Name: Madame Tussaud's Apprentice
ISBN: 9781846883811

Kathleen Benner Duble

A sweeping story of danger, intrigue and young love, set against one of the most dramatic moments in history.

Madame Tussaud's Apprentice

In 1789, with the starving French people on the brink of revolution, orphaned Celie Rosseau, an amazing artist and a very clever thief, runs wild with her protector, Algernon, trying to join the idealistic freedom fighters of Paris. But when she is caught stealing from none other than the king's brother and the lady from the waxworks, Celie must use her drawing talent to buy her own freedom or die for her crimes. Forced to work for Madame Tussaud inside the opulent walls that surround Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Celie is shocked to find that the very people she imagined to be monsters actually treat her with kindness. But the thunder of revolution still rolls outside the gates, and Celie is torn between the cause of the poor and the safety of the rich. When the moment of truth arrives, will she turn on Madame Tussaud or betray the boy she loves? From the hidden garrets of the starving poor to the jeweled halls of Versailles, Madame Tussaud's Apprentice is a sweeping story of danger, intrigue, and young love, set against one of the most dramatic moments in history.

An Untold Story of Love in the French Revolution

Shannon Jade

A story of love, friendship, family, and revolution, Madame Tussaud's Apprentice is a beautifully written tale of calm and chaos, safety and brokenness. Featuring a rich 1700s Parisian setting and offering a nuanced perspective on all things revolutionary France, this story is a new favourite for the bookshelves.

Taking place in the throes of the French Revolution, Madame Tussaud’s Apprentice is never singular in its representations, always offering complex views of well-researched histories. The dirty, muddy, poverty-stricken streets contrast with the excess and luxury of Versailles, then with the blood and brutality of revolution. Kathleen Benner Duble does a fantastic job of crafting a detailed and believable world, where readers can learn and understand new layers of one of the most formative periods in France’s history.

Celie, the story’s main character, is wonderfully written. She is brave, clever, fierce, and innovative, but she is also critical of the times in which she lives. She moves from vengeful to gentle, self-sufficient to family-motivated, street girl to art apprentice. Similarly, the characters who surround Celie are multifaceted and unpredictable, making for an engaging, quickly changing story driven as much by character as by history.

Madame Tussaud’s Apprentice is a story of bravery, family, and much, much more. I’d recommend it to fans of Nemesis and the Swan by Lindsay K. Candy and All That Glitters by Gita Trelease.

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Madame Tussaud's Apprentice

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