince. And then there’s the genius that was Robespierre, one of my historical heroes, and here, he is just a little too lawyerly for my liking.
And in the final analysis, there’s just too much talking. The events of the novel, which are world shaking, if anything could be so described, become mere footnotes. The fall of the Bastille? Half a page, and this book is absolutely vast. The death of the Capets? A few unsatisfying lines. So much is imagined here, but too little is left to the imagination.
Very hard to rate, 7/10
challenging
informative
slow-paced
challenging
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Huge cast of characters so it can be confusing.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Although written in the classic, wonderful Mantel prose, this book was ultimately too long and quite simply paled in comparison to her Wolf Hall trilogy. It's centred around 3 characters who were huge cogs in the French revolution: Danton, Camille and Robespierre, following them from childhood to revolution. If this book has started nearer to the revolution, it would definitely be getting 4 stars; unfortunately, it took a good 300 pages until it gets going and was a slog until then. When it's st its best, it's fantastic, depicting the horrors of the Terror years so well, where revolutionary factions fought for power; as I said, the last 400 pages show Mantel as the queen of historical fiction. Still, a shame it took a while to get there.
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent, informative yet still confusing and often tedious. Mantel had yet to perfect her approach to complex historical fiction when she wrote this one - she appears to have included nearly every actual historical actor in the text, with very little effort to differentiate them from one another. I am sort of glad I read it but cannot recommend it to anyone.
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No