Michelle Moran

While the tensions rise between the royalty and the people, Madame Tussaud is requested to tutor the King's sister in wax sculpting and must find a way for her family to survive the coming revolution.

A Novel of the French Revolution

Madame Tussaud

Paris, 1788. Marie is a young woman in love with her oldest friend and neighbour, Henri. But she is also a determined businesswoman, eager to see her family's waxwork museum keep them safe and solvent. Her gift for modelling faces in wax brings her to Versailles, where she must teach the king's sister her skill. But the coming revolution will place Marie, her family and all of Paris in grave danger. As the monarchy is overthrown and the guillotine becomes a fixture in French life, Marie is expected to show her patriotism by making death masks from the severed heads of every key figure killed as the Reign of Terror begins and France enters its darkest time. How will Marie survive the Revolution? Who will survive it with her? And just how will this girl come to be known as the woman behind one of the most famous museums in the world?

Isa s

Now that I'm finished with the novel I'm really surprised at how impressed I'm with it. I didn't think I would enjoy it this much when I started. I had this on my Kindle for my daily commute to university and back, so it took me a month to finish. While the first pages seemed a bit slow, I can't really say when it began to grip me. It was sort of a gradual experience.

The life and opinions at the time before and during the French Revolution are depicted in a way which illustrates it all way better than your usual history classes (I had a very good teacher on this topic, so my knowledge on the subject has already been quite good). I liked how the book showed both sides, the commoners as well as the nobility.

The characters leading the reader through the revolution is of course "Madam Tussaud", or Marie, as she was at that time not yet married. She lives with her family in Paris and keeps a small exhibition of wax figures, which gives the news to the visitors in the form of wax models and later little texts to go with it. In her shop the later revolutionary leaders meet and discuss politics. On the other side, Marie is invited to tutor the king's sister, Madame Elizabeth. While visiting Madame Elizabeth Marie learns that the royal family isn't quite as greedy as they are depicted by the picture drawn by the hungry citizens.

Marie lives in Paris during the whole of the Revolution, including the later reign of Terror by Robbespierre and his consorts. She continues to run her shop and has to live through several losses. She is a strong woman through and through, who survives under very demanding conditions and still manages to remain herself.

A book I can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone who is interested in the time of the French Revolution, likes to being shown both sides or enjoys reading about strong women.

Francine Corry

Astor Reinhardt

Kylie edwards

Shelley

Kay Jamieson

Sarah Roberts

Jessie

Capucine Fachot

Lindsey

Judy McClure

Tanner Evans

While the tensions rise between the royalty and the people, Madame Tussaud is requested to tutor the King's sister in wax sculpting and must find a way for her family to survive the coming revolution. Reprint.

Madame Tussaud A Novel of the French Revolution

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