Ribbons of Scarlet

September 28, 2019

Ribbons of Scarlet

Overall, the rights of women were ignored during the French revolution – liberty, equality, and fraternity were intended for men, disregarding the rights of the half of the French populace.  Ribbons of Scarlet presents the other half of the story of the French Revolution.

A free-thinking philosophy student, a poor fruit seller, the king’s pious sister, the wife of a politician, a passionate young idealist, and a celebrated beauty – these are the stories of six real women who lived during the French Revolution.  Although they are from all levels of society and superficially have nothing in common, history comes to life through their eyes and lives as they are swept up in the politics and the revolutionary thoughts and actions of the age.  I found myself stopping frequently to look up biographical information on the characters.  (Be advised that their stories do not end happily.)

This is the fifth collaborative book produced by the History 360 Co-op, and each section is written by a different author but the transitions are seamless (authors are Stephanie Dray, Heather Webb, Sophie Perinot, Kate Quinn, E. Knight, and Laura Kamoie).  And the cover art is beautiful and meaningful in the context of the story.

Charlotte Corday - the prettiest painting I could find

Here are the characters in order:

The Philosopher – Marquise Sophie de Condorcet, my favorite character and section

The Revolutionary – Louise Reine Audu, known as the Queen of the Market Women

The Princess – Madame Elisabeth, the king's deeply religious younger sister known for her good works

The Politician – Manon Roland, married to the minister of the interior but she wrote his speeches

The Assassin – Charlotte Corday, assassin of Jean-Paul Marat, most likely the best known character

The Beauty – Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe, a celebrated Parisian beauty and victim of the Terror, the saddest story in the book

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.