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remainingwesty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
saranies's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very long read. It felt like there was too much going on for Mantel to create the sympathetic characters that she did in Wolf Hall; I would probably have enjoyed this more if it were just Camille.
sozh's review against another edition
4.0
Is this a short read? No.
Is this an easy read? No.
Is it confusing? At times.
Will you learn more than you ever wanted to know about Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jaqcues Danton and Maximilen Robespierre? Yes.
Is it a masterpiece? Not my call to make, but yeah, I'd say it is.
Could it benefit from an editor? I'd say it could, but then again, where would you start when presented with a manuscript a foot high?
Would I recommend? Yes, but I think Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies are much more accessible, and, dare I say, fun.
Four stars for a masterpiece that -- frankly -- went over my head at times, in terms of the nuances of the politics and the sheer volume of characters.
Is this an easy read? No.
Is it confusing? At times.
Will you learn more than you ever wanted to know about Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jaqcues Danton and Maximilen Robespierre? Yes.
Is it a masterpiece? Not my call to make, but yeah, I'd say it is.
Could it benefit from an editor? I'd say it could, but then again, where would you start when presented with a manuscript a foot high?
Would I recommend? Yes, but I think Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies are much more accessible, and, dare I say, fun.
Four stars for a masterpiece that -- frankly -- went over my head at times, in terms of the nuances of the politics and the sheer volume of characters.
alice_horoshev's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
History made by men. Mantel makes the main heroes so vivid and human❤️
nigellicus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
5.0
A sprawling, dense, vivid and colourful epic, charting the rise and fall of three key figures in the French Revolution, their early lives and connections, their intertwining or contrasting domestic affairs, their ideals and physical and intellectual prowess, their vanities and corruptions and charisma, driving one of the great epochal historical changes. Lively and fractious and ascerbic and witty and bitter, they chart a course through the overthrow of the old regime and the dawning savagery of the new. Intense, driving, bewildering, exhausting right until the devastating end. Brilliant.
miss_blackbird's review against another edition
5.0
A rich tale.
HM seems to have a knack for leading men to the scaffold.
Brilliant.
HM seems to have a knack for leading men to the scaffold.
Brilliant.
theadileonardi's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
erboe501's review against another edition
5.0
Hilary Mantel is a genius. I was halfway through this book, which I read in chunks over a couple months, when she died, which made this reading experience even more treasured because I know there's now a limited number of new works of hers I can read. From reading Mantel's memoir, I know that she had considered this her magnum opus (before Wolf Hall) that was so hard for her to write. I can totally understand why, because her style is so unique. She mixes historical documents with character dialogue in a masterful way. I'll admit I couldn't remember all the secondary and tertiary characters names. But she manages to humanize the arch-villain of the French Revolution, Robespierre, while showing us how he could've lost his humanity through the years of the revolution. I took enough French Revolution history in high school to remember that some of our main characters were doomed. But it still took my breathe away to read the final climactic chapters. Mantel managed to make the inevitable feel like a mere possibility among many outcomes. We know how things would go in retrospect, but she paints a vivid picture where you can understand the hard gambles that the political figures took. And she shows how the bloodshed happened gradually, and was largely out of control of those even in political power.
I'm so glad I read this. I learned a lot, plus experienced a beautifully told story.
I'm so glad I read this. I learned a lot, plus experienced a beautifully told story.
linda_1410's review against another edition
4.0
This was not what I was expecting and it's a strange little (haha, huge) book about the French Revolution up to the end of the Reign of Terror. It centers on three men at the heart of the revolution, Georges-Jacques Danton, Camille Desmoulins, a journalist, and of course Maximilien "Off with the heads!" Robespierre himself.
For being about the revolution, there's not much focus on the actual fighting, though it is addressed. This is much more focused on the philosophical and theoretical ambitions of its leaders, and it really highlights how the road to hell is paved with good intentions. All these men are deeply flawed, if strangely polite. Camille and Robespierre are besties from way back and while Camille wakes from the fanaticism first, he and Robespierre still have a deep respect for each other. Honestly, Robespierre was portrayed as so level-headed and stoic in this, that he hardly seemed capable of all the things he actually did. Which actually made it all the more surreal and terrifying. Take note, authors, this is how you write a villain POV.
The factual historical events are all here, but this is largely a work of fiction, trying to fill in the corners, the unknown events, the times in between the events we all know about, and to that end, it does a great job in showing just how these men were able to lead this revolution to free France and its people from tyranny - only to become the tyrants themselves and inflict even worse horrors than the king they replaced.
The narrator, Jonathan Keeble, did a fantastic job with this 38 hour behemoth, and I was surprised but pleased to hear Davina Porter reading the intro.
For being about the revolution, there's not much focus on the actual fighting, though it is addressed. This is much more focused on the philosophical and theoretical ambitions of its leaders, and it really highlights how the road to hell is paved with good intentions. All these men are deeply flawed, if strangely polite. Camille and Robespierre are besties from way back and while Camille wakes from the fanaticism first, he and Robespierre still have a deep respect for each other. Honestly, Robespierre was portrayed as so level-headed and stoic in this, that he hardly seemed capable of all the things he actually did. Which actually made it all the more surreal and terrifying. Take note, authors, this is how you write a villain POV.
The factual historical events are all here, but this is largely a work of fiction, trying to fill in the corners, the unknown events, the times in between the events we all know about, and to that end, it does a great job in showing just how these men were able to lead this revolution to free France and its people from tyranny - only to become the tyrants themselves and inflict even worse horrors than the king they replaced.
The narrator, Jonathan Keeble, did a fantastic job with this 38 hour behemoth, and I was surprised but pleased to hear Davina Porter reading the intro.