I don't know about other readers, but I always thought of the French revolution as happening over a relatively short period of Time. Author Marge Piercy takes the time and the effort to tell us more about this important time in history. She gives us the point of view of several men and women that were key players in the Revolution. My favorites were Claire and Nicolas. Claire is an actor in a travelling theater troupe, and Nicolas is a watered-down Noble.

Times are hard for the working class, or peasants, as the beorgeous and Gentry called them. They lived on bread and water, and the rich hoarded and blockaded the grain, to drive up the price of bread. Rich effers paid no taxes (just like tRumpedo's regime) and the poor were taxedon everything. The time was ripe for a revolution.

The people started out believing in their new King, Louis the XVII...
P.15
The King was young and said to be faithful to his wife, unlike all previous Kings within memory back to St Louis. He was said to want to do well for friends and for the people. people talked of nothing else. Louis the fifteenth had destroyed the confidence of his subjects, running up huge debts and losing a war to English. He kept mistresses who ruled France, first Madame de pompadour and then du barry, who spent millions. He passed his time at a house called the deer Park, where he had young girls brought for his pleasure. The new King was said to have plain taste. The common People hoped this meant an end to the flagrant consumption and luxury for luxury's sake. This king would bring reform, with change the unjust system of taxation that exempted the rich and crushed the poor. It would be a new era.

As an actor, Claire had freedom to live the way few women in the late 1700s could...
P.52
men available to her often inspired her contempt. They were taken in by poses on the stage, by paint and flimsy costumes. They wanted to bed an image that in the darkened theater smelling of many Bodies titillated them. Some were young lawyers who thought an actress a suitable object of lust, a prestigious mistress. Some were older men who longed for their youth and thought a woman desired by other men might magically restore it. For some she was a trophy. If she was occasionally moved by a broad set of shoulders, a flashing smile, a witty line, then she acted on her lust before it vanished.

Nicolas and Sophie had a good marriage, a rarity in any age...
P.176:
they had never hung on each other in public, and they did not do so now. Those who did not understand their intimacy could live on in ignorance. Most of the men and women who gossiped around him could not imagine a relationship in which everything relevant could be discussed, in which no tricks were needed to pique or keep interests, jealousy was not a useful tool of intimacy, and Trust was the environment.

Claire and Helene, a fellow actor, roomed together for awhile.
P.338:
Claire rarely found Helene in their shared room, for she had taken up with a man in her musical. She went only occasionally to the cordeliers into the women's meetings. Her new lover seems mostly to care about dining well and dressing up. Helene was in love, although Claire could not figure out with what. A dressmakers' mannequin would have as much force of character. Helene told her she was jealous and should find a man of her own.

The reformers who played parts in the revolution split into factions and attacked each other. Robespierre is jailed along with several of his fellow orators after escaping jail for many years, and having a huge influence on events.
P.454:
soldiers forced their way in. Max had no time to consider his action. He lifted the pistol that Philippe had given him, loaded and cocked. He fired at the same time that a soldier firing at him. He fell, a terrible pain in his face. He did not know if he had shot himself or if the soldier had shot him. His jaw was broken and he could not speak. Blood ran down over his waistcoat and shirt. Run blood ran down into his earring kicked in his hair.

This was not as good as I expected. It was hard to keep track of characters, though the author helpfully provided an index at the end. It was also plodding at times. But in the end, I learned much from this work. ( )

I am pretty particular about historical fiction because if I know anything about the era and an author gets it wrong (You wouldn't have wanted to be in the audience when I saw Elizabeth..I couldn't stop pointing out what was wrong and getting all huffy about it). Marge Piercy does an excellent job of creating her characters, both well known and unknown (and in between). Wonderful book for people who love historical fiction or the French Revolution. Others may enjoy it too. ( )

This historical novel about the French Revolution, being reissued as an ebook, reminds us yet again about lessons to be learned from history. Piercy has carefully traced the origins and outcomes of the events in 18th century France through telling the stories of three men and three women, based on her research and surmisings. Even though we may remember the outcomes for these real people, the details of their lives make their times seem immediate and tragic, and we are immersed in their situations. For readers not too familiar with the personalities, the transitions between characters is sometimes confusing, and I wish I had known about the guide at the end of the book before I started; this is just not obvious in an e-reader. Particularly strong were the descriptions of friendships, for example between Camille and Georges, and Pauline and Claire. ( )

This book was an enjoyable novelistic summary of the French Revolution: pre- , during, and post-, with an epilogue, [not called as such] of three characters meeting years later and discussing what had been accomplished during the Revolution years, even with the excesses. The story follows six main figures: Robespierre, Danton, Condorcet and three women [who seemed like platforms for Piercy's blatant feminism]. The first part of the novel: years 1780-1791 were much more interesting. 1792 dragged and the Marat murder in the bathtub by Charlotte Corday and the Reign of Terror were just skimmed over. Pacing wasn't that good. I liked both major and minor characters' biographies and their revealing their inmost thoughts and aspirations openly to the reader. The French Revolution has been well documented--with biographies, even an autobiography, so Piercy had much source material. The author's use of "guy" or "boyfriend" annoyed me. Her "Author's Note" is worth reading. ( )

I did enjoy the book, but I think the first part (1789-1791) was stronger. The POVs varied in quality, I found Pauline, Danton, Claire and Robespierre's stronger than Manon and Condorcet's. There were some characterisation choices I don't agree with: I think Danton lacked some strenght and I am not so sure about Robespierre's portrayal of ever-increasing insanity, as well as his treatment of Elèanor.

The prose was flat at some points but it was good at showing the material realities of Paris in the late 18th century, especially between the lower classes.

All in all, a good book that I enjoyed, but lacking in some areas. ( )