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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't want to say that this is Hilary Mantel's best work, but it is certainly a triumph, even among her bibliography. It is a triumph of research, empathy, perspective, storytelling... I literally cannot believe that this is her first book. A marvel.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Place of Greater Safety is Hilary Mantel’s venture into the complex heart of the French Revolution. Any fans of Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy will be familiar with her mesmeric prose. Where Wolf Hall requires a trance-like attention from the reader to enjoy the fully immersive experience of 16th century England, the back drop of the French Revolution demands vast depths of concentration to follow the notoriously convoluted events of 1790s Paris. Factions emerge like heads of the Hydra, streets, parliaments, even characters change names at a pace that can be bamboozling. Mantel is a solid shepherd, however, navigating the history with confidence and aplomb.
In the midst of uprisings and riots, Mantel’s eye remains firmly on the human experience of her central triumvirate- Robespierre, Danton and (to my knowledge at least) the less famous Camille Desmoulins. It is Camille from whom the novel receives its heart. He is at once infuriating and infatuating, ambitious and directionless. His romances are peculiar and captivating, his politics shocking and clear. Danton is more rugged, a brutish presence to which one is drawn almost against one’s will. Robespierre is the most oblique and sinister figure, drawn with compassion which makes his involvement in The Terror even more disturbing.
Events which might seem like natural crescendos for a novel about the French Revolution are covered with a brevity akin to breath on a mirror. Heads fall as quickly as the dropping blade of the guillotine. It feels apt, if at times eerily underwhelming, for a book focused on one of the most seismic events of European history that seemed to achieve none of what its revolutionaries hoped to achieve.
Without ever reaching the heights of the Wolf Hall trilogy, A Place of Greater Safety is an accomplished novel well worth your time. Mantel and 18th century France novices may feel a bit intimidated by its scope but the experience is certain to be rewarding.
In the midst of uprisings and riots, Mantel’s eye remains firmly on the human experience of her central triumvirate- Robespierre, Danton and (to my knowledge at least) the less famous Camille Desmoulins. It is Camille from whom the novel receives its heart. He is at once infuriating and infatuating, ambitious and directionless. His romances are peculiar and captivating, his politics shocking and clear. Danton is more rugged, a brutish presence to which one is drawn almost against one’s will. Robespierre is the most oblique and sinister figure, drawn with compassion which makes his involvement in The Terror even more disturbing.
Events which might seem like natural crescendos for a novel about the French Revolution are covered with a brevity akin to breath on a mirror. Heads fall as quickly as the dropping blade of the guillotine. It feels apt, if at times eerily underwhelming, for a book focused on one of the most seismic events of European history that seemed to achieve none of what its revolutionaries hoped to achieve.
Without ever reaching the heights of the Wolf Hall trilogy, A Place of Greater Safety is an accomplished novel well worth your time. Mantel and 18th century France novices may feel a bit intimidated by its scope but the experience is certain to be rewarding.
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The French Revolution was chaos, and this book mimics that feeling. It's challenging to follow even with a good knowledge of the main characters and beats of the Revolution. I imagine it would be borderline incomprehensible without that knowledge.
You're drawn along with these deeply flawed characters as they Wile E. Coyote themselves off of a cliff in search of something, then have no choice but to keep running forward until they fall. Tense, exhilarating, tragic.
You're drawn along with these deeply flawed characters as they Wile E. Coyote themselves off of a cliff in search of something, then have no choice but to keep running forward until they fall. Tense, exhilarating, tragic.
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finally finished this one after reading on it for nearly a year. It's not bad but different than I expected and way too long. It's not a book that is readable just in between something, you need to concentrate for it. It's kind of dull and yet has something enjoyable dur to a refreshing reading style!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes